By Leslie Pevey
Over 1,300 entries ran through the clocks in Starkville, MS at the Horse Poor Barrel Race on October 17-20, the first cool weekend for Mississippi with beautiful weather and sunny skies. The Mississippi Horse Park was teeming with competitors, hoping to win some of the $66,808 in money and prizes. This run was WPRA approved and for the first time served as the Better Barrel Race’s (BBR) Eastern Region Tour Finale. The BBR finale was run as a side pot during Saturday’s race, and paid out over $16,000.
Director of the MS Horse Park, Bricklee Miller, stated this event was “sold out.” Very rarely does the Mississippi Horse Park run out of stall accommodations, but all stalls were sold out by Monday before the race started on Friday. Even though the event was “sold out,” commuting barrel racers could still enter on-site.
The show went smoothly and big money was won. Among the top winners of the weekend was Allie Chouest of Bentonia, MS, who won the coveted BBR side pot and Saturday’s main race on her new mount, Briscoscangetit, with a time of 15.121. The horse, previously owned and run by Darlene Moran of Sandy Hook, MS, was a birthday present for Chouest. When asked if she thought her run was a winning one, she said, “I didn’t think so because he kind of missed his first barrel, but he made up for it on the second and third.” She says she keeps her mounts tuned up with the help of her trainer, Talmadge Green, also of Sandy Hook, MS. “He just tunes up on them and I’ll go ride at his house. We will come to the shows and he will warm them up and tune on them. Then, I’ll just get on him and run him.”
Other riders put smoking times on the clock during the weekend, as well. Hailey Pettigo of Marietta, MS, won Friday’s race with a time of 15.180 on her gelding, Scootin Mac For Cash. The record-breaking show ended on Sunday with two times breaking into the sub-14 range for the fastest times of the weekend. Katie Roberts of Russellville, AR, laid down a smoking 14.928 on her mount, Juma Gem. Roberts was also the overall average winner of the weekend with an average time of 15.088. Laurie Cooper of Humboldt, TN had the fastest time of the weekend with an unbelievable 14.918 on her mount, Perks Panita. Cooper was right on the heels of Roberts for the average win with a time of 15.118.
Official results are available at: http://www.horsepoorbbr.com/
Photos courtesy of Jeff L Holman Photography, http://www.jefflhoman.com/
Photo cutlines:
0K7B4335 - Allie Chouest - Saturday race/BBR side pot winning run - 2nd barrel
0K7B4659 - Katie Roberts - Sunday race - 2nd fastest time of weekend - average winner - run out
0K7B4730 - Laurie Cooper - Sunday race - fastest time of weekend - Sunday race winner - reserve average winner - 2nd barrel
Over 1,300 entries ran through the clocks in Starkville, MS at the Horse Poor Barrel Race on October 17-20, the first cool weekend for Mississippi with beautiful weather and sunny skies. The Mississippi Horse Park was teeming with competitors, hoping to win some of the $66,808 in money and prizes. This run was WPRA approved and for the first time served as the Better Barrel Race’s (BBR) Eastern Region Tour Finale. The BBR finale was run as a side pot during Saturday’s race, and paid out over $16,000.
Director of the MS Horse Park, Bricklee Miller, stated this event was “sold out.” Very rarely does the Mississippi Horse Park run out of stall accommodations, but all stalls were sold out by Monday before the race started on Friday. Even though the event was “sold out,” commuting barrel racers could still enter on-site.
The show went smoothly and big money was won. Among the top winners of the weekend was Allie Chouest of Bentonia, MS, who won the coveted BBR side pot and Saturday’s main race on her new mount, Briscoscangetit, with a time of 15.121. The horse, previously owned and run by Darlene Moran of Sandy Hook, MS, was a birthday present for Chouest. When asked if she thought her run was a winning one, she said, “I didn’t think so because he kind of missed his first barrel, but he made up for it on the second and third.” She says she keeps her mounts tuned up with the help of her trainer, Talmadge Green, also of Sandy Hook, MS. “He just tunes up on them and I’ll go ride at his house. We will come to the shows and he will warm them up and tune on them. Then, I’ll just get on him and run him.”
Other riders put smoking times on the clock during the weekend, as well. Hailey Pettigo of Marietta, MS, won Friday’s race with a time of 15.180 on her gelding, Scootin Mac For Cash. The record-breaking show ended on Sunday with two times breaking into the sub-14 range for the fastest times of the weekend. Katie Roberts of Russellville, AR, laid down a smoking 14.928 on her mount, Juma Gem. Roberts was also the overall average winner of the weekend with an average time of 15.088. Laurie Cooper of Humboldt, TN had the fastest time of the weekend with an unbelievable 14.918 on her mount, Perks Panita. Cooper was right on the heels of Roberts for the average win with a time of 15.118.
Official results are available at: http://www.horsepoorbbr.com/
Photos courtesy of Jeff L Holman Photography, http://www.jefflhoman.com/
Photo cutlines:
0K7B4335 - Allie Chouest - Saturday race/BBR side pot winning run - 2nd barrel
0K7B4659 - Katie Roberts - Sunday race - 2nd fastest time of weekend - average winner - run out
0K7B4730 - Laurie Cooper - Sunday race - fastest time of weekend - Sunday race winner - reserve average winner - 2nd barrel
