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| Lindsay
Sears, WPRA
photo by Mike
Copeman. |
There were
a couple of scary bumps in the road, but Lindsay
Sears has put herself firmly in the driver's seat
for a second consecutive WPRA world barrel racing
title.
The Canadian barrel racer,
aboard uberhorse Martha, won the seventh round
of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Wednesday
night with a time of 13.71 seconds. The time is
the second-fastest run of the WNFR.
Her second go-round win not
only gave her another $17,139 to her 2009 earnings,
but lifted her to first in the world standings
and first in the high-paying average.
Sears, of Nanton, Alberta, has
pushed her season earnings to $222,031. She passed
Brittany Pozzi of Victoria, Texas. Pozzi is second
with $210,324.
But it wasn't easy.
Sears and Martha wobbled the
second barrel and did the same on the third.
"I saw her take that second
barrel with her nose,'' Sears said of Martha.
"I guess, I rubbed the third barrel.
"I'm not sure, I was busy,''
she finished with a big smile. "I was still
trying to stay in the middle of the saddle and
we rocked it.''
Sears ascended to the lead in
the standings and the average when 2007 world
champion Pozzi toppled the third barrel. Pozzi
was back on her primary horse Stitch. Pozzi ended
up with a time of 19.07 seconds and fell to fourth
in the average.
Sue Smith of Blackfoot, Idaho
was second in 13.78 seconds.
A pair of former world champions
- Sherry Cervi, of Marana, Ariz., tied Mary Burger,
of Pauls Valley, Okla. - shared third at 13.88
seconds. Cervi also could have been faster, but
her horse slipped a little around the third barrel.
"Every night when you get
around clean it feels like an accomplishment,''
Sears said. "The ground is tough sometimes
and you're excited to get around all three barrels.''
Sears leads the average with
97.11 seconds on seven runs. A victory in the
average is worth an additional $43,954.
Despite the shakeup in the average
standings, Sears will not change her game plan.
"I have never had a plan
for the average,'' she said. "I always figure
it will take care of itself if you do well taking
each run at a time.
"The average does play
a major role in the end, but we have to go at
it one run at a time and that is what I concentrate
on.''
Sears and Martha have won money
in every round. Along with winning round two,
they have placed second in rounds four and five,
third in the third round and shared fourth place
in round six.
"Martha keeps doing her
job. I have to make sure I do mine,'' Sears said.
"We've had a great week and we hope to keep
it going. We just have to go out and do it again.''
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