Here’s the results from The American Rodeo 2026, where the 15 qualifiers duked it out for one of five advancing barrel racing positions and met up with the World Standings invitees on Saturday.
Taylor Armenta stopped the clock at 15.321 to top the Day 1 barrel racing standings at The American Rodeo from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Heidi Gunderson (15.339) and Mindy Holloway (15.463) sit second and third heading into Day 2.
Then, the top 5 advanced.
On day two, the five qualifiers squared up against the four invitees. Three of four advancing athletes are eligible for the $2 million bonus.
In the final four shootout, Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Buncha Dinero unofficially earned the win in 15.428 seconds.
Meet the qualifiers:
Place | Contestant | Hometown | Horse | Qual / Inv | Time | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Heidi Gunderson | Murdock, NM | Wonder If Im Lucky | Qualifier | 15.326 | ADV |
2 | Blake Molle | Chauvin, AB | Wildchildsgotcashuno | Qualifier | 15.334 | ADV |
3 | Dusky Lynn Hall | Stephenville, TX | Aint Seen Famous Yet | Qualifier | 15.355 | ADV |
4 | Hayle Stillwell | Redcrest, CA | Bunches Dinero | Invite | 15.443 | ADV |
5 | Carlee Otero | Perrin, TX | Regina George | Invite | 15.468 | $500 |
6 | Mindy Holloway | Mineral Wells, TX | Heavens Got Credit | Qualifier | 15.678 | $500 |
7 | Tricia Aldridge | Mountain Springs, TX | Designerleaptoheaven | Invite | 16.028 | $500 |
8 | Brittany Tonozzi | Lampasas, TX | Chitichiti Bangbang | Invite | 20.465 | $500 |
9 | Taylor Armenta | Farmington, NM | Hes Got Cat Style | Qualifier | 20.486 | $500 |
Place | Contestant | Hometown | Horse | Qual / Inv | Time | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hayle Stillwell | Redcrest, CA | Buncha Dinero | Invite | 15.428 | $100,000 |
2 | Heidi Gunderson | Murdock, NM | Wonder If Im Lucky | Qualifier | 15.489 | $25,000 |
3 | Blake Molle | Chauvin, AB | Wildchildsgotcashuno | Qualifier | 15.583 | $10,000 |
4 | Dusky Lynn Hall | Stephenville, TX | Aint Seen Famous Yet | Qualifier | 15.694 | $5,000 |
Top five advance to Saturday’s Showdown Round at Globe Life Field.
PL | Rider | Time | Status |
1 | Taylor Armenta | 15.321 | ADVANCING |
2 | Heidi Gunderson | 15.339 | ADVANCING |
3 | Mindy Holloway | 15.463 | ADVANCING |
4 | Dusky Lynn Hall | 15.495 | ADVANCING |
5 | Blake Molle | 15.590 | ADVANCING |
6 | Randee Prindle | 15.631 | |
7 | Tayla Moeykens | 15.666 | |
8 | Autumn Snyder | 15.754 | |
9 | Hadlee Landers | 15.795 | |
10 | Bayleigh Choate | 15.854 |
The American Rodeo carries more than $3 million in total potential payout across the disciplines, anchored by a $100,000 winner’s check in every event and a $2 million Qualifier Bonus that’s only on the line for athletes who came through the qualifier system. The five regional contenders advancing out of Friday night are the only barrel racers eligible for the $2 million on Saturday. The four invited pros are running for the $100,000 title and not the bonus.
The American’s qualifier system is built on the idea that anyone with a horse and the right run can put themselves on the sport’s biggest stage. Athletes work their way up through a nationwide series of sanctioned qualifiers into one of three regional finals: East, Central and West. Each regional advances five barrel racers to Globe Life Field.
On Friday night, the 15 qualifiers run for five spots in Saturday’s Showdown Round. The five who advance meet the invited pros from the 2025 WPRA world standings. The field narrows again before the Championship Round, where the winner takes The American title, the $100,000 and, if they’re a qualifier, the $2 million bonus.
Two of this year’s qualifiers (Katelyn Scott in the Central, Tayla Moeykens in the West) are 2025 NFR qualifiers who took the harder qualifier path with the full $2 million still on the table instead of accepting champion’s invites capped at $100,000.
# | Rider | Qualifying Horse |
1 | Hailey Krahenbuhl | Saaul Good (“Sully”) |
2 | Taylor Armenta | Hes Got Cat Style (“Thor”) |
3 | Tayla Moeykens | KN Fames Best Yet (“Yeti”) |
4 | Autumn Snyder | Frenchmen Returns (“Duke”) |
5 | Blake Molle | Wildchildsgotcashuno (“JJ”) |
Read more: Final Five: Meet The American Rodeo Western Qualifiers
# | Rider | Qualifying Horse |
1 | Heidi Gunderson | Wonder If Im Lucky (“Casey”) |
2 | Katelyn Scott | Justa DTF Frenchman (“Peanut Seed”) |
3 | Samantha “Sammie” Willoughby | SW The Bayou Bug (“Bug”) |
4 | Hadlee Landers | Regally Classic (“Callie”) |
5 | Mindy Holloway | Heavens Got Credit (“Cornbread”) |
Read more: Next Five: Meet the Contenders From Oklahoma City With a Shot at $2 Million
# | Rider | Qualifying Horse |
1 | Dusky Lynn Hall | Chasin A Win |
2 | Randee Prindle | Red Man Jones |
3 | Missy Jean Etheridge | Seis Martinis |
4 | Bayleigh Choate | TJR Stinson Blue (“Boozer”) |
5 | Tabitha Dyal | Slym Shady |
Read more: First Five: Meet the Contenders From Lexington With a Shot at $2 Million
The Showdown Round opens Saturday afternoon with the four invited pros joining the five qualifier survivors:
Reigning American Rodeo champion Kassie Mowry is out of the 2026 field. Per Section 1.1.3.6 of The American’s Rules of Advancement, an invited Top 5 spot does not roll down to the next-placing athlete, which leaves the Saturday field at nine instead of ten.
Read more: Kassie Mowry Out of 2026 American Rodeo, Top 5 Invitation Won’t Roll Down
Saturday’s nine-rider Showdown Round runs at 12:30 p.m. CT inside Globe Life Field. The field cuts again before the Championship Round at 4 p.m. CT, where the title and the money are on the line. Each event winner at The American earns $100,000, but for the qualifiers, every Saturday run keeps the $2 million Qualifier Bonus in play.
All times listed are Eastern; schedule subject to change.
Need cable? Saturday’s Championship Round on FOX is free with an antenna or any basic streaming bundle. The Friday semifinals are the catch — FS2 sits in a higher streaming tier. The cheapest one-night option is a Sling TV day pass ($4.99 for 24 hours); YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu+Live and DirecTV all carry FS2 in their sports tiers if you’d rather subscribe.
Updates: this page refreshes through Saturday with the Showdown Round results, Championship Round results, and the 2026 American Rodeo barrel racing champion when the dust clears.
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