 It was the closest race of CFR 44.
And when the dust settled for the last time on the Northlands Coliseum arena floor, Aldergrove, BC’s Carman Pozzobon emerged as the 2017 Canadian Barrel Racing Champion by just $183 over Texas cowgirl, Jamie Hinton.
The BC barrel horse trainer placed in four rounds at the Canadian Finals Rodeo and added a second place average finish to account for her $68,399.38. Heading into the all-important final round, Pozzobon’s game plan was very simple.
“I kept telling myself to just get around the barrels, no matter how ugly it looked. I knew we were set up pretty good in the average if I could just do that.”
The strategy worked. Pozzobon finished 4th in that final round to maintain her place in the average and eke out the win.
And, as expected, Pozzobon was quick to hand much of the credit for her success to her seven year-old mare, Ripn Lady (Ripp), with her Frenchman’s Guy, Dash Ta Fame bloodlines and a big heart. She acknowledged that she first began to believe that 2017 might just be a special year for the duo at Ponoka. She and Ripp split 6th in the long go, then won the short go and the average for a payday of $8114 before adding the $7500 Showdown win as well.
“She (Ripp) really loves that rodeo,” Pozzobon admitted. “Both of us like that one and she did really well there. And I also didn’t realize that she’s as good as she is indoors as well. Last year I missed most of those (the indoor CPRA events) with my broken collarbone but this year I bounced back and she won a couple of those too.”
The neck and neck battle between Pozzobon and Hinton at the CFR wasn’t new. At Ponoka, it was Hinton who split 6/7 with Pozzobon in the opening round; then the Texas cowgirl finished second in the average and third in the Showdown round.
At thirty-one years-old, Pozzobon was at her second consecutive CFR and hopes to build on that success by heading south for at least some of the winter rodeos.
“I have to get my colts and horses (25 in all) set up and I’m building a place right now but I definitely do want to go down there and see what we can do.”
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One of the most surprising and definitely most crowd-pleasing elements to this year’s Finals was the performance of the 13-year-old rookie sensation from Edson, Alberta, Taylor Manning riding Good Little Nick (aka Matlock), a gelding bred and trained by 2017 Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee and four-time Canadian Barrel Racing champion, Rayel Little. After a challenging start to CFR where she hit barrels on her first two runs, Manning won the next two go-rounds and placed in the final round to finish third overall. Along the way, she captured the hearts of both seasoned and brand new CFR fans alike.
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About the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) with headquarters in Airdrie, Alberta is the sanctioning body for professional rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves over 50 events annually with a total payout exceeding $5.1 million. The organization holds the Grass Roots Final (at the Agrium Western Event Centre, Stampede Park in Calgary, Alberta) each September and their premiere event - the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) - in November. Follow the CPRA on Twitter and Instagrm @prorodeocanada, ‘Like’ Canadian Professional Rodeo Association on Facebook or online at RodeoCanada.com.
For more information:
Barb Poulsen
Media Relations
Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
Mobile: 403 625-9225
Phone: 403 625-2797
Email: media@rodeocanada.com |
