As we head into the 2026 National Finals Rodeo (NFR), we wanted to reflect on last season and early this season. The road is grueling, and so many things have to "just go right" to qualify for the most elite event in professional rodeo.
There are many great duos that we will miss seeing compete at the 2026 NFR, but a new season has already begun, and we hope things fall their way in 2027.
1. Latricia Duke
Duke and "Carlos" are first on the list, because if you were watching any of the winter rodeos, you would never believe this duo was not headed to the Thomas & Mack this year. Putting together one of the most impressive winter building runs we have ever seen, Duke and Carlos skyrocketed up the World Standings.
So, what happened?
Carlos sustained an injury at the Eagle (Idaho) Rodeo, held June 9-12. Fortunately, his prognosis was good, but he needed significant time off.
Many rodeo fans may not realize that although the season is 12 months long, roughly 40 of the 60 Playoffs Tour rodeos are held within a two-month span over the summer. Unfortunately, the two months Carlos was down gutted what should have been a fairy-tale season for this team.
Because it is based on Playoffs Tour points for qualification, Duke was bumped out of one of the highest-paying rodeos of the entire year, held the final weekend of the season: the Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Forced to tackle the final days of the season old-school, she hit rodeos in California, Utah, and Texas during the final weekend of the season, racking up over $7,000. Despite her valiant efforts, Duke fell about $4,500 short and finished the year in No. 16.
2. Julie Plourde
Plourde, who finished No. 16 in the 2025 World Standings, was called in as a replacement for Anita Ellis, who suffered a major accident just weeks before the NFR. The Quebec native quickly made arrangements and headed to Vegas.
With her most solid rodeo mount sidelined heading into the NFR, Plourde was aboard the young but capable Wateverock RC (“Rocky”), a seven-year-old gelding by FirewaterOnTheRocks and out of Whateva by Dash Ta Fame. At that time, Plourde had owned Rocky for less than a year, and he had limited rodeo experience.
Despite the circumstances, Plourde and Rocky showed up in a big way and took home the 2025 NFR Average title, with a time of 139.67 on 10 runs, earning $94,035.54.
This season, Plourde is not headed back to Las Vegas — another surprise after her performance this season. She finished the year No. 32 in the World Standings, with $64,790.65 in earnings. Plourde shared her decision to end the season early on social media in late July.
Plourde wanted to take time to prepare for the 2027 season, spend more time at home in Quebec before heading back to her other home in Krum, Texas, and address health issues.
She shared that she had plans to undergo surgery, but if she was strategic in ending her 2026 season early, she could be ready on October 1 to kickstart the next one.
3. Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi
Any NFR without the infamous "BPT" feels wrong at this point. The Texas cowgirl has only missed five NFRs since her first qualification in 2003. A three-time World Champion and two-time NFR Average champion, Pozzi-Tonozzi is synonymous with professional barrel racing.
Over the past few years, she has played a major role in preparing the horses that other cowgirls had standout seasons on this year, including Sir Epic (Rookie of the Year Morgan Bagnell) and Jets Top Gun (2026 NFR qualifier Andrea Busby).
This year, Pozzi-Tonozzi was primarily aboard her home-raised and trained string of futurity and derby horses. Regardless of whether she is on a veteran or seasoning a young horse, the 18-time NFR qualifier is always a threat to the leaderboard.
Her stallion, Blazzin The Way, is just competing in his futurity year, but he has racked up rodeo wins, made 16-second runs on standard patterns, and made it clear he is going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Unsurprisingly, Pozzi-Tonozzi did not miss a single step with the end of the 2026 season, heading straight into more rodeos and a great showing at the Pink Buckle in Guthrie, Okla.
There are so many more cowgirls we could add to this list who truly deserve to be competing in Las Vegas this year, but with so many incredible horses and riders and just 15 spots to fill, some teams have to end up on the outside.
We cannot wait to see what these great barrel racers can do in the 2027 season.
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