Phoenix Hondo Rodeo Fest Barrel Racing Reruns Produce New $12,000 Winner

With a rough start to the first round of barrel racing at The Hondo Rodeo Fest in Phoenix, barrel racers took advantage of another opportunity.

Emily Beisel | Nathan Meyer Photography

Sometimes things just don’t go right, no matter how much you plan and prepare for the best. Thus, that was the case for the first night of the Hondo Rodeo Fest in Phoenix, when it came to the barrel racing event.

Despite being known for an impeccable rodeo performance, the Hondo slipped just a little bit on Friday night when it came to the beginning of the barrel racing event. When the first horse ran in, fans could visibly see that the equine athlete was having trouble navigating the ground conditions, and when the electric eye was supposed to flash the time on the screen, it just kept running.

Tricia Aldridge and her great stallion Adios Pantalones were the second runners, and as they came through the gate, once again the arena wasn’t ready. In fact, a gentleman had to hurry to get out of the way so as not to meet Adios a little too up close and personal.

With all of the challenges, event organizers made the decision to allow the ladies to run again on Saturday morning under improved conditions. After speaking to Emily Beisel, Rodeo On SI needs to correct this to say that all eight reran and they were allowed to keep their fastest time.

The decision ultimately changed the winner of the round and shifted the placings around considerably.

Emily Beisel Overtakes Lisa Lockhart for Round 1 Win

Emily Beisel originally put a 13.79-second run on the board during Friday evening’s competition. When she returned on Saturday morning, she stopped the clock at 13.62 to take the win and the $12,000 payday.

Lockhart’s fastest time resulted from Friday evening and put her in second place for a $7,500 check after the Saturday morning slack session.

Carlee Otero hit a barrel during the performance on Friday, but when she came back Saturday morning, she smoked a run of 13.743 to finish third on the leaderboard and collect $3,500.

Mackenzie Mayes ended up fourth in the round with a 13.767-second run to earn $1,500.

Full Round 1 Barrel Racing Results

Place	Contestant	Time	Earnings
1	Emily Beisel	13.620	$12,000
2	Lisa Lockhart	13.700	$7,500
3	Carlee Otero	13.743	$3,500
4	Mackenzie Mayes	13.767	$1,500
5	Hayle Gibson-Stillwell	13.772
6	Hailey Kinsel	13.787
7	Wenda Johnson	13.788
8	Tricia Aldridge	14.470

The same roster of contestants will perform again on Saturday evening as they try to earn their piece of the $1 million purse being given away. Ultimately, one cowboy or cowgirl will be awarded the Maverick Award, which is worth a $50,000 bonus.

The action continues on Saturday at the Hondo Rodeo Fest at Chase Field in Phoenix. The street fest is currently underway with live entertainment, food, vendors and fun. The rodeo action will begin at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time with the concert to follow.