A 20.340-second run put Molly Dismuke at the top of the leaderboard in the 15 & Under pole bending semifinals at the 2026 Hooey Junior Patriot in Fort Worth.
Dismuke rode the 2011 mare Frenchmanstinydancer to the win, earning a share of the round payout and advancing through the event on the daughter of CrownRoyal Frenchman out of Go Princess Mito by Crimson Paint.
The mare has been with Dismuke for about four years after originally being purchased as a barrel horse.
“I bought her about four years ago and we just bought her as a barrel horse,” Dismuke said. “But I needed another pole horse, so we started her from scratch and ended up doing good. I love how quick her feet are. She’s shifty and easy to run around the poles.”
Dismuke was purposely conservative in her semifinal run after dealing with a few penalties earlier in the week.
“She’s been hitting poles a lot, so I tried to give her a lot of pocket and push her in between poles,” Dismuke said.
The Dawsonville, Georgia, cowgirl started riding through her family’s horse background. She’s excelled to a high level and loves the intensity that a perfect pole pattern demands.
“There’s not a lot of room for mistakes,” Dismuke said. “But when it works out, it’s really fun.”
The stakes will be high in The Hooye Junior Patriot’s Finals, featuring large payouts and a $50,000 bonus round opportunity for the top three finalists inside Will Rogers Coliseum.
