World Champion Barrel Racer Banks Over $20,000 at Texarkana Showdown

The Texarkana Showdown produced by Showdown Productions paid out over $288,000 at the Four State Fairgrounds, just last weekend. With a single-run futurity, derby, and high stakes, several riders took home huge paydays. Full results can be found here.

High Stakes and Derby Champion

Oklahoma cowgirl, Skylar Eisinger, rode 2019 gelding Utah Vardell “Utah” to a payday of nearly $21,000 on a single run. Utah is by Traffic Guy and out of a Buckley Peponita daughter, Peopnita Savannah. 

The duo swept the Bullseye Bullion Derby, winning $7,258, the 4M Equine/Epic Leader High Stakes for $9,696, and the Circle M Quarter Horses Open Friday and MVP Open Saturday for $4,025. Their 14.099 took a commanding lead as the fastest time of the weekend, amongst a very tough field of horses. 

High Stakes and Derby Reserve Champion

It is not the first time we have highlighted NFR qualifiers, Taycie Matthews and Fame Fire Rocks, recently. After “Poprocks” had to have some time off due to injury, the duo is back stronger than ever. They were the reserve champions in the High Stakes, running a 14.261 for the $8,311 payday. 

The duo also took the Reserve Championship in the Derby, for an additional $6,221, as well as second in the Friday Open and Saturday Open for another $3,400. Their 14-second run earned them nearly $18,000 over the course of the event. 

Futurity Champion and Reserve Champion 

Brittany Tonozzi has ridden home-raised and trained, Rain Bo Dash (Dash Ta Fame x Steele Magnolias x Magnolia Bar Jet) to multiple wins already in his futurity season. The duo added another $7,983 to their lifetime earnings (which had already broken $100,000 by January 1) for the futurity win with a 14.406. 

In typically Tonozzi fashion, she always battles back from any challenges. After narrowly missing her 18th NFR qualification in December, during a year plagued with injuries to her string of rodeo horses, she put her focus on the futurity colts and has absolutely dominated. 

Another home-raised winner, My Kisses Are Lucky, earned the reserve championship with Tonozzi, running a 14.559 for $6,843. The four-year-old mare is by Lucky Wonder Horse and out of her phenomenal mare, KissKiss BangBang, by Dash Ta Fame. 

Not only did Tonozzi and husband, Garrett, raise and train both horses, they are both out of mares that Tonozzi found great success on in their own careers. 

Tonozzi was not quite done, either. She also placed sixth with a 14.694 for $2,661 aboard Jets Famous Babe, by Blazin Jetolena and out of Ima Famous Babe, by Dash Ta Fame. Ima Famous Babe was another outstanding winner for Tonozzi in the aged events and professional rodeo. Jets Famous Babe was bred by Tonozzi and is now owned by Busby Quarter Horses. The mare is a twin embryo flush to Tonozzi’s upcoming stallion, Blazzin The Way.

Tonozzi and her trio of futurity horses earned $17,487 in the futurity alone for those three runs, as well as another $2,900 for Rain Bo Dash in the High Stakes and Open. The standout gelding earned nearly $11,000 on the weekend. 

In four shows, Showdown Productions has awarded $1,367,979 to barrel racers. The top 10 high money riders in February all earned over $7,000 at the event in Texarkana.