Barrel Racers Bank Big in Sunny Arizona at Royal Crown Buckeye

At the Royal Crown Barrel Race in Buckeye, Ariz., it was an action-packed weekend.

Kit Johnson and Wolverrine | Traci Davenport Photography

Barrel racers from across the country flocked to Arizona for the Royal Crown event in Buckeye over the recent weekend. The competition was fierce, with fast times and huge payouts. Many familiar faces, and some new teams, dominated the competition.

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Derby

Ashley Schafer and HP Hotrod | Lexi Smith Media

The legendary Sherry Cervi has teamed up with HP Hotrod in his first derby year. Trained and jockeyed by the great Ashley Schafer in his futurity season, "Boomer" banked over $350,000 in his first year of competition — despite missing the last two months of the year due to many event cancellations for EHV-1.

The duo clocked a 16.887 on a standard pattern to sweep Round 1 of the Royal Crown Derby, SVE Derby, Royal Crown Open, and Open. Their single run was worth over $16,000. Boomer is owned by Highpoint Performance Horses, where he also stands at stud. He currently has a waitlist, which is no surprise, given his performance in 2025.

Cervi has successfully teamed up with other Highpoint-owned horses (like Boomer's full sibling, Chrome Plated Fame) behind Schafer, transitioning to professional rodeos. Cervi and "Johnnie," also placed in the Derby in Arizona.

In Round 2, Amberleigh Moore and Tres Dark Tigress claimed the win with a 16.865. Sired by Roarrr and out of Moore's National Finals Rodeo-qualifying mare, CP Dark Moon, "Charlee," was raised and trained by Moore.

Another great stallion we watched in his futurity season, Wolverrine, finished second in the Royal Crown Derby and won the SVE Derby with a 16.894. Ridden by Kit Johnson, the son of The Goodbye Lane and out of Rosas Cantina CC, is bred for greatness.

Topping the Average in both the Royal Crown Derby and SVE Derby, Terri Wood Gates and TFour Epic Love doubled down on their winnings. With a combined time of 34.142, they also banked in both rounds and the Open.

Futurity

Ceri Ward and Flingin Goodbyes kicked off their career together strong and the quirky mare is proving she can win in a wide variety of setups. The pair clocked the only sub-17-second time of Round 1, winning both the Royal Crown Futurity and SVE Futurity. The single run was worth over $16,000, and combined with the duo's Reserve Championship in the Average, they added over $30,000 to their lifetime earnings.

Running a 17.387 and finishing fifth in Round 1 was just a glimpse of what the weekend held for youth rider, Payton Johnson and JS Night Moves. Sired by Winners Version and out of Judge Cash daughter, Judging Julie, the gelding and Johnson clocked in at 16.811 seconds in Round 2. They claimed the round win in both the Royal Crown Futurity and SVE Futurity, as well as the Average Championships in both. The duo earned over $37,000 in the futurity alone.

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