Buckeye, Arizona–At the ripe old age of 12, Lake Mehalic has already amassed a resume that would make barrel racers many times her age jealous. Ranking at the top of her list is a WPRA World Championship earned in Junior Barrel Racing in 2009. The dedicated cowgirl, who has been riding since the age of 3, has a repeat title on her mind.

“My goals for this year are to try and win another WPRA Junior World Championship,” says the 7th grader at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. “I want to be the first girl to win two championships. I am off to a slow start but I’m going to give it my best shot.”

The WPRA created its Juniors Program in 2007 and Mehalic was one of the charter members that year.

“I can’t wait to go back to Lincoln, Neb., [site of WPRA World Finals]. I had so much fun there last year. Those girls are so fast!”

She took a step toward achieving her goal at the Barrel Ba$h held at the South Buckeye Equestrian Center (SBEC) in Buckeye, Ariz., March 11-13, 2011. Riding a horse she calls Raisin, who is registered as Raisin Reward, she collected the Youth Championship with a run of 17.771. The win inched Mehalic closer to the top 10 of the current WPRA Junior World standings.

“I’ve had him almost a year now,” Mehalic says of the 13 year old gelding. “We didn’t have a great start but we really have been getting it together the last few months. I’ve really grown to love him.”

Mehalic is no stranger to top horsepower. She rode another great gelding-Copper-in her 2009 title run and is usually seen piloting multiple horses at the jackpots.

“We usually have four or five horses at our place so I have many to practice my horsemanship on,” she says. “I love riding and racing, and feel that being able to ride many different horses will be a big plus for me in my future.”

Mehalic has also claimed an open barrel racing championship in the Grand Canyon Rodeo Association, mostly competing against adults. Winning a second GCPRA title is another goal on her list. Besides WPRA and GCPRA, Mehalic competes in the Arizona Junior High School Rodeo Association, running both barrels and poles and looking to add goat tying and breakaway roping to her arsenal in the future.

“I just love to rodeo,” she says.

The Barrel Ba$h is a series of events hosted by Double B Productions since 2000. Events are scattered throughout the Midwest and the Buckeye event was the first foray into the western states.

WPRA members took full advantage of the co-sanctioning of the Buckeye event to scoop of the lion’s share of the open 1D points.

On Friday, California cowgirl Bailey Tuck hogged the winnings, taking first aboard Shes A Brisco and third on In the Sky Bar. Running on the lightning fast SBEC track, Tuck clocked in at 16.974 on the WPRA regulation pattern to earn $616 for the day.

South Dakota cowgirl Nikki Steffes and her mare Dash ta Vanilla have made a splash on the rodeo trail already in 2011, winning the first go round of the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo in Odessa, Texas in January.

Choosing the warm Arizona climate at Buckeye, Steffes claimed the Saturday championship with the weekend’s quickest time, a 16.922. The win was worth $747. Thanks to a carry-over, Steffes and the daughter of Dash ta Fame and SX Frenchmans Vanilla, one of the all-time money leading futurity horses, also won the derby side pot, adding another $105 to their total earnings.

Running right behind Steffes on Saturday was Arizona native Cheryl Murray. Murray rode Blazin Ruby Rocket, a 5-year old daughter of PESI enrolled stallion and NFR qualifier Blazin Jetolena, owned by Sue Rist. Murray’s time of 17.031 was worth $611 for second in the 1D and also claimed the championship in the futurity side pot for another $186.

Fate played a big hand in Murray’s success with Ruby. Soon after marrying, her husband Dan, a small animal vet, bought her a 5-year old daughter of Dash ta Fame named Princess Dasher. Murray hoped to train the mare for barrel racing but she was diagnosed with chipped knees and was sold to Rist as a broodmare with the agreement that Murray would get one of the mare’s foals.

“She spent the first two years of her life running in the pastures at the Rist ranch,” she says, noting that Rist put the first 90 days riding on the mare before Murray took over. “Ruby is the first horse I have trained on barrels from start to finish.”

Murray had plans to try the mare at the futurities but fate again intervened. Her brother Todd, who had battled colon cancer for five long years, came to the end of his fight in July of 2010 and Murray spent as much time as possible with him in the final months, putting the horses on hold until the fall.

“Needless to say, Ruby was a little behind,” she says. “When I entered her for the first time in December, she ran a 21 second pattern.” Saying the mare is a natural, Murray and Ruby were finding their way to the winner’s circle by the time the three Arizona futurities rolled around in January.

Because her mare is PESI enrolled, Murray decided to buy her WPRA permit in January. Thanks to her outstanding young mare, she is well on her way to earning her card.

“I truly didn’t expect Ruby to excel to this level so early in her career. I consider myself completely blessed.”

“I can say that my brother Todd inspired me to just LIVE life. Ruby and I are going to live the dream and the dream seems to change daily,” she says. “I look forward to all the possibilities that come our way.”

Another Arizonan sprinted to the top on Sunday. Former DNCFR qualifier Jenna Cadwallader rode Deny Deny Deny to the win with a run of 17.008. She collected $588 for the win and banked $882 for the weekend.

For more information on the Barrel Ba$h, visit them on-line at www.barrelbash.com.

Friday March 18th, 2011

Time Only’s @ 5:30 | Race @ 7

Entry Fee $45

Arena Fee $10

Time Only’s $3

CASH ONLY

This race will take place Friday night prior to the Saturday & Sunday Helzapoppin’ PRCA Rodeo Performances.

Pick 1 Draw 3 or Draw All for $100.

Books Open at 5:00 p.m. | Rope at 6:00 p.m.

cash only | 5 second barrier | flag on heels | management reserves the right to adjust, approve or change any number

An Open Calf Roping & Breakaway Roping Jackpot will take place Saturday March 19th, 2011 after the 1st performance of the Buckeye PRCA Rodeo at the South Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center.

We will begin with the Open Breakaway Roping Jackpot.

There will be 3 full rounds plus a short.

$150/Man

Incentives to 8th grade or lower boys & girls.

Open Calf Roping Jackpot

There will be 3 full rounds plus a short.

$150/Man

Incentives to 40+ & grade 11 or below.

BOOKS OPEN AT 5 | ROPE AT 6

The Buckeye Union High School Rodeo Club will be hosting a “Street Dance” at the Dynamite Horseman Supply parking lot located on the South Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center.

The proceeds from the event will help support those who are members of the BUHS Rodeo Club and are active members in the Arizona High School Rodeo Association.

Saturday March 12, 2011

8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

$10 single | $15 couple | $20 family

There will be a live DJ, food and drinks.

BRING THE ENTIRE FAMILY OUT AND SUPPORT A GREAT GROUP OF STUDENT ATHLETES

Stop by the South Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center and May 21st & 22nd for our annual “VEGAS BABY Barrel Race” that is NBHA co sanctioned.

We will have the IDENTICAL BARREL PATTERN set up that will be used during the 2011 NBHA Vegas Super Show & Gift Expo at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.

ENTRY FEE’S

OPEN | $50

MASTERS | $25

YOUTH | $25

PEE WEE’S | $5

OTHER FEE’S

ARENA | $10

NBHA | $3

TIME ONLY’S | $3 (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Please CONTACT US for more information | 623.691.6900

Buckeye, Ariz.-The Pac West $100K Tour made a stop at the South Buckeye Equestrian Center (SBEC) on January 20-23 and it proved to be a historical race for the facility, long known around the west for its immaculate ground conditions and fast times.

With a single $12,000 added open 5D race split across four sections in three days, the Pac West event drew nearly 800 runners in the open; they also hosted a $5K added 2D futurity, which had 120 entries, along with derby and youth side pots. All classes were co-sanctioned with the WPRA.

WPRA World Champion barrel racer Sherry Cervi continued her record setting ways begun back in December when she set a new arena record at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo en route to becoming the WPRA’s first $2 million cowgirl. On Saturday afternoon in Buckeye, Cervi boarded another home grown palomino for a record setting run.

MP A Man with Roses, “George,” is a half-sister to World Champ MP Meter My Hay, “Stingray;” they are both sired by Pro Elite Sire Incentive (PESI) stallion PC Frenchmans Hayday. The horses both come from the same bloodlines that helped Cervi win her first two WPRA championships: Stingray’s dam is a three-quarter sister to Jet Royal Speed, “Hawk” while George’s dam is a three-quarter sister to Sir Double Delight, “Troubles.”

In Buckeye, George and Cervi blew through the pattern in 16.646 seconds, a new arena record for a facility that already has its share of sub-seventeen second times on the WPRA standard pattern.

“It was kind of like the arena record run on Stingray,” Cervi told the Barrel Racing Report. “I knew George was smooth so I knew it was a good run but I didn’t realize it was that fast.” With one of the fastest standard pattern runs in history, Cervi and George were never challenged for the 1D Championship. She won $1,846.

In the futurity competition, veteran trainer Sharin Hall cleaned house on a trio of Dash Ta Fames, winning the opening round on Wanta Be Famous with a run of 17.358, placing third on Streakin Ta Fame with a 17.409, and eighth on Kool and Famous with a 17.573.

In round two, Hall and “Streaker” were in the money again with a 17.527 for ninth in the round. Their two run average of 34.936 was good enough to claim the championship. Kool and Famous finished fourth. All told, Hall’s horses won nearly $5,000 in the futurity, not counting a huge share of the $3K PESI bonus money for which all three were eligible.

“The owners and I have found it lucrative and beneficial to have the horses enrolled in the PESI program,” said the Kingston, Oklahoma native.

Streaker is owned by Hall’s friend Joleen Hales of Texoma Quarter Horses. Incredibly, the five year old stallion has just seven months of training and only five competition runs under his belt prior to the lucrative Arizona trip.

“He’s very mature, and pretty laid back and real personable,” says Hall. “It’s too early to say what’s in store for him.” The stallion already has a two year old progeny on the ground and will continue both his racing and breeding careers for now. “This horse is honest and wants to do things right. He’s big and very fluid, covers a lot of ground.”

Hall’s name is well known around the futurity circuit and she has also been a WPRA member since she was 18 years old. She likes the blend of both found in the WPRA Profuturity Program.

“My favorite thing about running futurities is the challenge of training a young horse to win at a 1D level,” she says. “The WPRA futurity program is a great place to begin a young horse’s career.”

Hall had high praise for the facility at SBEC and the Pac West production.

“It’s like the Ritz-Carlton for horses,” she says. “It has huge safe stalls, turn out lots, and they always keep the ground manicured.”

“The Pac West did an amazing job. It was professionally run, had great ground and great awards. Thank you to Phyllis and Nicole Turturro for having the futurity and special thanks to the WPRA for sanctioning it and adding the PESI program for stallion and offspring owners.”

Megan Johnson was the big winner in the youth division. Riding her tough gelding, Panchos Flit of Fire, Johnson ran second in the 1D behind Cervi with a 16.856, won the 2D with another tough run at 17.160, claimed two section side pot wins, and won the youth side pot in three of the sections. Her total haul was $4,720.

In the Derby side pot on Saturday, a familiar name to WPRA members turned up atop the list. JL Dash Ta Heaven, by Dash Ta Fame and out of Dynas Plain Special-a WPRA world champion under Janae Ward in 2003, was ridden by Ashley Nelson for a 16.970 second run. The six year old stallion was the WPRA World Finals Profuturity Champion in 2009 and claimed a round win at Reno Rodeo last summer along with the win at both the Fort Smith Derby and Rodeo.

On Sunday the Derby win went to Megan Lewis and her horse Buttons. The pair stopped the clock in 17.278. In second was Viki Friedrich with her Dash Ta Fame, and PESI enrolled horse, Blaze ta Thunder, who was third in the WPRA World Finals Profuturity a year ago.

Former WNFR qualifiers helped round out the big winners in the open: Judy Myllymaki and Alvin, along with Terri Longgood and Miss Bogie Shake (3D); Jordan (Peterson) Briggs and Dash of Bullion tied with Jacqueline Nichols and The Bright Dancer (4D); and Elisabeth Carter and Fantas Easy Jet Chic (5D).