Mowry Wins Fourth Round on Memorial Night at the Wrangler NFR

By Ann Bleiker

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Timing is everything in barrel racing and every tick of the clock makes a difference especially at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kassie Mowry and Force The Goodbye “Jarvis” have been just a tick off making the top of the leaderboard the last three nights but Sunday night was their night.

            “That was just the most amazing feeling, I am so proud of my horse,” stated Mowry minutes after the winning run. “I knew he could do it as we have been so close, but Hailey and Sister are hard to outrun. I just feel like he hit all the right spots, and the clock showed and I am super proud of this run.”

            The duo stopped the clock in 13.43 seconds to capture the round win and added $33,687.  Thus far Mowry has picked up $96,935 and has surpassed the one-million-dollar mark in career earnings ($1,073,825) while she has been in Las Vegas.

            Mowry has said before that Jarvis is the whole package and that showed earlier this year when the horse won the Nutrena Horse of the Year award presented by AQHA. Jarvis is owned by the late Michael Boone, Mowry’s fiancé, so winning tonight was even more meaningful for her in that the fourth round serves as Memorial Night at the Wrangler NFR. Boone was killed in a freak accident on June 1, 2024. A year ago Boone told Mowry that Jarvis deserved to be back running at the Thomas and Mack and the duo are making their angel proud at this year’s NFR.

            “I tried not to have super high expectations of him as you never know because he did so amazing last year, but he did it once, he can do it again,” noted Mowry. “He normally starts out slow and then gets into a rhythm, so I am glad he caught up quicker this year than last year.”

            It will be exciting watching this duo over the next six rounds as they battle it out with Hailey Kinsel and Sister. Kinsel picked up a third-place check tonight with a time of 13.61 seconds. Kinsel has $335,267 in earnings to Mowry’s $259,218.

            Carlee Otero, making her first NFR appearance in 10 years, placed second in a time of 13.59 seconds with Tiany Schuster taking fourth in 13.68. Schuster moved into second in the average with a four-run total of 54.76 seconds.

Contestants were sporting the color of gold on Sunday in honor of pediatric cancer and the Golden Circle of Champions, an event Mowry participated in earlier in the day. The ladies of the WPRA are always dressing to impress but they are also competing for the Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award presented by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Fans can vote nightly at www.wpra.com. LaTricia Duke and Vanilla Wafer got the golden memo on Sunday and are in contention for the Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed title having previously won the title in 2020. Duke finished in a tie for sixth on the barrel racing leaderboard with a time of 13.75 seconds.

            Fifth round action gets underway, Monday, December 9 at 5:45 p.m. PT LIVE on the Cowboy Channel.

Average results: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 53.95 on four runs; 2. Tiany Schuster, 54.76; 3. Andrea Busby, 54.81; 4. Ashley Castleberry, 55.05.

Rd 4 results: 1. Kassie Mowry, Dublin, TX, 13.43 seconds, $33,687; 2. Carlee Otero, Perrin, TX, 13.59, $26,624; 3. Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, TX, 13.61, $20,104; 4. Tiany Schuster, Krum, TX, 13.68, $14,127; 5. Halyn Lide, China Spring, TX, 13.72, $8,693; 6. (tie) LaTricia Duke, Zephyr, TX and Shelley Morgan, Eustace, TX, 13.75, $2,717 each.

Rd 3 results: 1. Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, TX, 13.48, $33,687; 2. Kassie Mowry, Dublin, TX, 13.58, $26,624; 3. (tie) Tiany Schuster, Krum, TX and Andrea Busby, Millsap, TX, 13.65 $17,115 each; 5. LaTricia Duke, Zephyr, TX, 13.67, $8,693; 6. Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook OK, 13.84, $5,433.

Rd. 2 results: 1. Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, TX, 13.48 seconds, $33,687; 2. Kassie Mowry, Dublin, TX, 13.51, $26,624; 3. Tiany Schuster, Krum, TX, 13.53, $20,104; 4. Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, TX, 13.62, $14,127; 5. Andrea Busby, Millsap, TX, 13.65, $8,693; 6. Abby Phillips, Marshall, TX, 13.66, $5,433.

Rd 1 results: 1. Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, TX, 13.38 seconds, $33,687; 2. Carlee Otero, Perrin, TX, 13.55, $26,624; 3. Abby Phillips, Marshall, TX, 13.63, $20, 104; 4. Andrea Busby, Millsap, TX, $14,127; 5. Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, TX, 13.75 $8,693; 6. (tie) Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, OK and Shelley Morgan, Eustace, TX, 13.84, $2,7167 each.