The Golden Boy of Barrel Racing Breaks All-Time Highest Earning Stallion Record

Social media's favorite barrel racing stallion continues his winning ways and absolute domination, taking to professional rodeo like a seasoned veteran. The stunning palomino, Adios Pantalones, and owner, trainer, and jockey, Tricia Aldridge, lit the futurity world on fire in 2024. The Tres Seis son out of French Bar Belle by Frenchmans Guy finished the year as the Highest Futurity Money Earning Horse of All Time with total earnings of $558,011. A 10-time futurity champion and five-time futurity reserve champion, Adios and Aldridge won 11 rounds in his debut year of competition.

As of April 15, 2025, Adios' lifetime earnings are $629,239 and he has already won five professional rodeos this year. Although the season begins on October 1, Aldridge did not hit the rodeo road until after Adios' futurity year wrapped up in December. The duo currently sit no. 5 in the WPRA World Standings with $39,737.50 won in just a few months. Aldridge initially planned to use their year together to earn a spot inside the top 40, which would help them secure qualifications to limited entry rodeos next year. As her beloved unicorn tends to do, Adios is taking her on a ride - straight to the top, despite starting the year without any advantages in the standings.

"It's so exciting that he can accomplish so much at five, I couldn't be happier. Starting this Cali run with winning Oakdale (Cali.) and Logandale (Nev.), you just never expect that from a five-year-old. I thought we would take the year and get him seasoned and try to get into the top 40. Now, the only people above me in the standings are those who got into the limited rodeos that he didn't even get a shot at, so it's really cool that he's just been like, 'I'm a rodeo horse now,'" Aldridge told us.

Aldridge recently learned that they will get a chance to compete at the Calgary Stampede, due to their position in the 2025 World Standings. With multiple runs on a standard pattern in a wide open arena, Aldridge thinks it will be a great fit for Adios' style. The $100,000 payout at Calgary can be a career changer and certainly a huge impact on the season.

As for how they are handling the additional miles and runs of rodeo, Aldridge says Adios is unphased. "He's handling the traveling even better this year than he did last year. I don't think making runs is very hard on him, he just goes out there and has fun. He always just does enough for me and I'm thankful for that. I just make sure to keep him happy and resting."

Aldridge has put countless hours over the past few years doing everything she could to prepare Adios for his career and the payoff is sentimental to her. The duo continues to break records at the highest levels and as they continue to set that bar even higher, Aldridge is just enjoying the ride.

"I don't think it's really sunk in yet. I've been trying to take it all in and live in the moment, because it's super special and the likelihood of this happening again is slim to none. I just want to enjoy it. I'm super proud of him and he has stepped it up every time. You can't tell me unicorns don't exist, because he is just the ultimate team player. You know when you show up you can win and that's pretty special."