LAS VEGAS - Krystal Jones almost didn’t compete at the Charmayne James Invitational Barrel Race held last Saturday at the South Point Equestrian and Events Center.
She’s glad she did. Jones won the brand-new event with a total time of 30.675 seconds, $15,000 and a $20,000 Bloomer horse trailer. She and Andrea Cline-Herron had both decided to enter so they could make the 1,500 mile drive together, share the expenses and the workload. The morning of the barrel race, Cline-Herron went out to feed and discovered her horse had a swollen knee, so she wouldn’t be able to compete.
Jones was left wondering if she should also draw out. This was her horse’s return to competition after being injured and she thought maybe they should just start their 1,500 mile journey back home. With encouragement from her traveling partner, she decided to go ahead and compete. She made the first of two runs that morning and found herself in third place in the first round.
The ten fastest times had their second run during the Thunder EquiGames Grand Finale that afternoon. The rest of the barrel racers had their second appearance that morning. When it was all said and done, Jones was atop the leader board and crowned the champion.
“It doesn’t seem real,” Jones said of the win. “There were great barrel racers and horses there. Winning this is a huge confidence booster and gives me a lot of faith in Jonetta.”
Jonetta Fame is an eight-year-old mare that Jones got as a four-year-old. Last year they decided to hit the rodeo trail and make a run at qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In March they were third in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association standings and she had high hopes for the remaining season. Then, Jonetta had an allergic reaction to an all natural leg rub that required surgery and months of tender loving care to get her sound again.
It was just two months before the Charmayne James Invitational that Jones started riding Jonetta again and getting her into shape. While the mare felt good and Jones had high hopes, she was not sure if Jonetta would return to winning form.
“I didn’t think that she would come back as strong as she used to be,” Jones said of her horse. “She’s been through so much. This win is huge for us. I’m so ready for next year. I can’t wait for all those rodeos to come up.”
Jones interest in barrel racing started at an early age. Her grandfather trained calf horses so she spent a lot of her youth horseback. They bought her first barrel horse at the sale barn and trained it so she would have something else to do on a horse. And, now according to her it is a full-fledged addiction.
“This was a great barrel race and it was a huge win for me,” she said. “It’s got me excited and ready to go. They went out of their way to make the setup good for us. This is going to be good for the future of barrel racing.”
Finishing second was Norma Wood from West Jordan, Utah with a total time of 30.740. Wood also won the second round and earned a total of $12,000. Nancy Hunter, an emergency-room nurse from Neola, Utah finished third with a total time of 30.767 and won $6,000.
First Round:
1, Lita Scott, Reno, Nev., 15.313 seconds, $3,000.
2. Cassidy Kruse, Gillette, Wyo., 15.346, $2,000
Second Round:
1, Norma Wood, West Jordan, Utah, 15.188 seconds, $3,000
2. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 15.258, $2,000
Over-All
1. Krystal Jones, Mission, Texas, 30.675 seconds, $15,000
2. Norma Wood, West Jordan, Utah 30.790, $9,000
3. Nancy Hunter, Neola, Utah 30.767, $6,000
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