Three Barrel Racers Headed to Las Vegas as First-Time NFR Qualifiers

With the close of the 2026 professional rodeo regular season, the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) field is set. Three talented cowgirls are officially headed to their very first NFR, and this group will be fun to watch in Las Vegas come December.

No. 6 Michelle Alley - $165,512

Michelle Alley may be headed to her first NFR, but she is far from a rookie barrel racer. The South Dakota cowgirl turned Texan has built her career training barrel horses from the ground up. Just a few years ago, she was lighting up leaderboards on Tres Seis daughter, Seis Caress.

When "Saucey's" career was cut short due to injury, she began her next chapter as a broodmare. Her first foal, Lipstick N Stilletos, by RR Mistakelly, helped her quickly rise as a top producer.

"Stiletto" is a six-year-old mare who made a huge splash in her futurity year as a four-year-old. She and Alley hit the rodeo trail that year, winning $61,517 at 51 rodeos and finishing No. 31 in the World Standings.

That finish helped them earn qualifications for many of the limited-entry winter-building rodeos. In 2025, the pair won $81,492 at 63 rodeos, finishing No. 25 in the World.

This season, the pair kept a similar rodeo count - 54 - but doubled their 2025 professional rodeo earnings. With $675,000 in lifetime earnings following a round win of the Young Guns League Derby at the Pink Buckle, Stiletto has been unstoppable for the past three years.

Alley shared on social media that Stiletto would be getting a break for the remainder of October as the duo prepares for the NFR. Stiletto is owned by Heather Moeller.

No. 10 Sydney Graham - $157,781

The duo turn a barrel — Graham and Trump | Fernando Sam-Sin

Sydney Graham is the wild card of this trio. An unranked cowgirl in the 2025 World Standings, Graham quite literally came out of nowhere with her 2026 rodeo domination.

Aboard Dupont First, the seven-year-old stallion she trained, Graham utilized qualifying rodeos to earn spots at some of the limited-entry winter buildings and capitalized. Her year started on a high note at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, Colo., and this team simply never backed off.

"Trump" quickly proved his ability to thrive in a wide variety of setups, ground conditions, and arenas. The pair stayed strong throughout the summer run, where Trump's racehorse speed was showcased in the bigger, outdoor arenas.

Graham and Trump briefly held the WPRA Standard Pattern Rodeo Record after clocking a 16.49-second run at the Mountain Valley Stampede in Heber City, Utah. This record was broken again three weeks later by Kathy Grimes, but Graham and Trump still hold the record for the fastest time on a standard pattern run by a stallion.

Trump is owned by Run Away Ranch and standing at 6666 Ranch for the 2027 season.

No. 12 Makenzie Mayes - $135,783

the horse and rider turn a barrel — Makenzie Mayes | Fernando Sam-Sin

The 2025 Barrel Racing Rookie of the Year, Makenzie Mayes, finished the season No. 24 in the World, earning $81,776. She had to fight hard for the title, hitting 96 rodeos. This year, that effort paid off in a huge way, with Mayes punching her ticket to many of those lucrative winter rodeos.

She and her main mount, Chicado Moon, an eight-year-old mare known as "Rousey," have had quite a journey together. Rousey was trotting the barrels with breeder Jolene Montgomery when she was sold to Mayes' aunt, Naoma LeBarron.

A few trainers tried their hand with the talented filly, but it was not working out, and Mayes stepped in. Despite Rousey bucking her off on more than one occasion, Mayes was not deterred by the mare's strong will.

That grit has served the team well for the past two seasons, as they kickstarted an impressive rodeo career together. This year, they clinched their NFR qualification in the final days of the season with a third-place finish at one of the most lucrative events of the entire year, the Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D.

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