Mary Walker won her first Cheyenne average title by a whopping six-tenths of a second on her 8-year-old bay horse, Perculatin (“Latte”). Photo by Dan Hubbell

"I've been here so many years with him," Mary told the crowd, "And he won second [in the steer wrestling] at this rodeo six times. So I'm giving him my buckle and he's going to wear it!"

Walker, 53, won the first round by two-tenths of a second and on championship Sunday she tipped the second barrel halfway down - but only halfway - before posting another 17.2-second time to also win that round. She won her first Cheyenne average title by a whopping six-tenths of a second on her 8-year-old bay horse, Perculatin ("Latte").

"He could handle the ground really good," said Walker, who drew the 10th place running position on Sunday.

Walker earned $16,185 for winning everything there was to win in Cheyenne. Together with the $2,812 she earned for placing second this week in Deadwood, S.D., she seems to have locked up her first NFR berth. This marked the second time Walker had entered "The Daddy." She was released from rehabilitation on Christmas Day, 2011, and it took a few months to get her strength back, she said.

"I have eight plates and 11 pins in my pelvis," said Walker, who also broke two vertebrae in her back and two toes in the fall at the third barrel during a Crosby, Texas rodeo last June.

Walker said that her especially long-strided Dash For Perks gelding helped take care of her as she gained her strength.

"He's very lazy," said Walker, who doesn't use soft boots or magnetic blankets or anything except cookies on Latte. "He only went as fast as I wanted to on those early runs."

It had been an emotional couple of days even before Walker's run. On Saturday, two-time world champion Brittany Pozzi turned out of Cheyenne due to the unexpected death that morning of her boyfriend, Broc Cresta.

"When we found Brittany that day, Sherry [Cervi] and I sat down with her and just cried with her," said Walker. "We both know what she's going through, and my advice to her was not to let anybody tell her how to get through it; just to do it her own way."

Our thoughts and prayers remain with Pozzi and with the entire rodeo family affected by the loss.

In the finals at Cheyenne, Sydni Blanchard drew up first to run, followed by Sherry Cervi and Andrea Cline-Herron. Last to run were Mary Walker, Fallon Taylor and Kelly Yates, respectively.

Cervi walked Stingray to the scoreline and made a gorgeous run of 17.57. A few minutes later, Maegan Reichert and Marvin put up a great time of 17.55. Nikki Steffes then moved them both in the average with a 17.58-second run on Nilla. Christy Loflin, despite a marginally wide third barrel, clocked a 17.48 to go to the lead in the round - until Walker ran the fastest time of the entire rodeo in 17.27 seconds.

All in all, the short-round qualifiers made it back fairly evenly from the performances. Here's the breakdown: Four of the top 12 heading into the short round had competed in the first performance on July 21; two in the second performance; one in the fifth; three in the sixth; and two in the last performance on July 28.

Results:
First round: 1. Mary Walker, 17.29 seconds, $6,679; 2. Jane Melby, 17.47, $5,725; 3. (tie) Sydni Blanchard, Rachel Primm and Nikki Steffes, 17.60, $4,029 each, 6. Sabra O'Quinn, 17.61, $2,544; 7. Kelly Yates, 17.62, $1,908; 8. Maegan Reichert, 17.65, $1,272; 9. Christy Loflin, 17.66, $954; 10. Andrea Cline-Herron, 17.68, $636; 11. Sherry Cervi, 17.70; 12. Fallon Taylor, 17.74. Finals: 1. Mary Walker, 17.27 seconds, $2,827; 2. Christy Loflin, 17.48, $2,120; 3. Maegan Reichert, 17.55, $1,414; 4. Sherry Cervi, 17.57, $707. Average: 1. Mary Walker, 34.56 seconds on two runs, $6,679; 2. Christy Loflin, 35.14, $5,725; 3. Jane Melby, 35.15, $4,771; 4. Nikki Steffes, 35.18, $4,135; 5. Maegan Reichert, 35.20, $3,181; 6. (tie) Sabra O'Quinn and Sydni Blanchard, 35.21, $2,226 each; 8. Sherry Cervi, 35.27, $1,272; 9. Rachel Primm, 35.69, $954; 10. Fallon Taylor, 35.91, $636.

Kenna Squires took it easy to the first barrel on Friday afternoon at Cheyenne Frontier Days and clocked in at 18.10, while Randa Kellogg's horse slipped considerably and she managed a 17.99. Aimee Kay's horse fell in both the front end and hind end at different times on the first barrel and still somehow managed an 18.38, while Lisa Lockhart, riding Chism, turned in an 18.01. The best run of the day was turned in by a replacement -- Kynder Starr replaced Tammy Fischer, and Starr's 17.81 moved her into a tie for 12th place.

Tomorrow will tell the tale -- Brittany Pozzi is up and is hoping a Cheyenne win will propel her to yet another gold buckle like it did in 2007. She'll have some competition on Saturday from last year's defending Cheyenne champion, Kim Schulze, riding a horse that Kristie Peterson raised, and from dark horse Kelly Waide, who recently won some other nearby circuit rodeos, including Colorado Springs. NFR qualifiers Angie Meadors and Brenda Mays will also compete, along with accomplished Texas horse trainer Andrea Cline-Herron.

Leaders at Cheyenne Frontier Days: (first round) 1, Mary Walker, Ennis, Texas, 17.29 seconds. 2, Jane Melby, Bachus, Minn., 17.47. 3, (tie) Sydni Blanchard, Albuquerque, N.M., and Nikki Steffes, Vale, S.D., 17.60. 5, Sabra O'Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 17.61. 6, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 17.62. 7, Maegan Reichert, Morgan Mill, Texas, 17.65. 8, Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., 17.66. 9, Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 17.70. 10, Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.74. 11, Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.79. 12 (tie), Kynder Starr, Catosa, Okla., and Sabrina Ketcham, Yeso, N.M., 17.81 seconds each.

No contestant dominated "The Daddy" on Thursday like Mary Walker. The 53-year-old cowgirl from Ennis, Texas, running second out, made a perfect run to post a 17.29-second time. She jumped to first place in the round and leads the pack by nearly two-tenths of a second with roughly 20 cowgirls left to compete.

The gunner, Tana Renick, also made a beautiful, slip-free run of 17.89 seconds, and the two of them were followed by Sherry Cervi, whose 17.70 on Stingray is now ranked ninth to make it back on Sunday. Cancer survivor Dolli Lautaret, running on Tough Enough To Wear Pink day, managed an 18.30, but is thankfully feeling good again after a health scare four weeks ago. Sammi Bessert turned out and Shelley Morgan released out. Christina Richmans' horse didn't like the ground and turned in an 18.54, while Whitney Baker had a good run of 17.91.

Fan favorite Lisa Lockhart will make her run tomorrow, as will Kenna Squires and Randa Kellogg, both of whom are hoping a big hit at Cheyenne could help them get to the NFR for the first time.

Leaders at Cheyenne Frontier Days through Thursday, July 26:
1, Mary Walker, 17.29 seconds; 2, Jane Melby, 17.47; 3/4 (tie), Sydni Blanchard and Nikki Steffes, 17.60 seconds each; 5, Sabra O'Quinn, 17.61; 6, Kelly Yates, 17.62; 7, Maegan Reichert, 17.65; 8, Christy Loflin, 17.66; 9, Sherry Cervi, 17.70; 10, Fallon Taylor, 17.74; 11, Lindsay Sears, 17.79; 12, Sabrina Ketcham, 17.81.

The leaderboard changed at "The Daddy" in a big way on Wednesday afternoon during a brief, windy rainstorm that lasted as long as the barrel race. Sydni Blanchard of Albuquerque, N.M., running third out, clocked a 17.60 to move to second in the round. And Nikki Steffes of Vale, S.D., running fifth on Alan Woodbury's horse, "Nilla," posted the exact same time.

More than half the barrel racers have already made their runs, and Jane Melby still leads the pack with her 17.47 from the first performance. She's followed by the two former collegiate champions - Blanchard and Steffes - at 17.60, while Pat Spratt holds down the 12th position right now with her 17.95. Thirty-six girls remain, not including releases and turn-outs.

Just after Steffes' run, the gray horse ridden by defending collegiate champion Liz Combs lost its hind end at the first barrel and she turned in a time of 23.31. Running a gruella horse, Sherrylynn Johnson managed an 18.46, while Robyn Herring posted an 18.12 on her stallion, Firewaterontherocks.

The last two to run on Wednesday, Britany Fleck and Trula Churchill, unfortunately posted no-times. Fleck's horse notoriously gets in the ground, and at Cheyenne fell completely lat at the first barrel, while Churchill's roan gelding hit the first barrel on the approach and went on to the next without traveling around the downed can.

Leaders at Cheyenne Frontier Days through Wednesday, July 25:
1, Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 17.47 seconds. 2/3 (tie), Nikki Steffes, Vale, S.D., and Sydni Blanchard, Albuquerque, N.M., 17.60 seconds each. 4, Sabra O'Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 17.61. 5, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 17.62. 6, Maegan Reichert, Morgan Mill, Texas, 17.65. 7, Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., 17.66. 8, Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.74. 9, Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.79. 10, Sabrina Ketcham, Yeso, N.M., 17.81. 11, Kelli Tolbert, Hooper, Utah, 17.83. 12, Pat Spratt, Lysite, Wyo., 17.95.

Cheyenne Frontier Days slowed down even more in the fourth performance, even with the seemingly unbeatable Carlee Pierce entered. June Holeman, 69, was first out and made a picture-perfect run of 18.5 seconds. Jolee Lauteret ran as a substitute for Lisa Ruhnke on a dun mare and turned in a nice run of 17.96, just after Emily Efurd's horse fell halfway down at the first barrel and recovered on the wrong side.

Paige Conrado and the sorrel mare she's been winning on are back in fine form after a two-week rest. Conrado turned in a smooth 18.2-second effort despite a slip at second, but was given a no-time by the judge for a delay in the alley. Cheyenne's notorious sliding sand slowed down Pierce and her great buckskin, Dillon, and their time came to 18.5. The final girl to run on Tuesday, Sabrina Ketcham, turned in the fastest time of the performance. Her horse didn't slip at all, and she clocked in at 17.81 to move to eighth in the standings.

"You've really got to help your horse here," said Stevi Hillman, who recently won go-rounds in Colorado Springs and Salinas on her 5-year-old gelding, Hammer (she stopped the clock in 18.25 in Cheyenne on Tuesday). "I didn't help him as well on the third here and it cost me."

Up on Wednesday are Sydni Blanchard, who made the NFR in 2010 but finished 16th last year, and Trula Churchill, who has been on a roll aboard her roan mare by A Streak Of Fling. They'll be joined by defending and two-time collegiate national champion Liz Combs. The 22-year-old Washington native claimed her title for Sam Houston State University in June on a horse named Bogie's Lil Skeeter.

Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo
July 21-29
First round: 1, Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 17.47 seconds. 2, Sabra O'Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 17.61. 3, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 17.62. 4, Maegan Reichert, Morgan Mill, Texas, 14.65. 6, Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.65, 7. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.79, 8. Sabrina Ketcham, Yeso, N.M., 17.81; 9. Kelli Tolbert, Hooper, Utah, 17.83.

The third performance at Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days was the slowest thus far at the rodeo, despite the appearance of two-time Cheyenne champion Lindsay Sears. Running eighth out, Sears approached the third barrel a little wide. She clocked the fastest time of the performance -- a 17.79 -- but it's seventh in the round right now with 72 cowgirls remaining. Only the top 12 will qualify for Sunday's finals. Last year, a pair of 17.7-second runs barely squeaked into the finals, but it's anybody's guess what will make it back this year.

Jeanne Anderson was also up Monday, and Firebug made his way safely -- and gingerly -- around each barrel in 18.22 seconds. Some slipping was experienced by the majority of horses, with Kelley Carrington's horse falling completely down in the hind end. Tana Poppino broke out faithful Amigo, and the bay made perfect turns but slipped on each can to turn in an 18.13. Kelli Tolbert made a great run, also sliding, and her 17.83 is currently eighth. Most of the other girls had trouble making a tight turn on the No. 3 barrel, which is more than 350 feet from the fence in Cheyenne's 700-foot arena.

Tomorrow's field includes tough-as-nails veterans June Holeman (nearing 69 years old) and 2011 WPRA Rookie of the Year Lee Ann Rust, 54, as well as this year's powerhouse, Carlee Pierce, and Sabrina Ketcham, who recently won Vernal, Utah.

Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo
July 21-29
First round: 1, Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 17.47 seconds. 2, Sabra O'Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 17.61. 3, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 17.62. 4, Maegan Reichert, Morgan Mill, Texas, 14.65. 6, Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.65, 7. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.79, 8. Kelli Tolbert, Hooper, Utah, 17.83.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Kelly Yates, a former Mountain States Circuit director from Pueblo, Colo., was instrumental in helping bring barrel racing back to Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1991 after a 10-year hiatus. She rarely fails to win money at "The Daddy of 'em All," and her time of 17.62 on Sunday moved her to third in the long round (the top 12 will make the finals next Sunday). Yates was running a roan mare owned by George and Karen Holland of Kansas. The Hollands were in Cheyenne to watch the run and are hoping their horse gets to run again a week from today.

"She's 7 and has only been to 10 or 12 rodeos," said Yates. The four-time NFR qualifier would like to see Cheyenne open the barrel racing up to more contestants again next year. "You can't believe all the people who used to come just to watch barrel racing slack," she said. "And some contestants used to make this a vacation -- staying all week and spending money in town."

Fellow NFR qualifier Shali Lord sold her sorrel horse, Cowboy, last winter but returned to Cheyenne riding him. The pair were making a perfect run before a bobble at the third barrel resulting in a time of 18.4. But Maegen Reichert, wearing a peacock feather in her hat and back on Marvin, turned in a 17.65-second time and sits fourth to come back to the short round. Also, riding her tiny sorrel mare Flo's Heiress ("Babyflo"), Fallon Taylor turned in a 17.74 to move into sixth place.

Jane Melby of Backus, Minn., still holds the top spot with a 17.47-second run turned in on opening day on Saturday, July 21.

Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo
July 21-29
First round: 1, Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 17.47 seconds. 2, Sabra O'Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 17.61. 3, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 17.62. 4, Maegan Reichert, Morgan Mill, Texas, 14.65. 6, Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.65.

During the first performance on Saturday, Minnesota's Jane Melby was last on the ground and turned in the best time - a 17.47 - on her black mare RC Black in Black "Beauty" to take the early lead. Sabra O'Quinn of Florida and Christy Loflin of Colorado posted a pair of 17.6-second times to round out the top three holes thus far at Cheyenne. O'Quinn finished eighth in the average at Cheyenne last year, and is on track to get into the top 10 once again.

The Sunday performance will feature the following barrel racers: Hannah Mantey, Ilene Choal, Wendy McKee, Britta O'Keeffe, Heather Ratterree, Fallon Taylor, Rainy Graham, Lindsey Ewing, Maegan Reichert, Kelly Kennedy-Joseph, Karen Little, Brittany Grant and Kelly Yates, who finished sixth here last year.

The biggest winners over the past few years at Cheyenne, Lindsay Sears and Brittany Pozzi, are up Monday July 23 and Saturday July 28, respectively. Defending champion Kim Schulze will make her run the same day as Pozzi - during the final performance before the short round.

Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo
July 21-29
First round: 1, Jane Melby, Bachus, Minn., 17.47 seconds. 2, Sabra O'Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 17.61. 3, Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., 17.66. 4, Pat Spratt, Lysite, Wyo., 17.95. 5, Britta O'Keefe, Laramie, Wyo., 18.38. 6, Toni Hardin, Wetmore, Colo., 18.47.