“Just to be here is amazing,” McDonald said beaming with excitement. “We’ve trained my horse and had her since she was a yearling so to win a round on her really means a lot to my family.
“When I went in the alley way she was very ready and took off and that’s good, that’s what I want her doing,” McDonald continued as she described her round winning run. “We got the right angle going to the first and I grabbed her and the dirt held her really good, we’ve kind of been slipping the past few nights. We almost got the second, that was scary, but her third was probably one of the best third barrels she ever had, so I think that’s where she gained a lot of time.”
Sarah Rose McDonald and Fame Fling N Bling win Round No. 4
McDonald rode her amazing mare Fame Fling N Bling, who she calls “Bling.” The 9-year-old bay roan is by A Streak Of Fling and out of Short Penny, who is by Dash Ta Fame. Bling has led McDonald to numerous wins as well as her Rookie championship in 2014 and now the flashy mare is proving her talent inside the prestigious Thomas and Mack Center arena. McDonald and Bling have won total NFR earnings of $48,654, including the $26,231 from Round No. 4. The Brunswick, Georgia team came into the NFR ranked No. 3 in the WPRA world standings and after tonight’s win have moved into second place.
McDonald has a no-slacking attitude when it comes to her strategy for the Finals and plans to keep riding aggressively for the next seven rounds.
“With Bling you can’t safety up. You just have to go all out, push her every step of the way,” McDonald said. “If you stop riding you’re not going to have a good go round, so I’m just going to keep going at it every go round.”
Cassidy Kruse is keeping her fire burning at the Wrangler NFR as she and veteran Lisa Lockhart split second and third place monies tonight with times of 13.85. Kruse has outshined her competition in total NFR earnings with $71,923 and is keeping her hold on the aggregate lead. Lockhart is also keeping her lead in the world standings with $215,674 total earnings. Lockhart is also sitting second in the aggregate.
Taylor Jacob pulled another check keeping her momentum from last night’s win. Jacob turned in a 13.89 second run for fourth place in Round No. 4. Another tie in the barrel racing occurred for fifth and six places. Callie DuPerier and Nancy Hunter both turned in a time of 14.03, worth $5,500. DuPerier slid from No. 2 in the world standings to No. 3 after McDonald’s round win.
Don’t miss the February issue of Barrel Horse News to read in-depth coverage of all the great stories from the 2015 Wrangler NFR.
Barrel Racing Results – Fourth Go Round:
- Sarah Rose McDonald, 13.71, $26,231
2/3. Lisa Lockhart, 13.85, $18,192
2/3. Cassidy Kruse, 13.85, $18,192
4. Taylor Jacob, 13.89, $11,000
5/6. Callie DuPerier, 14.03, $5,500
5/6. Nancy Hunter, 14.03, $5,500
7. Mary Walker, 14.06
8. Sherry Cervi, 14.17
9. Jackie Ganter, 14.21
10. Carley Richardson, 14.24
11. Vickie Carter, 14.29
12. Michele McLeod, 14.38
13. Deb Guelly, 14.45
14. Jana Bean, 18.74
15. Fallon Taylor, 18.97
Aggregate:
1. Cassidy Kruse, 55.52 seconds on four
2. Lisa Lockhart, 55.68
3. Callie DuPerier, 56.37
4. Jackie Ganter, 56.49
5. Sherry Cervi, 56.78
6. Sarah Rose McDonald, 60.38
7. Fallon Taylor, 60.94
8. Michele McLeod, 61.37
9. Mary Walker, 61.39
10. Carley Richardson, 61.42
11. Vickie Carter, 62.15
12. Taylor Jacob, 65.51
13. Jana Bean, 66.91
14. Deb Guelly, 67.38
15. Nancy Hunter, 71.17
World Standings:
1. Lisa Lockhart, $215,674
2. Sarah Rose McDonald, $193,253
3. Callie DuPerier, $189,192
4. Cassidy Kruse, $163,269
5. Mary Walker, $135,759
6. Fallon Taylor, $130,886
7. Taylor Jacob, $127,739
8. Michele McLeod, $117,628
9. Sherry Cervi, $114,744
10. Nancy Hunter, $112,186
11. Carley Richardson, $101,147
12. Jackie Ganter, $87,780
13. Vickie Carter, $72,768
14. Jana Bean, $70,162
15. Deb Guelly, $69,769
