Women in Rodeo: LaTricia Duke and New Mount Putting Together Impressive Season

With no plans of pursuing a trip to the NFR this year, Duke's new mount, Carlos, had other plans for the duo, who now sit No. 2 in the world standings.

Latricia Duke and DM High Roller | Fernando Sam-Sin

Barrel racing is one of the most competitive rodeo events, and the ladies who dominate it typically do so for many years.

Career-Defining Season

Despite being a member of the WPRA for over 25 years, Latricia Duke has mostly focused on training futurity horses. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 2024, and she’s back again this season to prove she has what it takes to make it a second time. After falling short last season and retiring her stallion DM High Roller, she’s now blazing into the arena, sitting at No. 2 in the world standings.

With $88,809 to her name right now, she sits behind the legendary Kassie Mowry. That gap will be hard to close, but she's holding down that second-place spot by more than a $10,000 margin over Emily Beisel (No. 3).

The most magical thing about this season for her is that she wasn’t planning to pursue a qualification at all. Not until DM He Will Run Em, “Carlos,” changed that plan.

Meet Carlos

Carlos, Latricia Duke, and Bravid Duke at RODEOHOUSTON | Bravid Duk

In an interview with Barrel Racing.com, Duke mentioned she was just planning to sit back and enjoy each rodeo, as she planned for this to be her last season to qualify for limited-entry rodeos. Carlos didn’t get the memo, as he has continued to make his mark in the arena, rodeo after rodeo.

Carlos spent the majority of 2025 on the trailer with his maternal brother, DM High Roller, as Duke pursued her second consecutive NFR qualification. Although the duo fell just short, finishing No. 23 in the World, Duke's 2026 season has shown that you never know what the next year may hold.

At RodeoHouston, Duke and Carlos won their Super Series, advanced through the semi-finals, and finished third in the final four, securing roughly $29,000. The pair followed up with a strong showing at Rodeo Austin and opened the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo with a first-round win worth $5,923. It was back in April that Duke solidified herself at the top of the standings and has no plans to slow down now.

With many bright lights ahead of them this summer, the duo is sure to continue to make their mark. If Duke plans on slowing down her professional rodeo career after this season, it certainly would be a Cinderella story ending for her and a green mount to find themselves in Las Vegas come December.