CC5D winner Allen has dreams of reaching NFR

Kelly Allen feature photo — Photo by Kierce Photography

By BRAD KEITH

TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL

STEPHENVILLE (May 2, 2015) — Kelly Allen and her mare, Charge My Corona, are fast.

How fast?

Fastest barrel race time this year at Lone Star Arena fast. Third fastest time in Lone Star Arena history fast.

And at Lone Star Arena, in Stephenville, known as the Cowboy Capital of the World, that’s saying something.

In fact, it says a lot.

“It’s neat to have one of the fastest times there. There are probably more barrel races at Lone Star than any other arena in the world,” said Allen after riding “Rona” to a blistering time of 15.018 seconds – just .156 of a second shy of the arena-record 14.862 run by Ceri McCaffery aboard Miss Patricia in 2012. “It’s such a nice facility, and with the number of races they have, pretty much all the best barrel horses in the world the last 10 years have raced there.”

Kelly Allen won the CC5D with the third fastest time ever at Lone Star Arena, the fastest this year. || Photo by Kierce Photography

Kelly’s time came in the CC5D Vintage Barrel Days race two weekends ago at Lone Star, where she entered two horses and took home a total of five checks worth $2,700.

“The CC5D is such a great event and has so many riders because everyone loves Stephenville and loves Lone Star,” said Allen, who has the fastest of 1,427 runs at the arena this year alone. “The pattern is always the same there, and you always know the competition is going to be tough.”

Stephenville Chamber of Commerce executive director July Danley says that’s why her organization supports the CC5D, citing the number of competitors and families that come to town for the event, eating in Stephenville, staying in Stephenville, perhaps even shopping while visiting the Cowboy Capital.

And no one there could keep up with Allen and Rona. Of course, that’s no surprise to those familiar with Allen’s already-successful career.

“I’ve run barrels since I was big enough to get on horse, and I won a lot of youth events,” says Allen, who has an AQHY world championship and BSA Derby Championship among her many youth wins. “I got my pro card when I turned 18 and have been pro rodeoing off and on since then.”

The Hillsboro native and Stephenville transplant also rode Rona to a victory in a Huntsville PRCA rodeo earlier in April.

Stephenville cowgirl Kelly Allen won the CC5D aboard Charge My Corona, and the tandem made the cover of the ensuing issue of Barrel Racer News. || Facebook photo

Rona is like a member of the Allen family.

“She’s won me more events than ever this early in the year. Mom and I raised her, trained her, everything,” Allen explained. “Her grandmother is a horse my mom ran barrels on, so she is a third generation barrel horse that we have owned and trained, so she’s pretty special to us.”

Allen hopes to ride Rona all the way to the National Finals Rodeo.

“Of course the NFR has been my dream since I was a kid, but with a young horse I always take it one ride at a time,” said Allen. I would like to get into the more limited event rodeos.”

Those are dreams that keep one busy, as if Allen doesn’t have anything else going on.

“I’m trying to get to all the rodeos and barrel races I can, and I’m also training futurity horses, planning a wedding, remodeling my house and building a barn,” said the Stephenville cowgirl. “I’m trying to juggle it all. I’m pretty busy.”