By Tanya Randall
Barrel Racing Report
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi’s homebred 7-year-old mare Ima Famous Babe (“Katniss”) has nabbed her first winter rodeo championship with a $13,675 victory at the $20,000-added San Angelo Rodeo, held January 30-February 1 and February 7-14.
“I just appreciate that committee and their format,” said Tonozzi. “I love how they have that rodeo setup, where they let everyone come run. It really helps with the added money.”
San Angelo was open to all WPRA cardholders. Everyone got their first run in slack in the First Community Credit Union Spur Arena on January 7, the day after slack for the Odessa pro rodeo. The top 120 times, plus ties, from slack progressed to one of the 10 performances in the Foster Communications Coliseum. The top 12 on a two run aggregate advanced to a short round.
As an added bonus, the winner of San Angelo gets an automatic bye into Rodeo Houston. Since Tonozzi got in as a member of last year’s Top 15, Wenda Johnson, who finished second, should get the Houston invite.
Tonozzi and Katniss started of the San Angelo rodeo with a 16.12 which was out of the money 18th in the first round.
“It was her first run back since Vegas and she kind of went through the motions,” Tonozzi noted. “It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t stellar.”
When they came back for their first run the smaller confines of the Foster Communications Coliseum in the matinee performance on February 8, Tonozzi was worried about how Katniss would handle the building and alleyway setup.
“I was nervous about the second round because she’s never been in that building,” she said. “The way they make you go in there and then turn around to start, I didn’t know if she would know to go when I turned. I had no expectations, but she figured it out really fast.”
Katniss clocked a 14.1 to finish second in the second round, but the best was yet to come with a 13.93 to win the short round with the only sub-14 run of the rodeo performances.
Tonozzi, who currently sits No. 2 in the WPRA World Standings with $36,388, also placed sixth at the Dixie National in Jackson, Mississippi, on Katniss, earning $1,297.
A two-time world champion barrel racer, Tonozzi has made her last couple of National Finals Rodeo qualifications aboard largely home-raised and trained horses. Her current arsenal is large course specialist KissKiss BangBang (“Mona”). Katniss, who was a 5-year-old futurity horse due to the birth of she and Garrett Tonozzi’s daughter Tinlee, has been her rising star in the indoor, shorter course rodeos.
“Mona just gets really tight inside,” said Tonozzi, who had just finishing running in slack at Tucson, Arizona. “Like she was really tight today because she’s been inside so much. I can’t run Mona too long inside because she just gets too tight. Katniss stays pretty honest or has so far.”
Tonozzi also has Babe On The Chase (“Birdie”) to spell Katniss in the setups that aren’t to Mona’s liking. Katniss is by Dash Ta Fame, while Birdie is by Chasin Firewater. They are both out of Streakin Six Babe, by Streakin Six.
In between rodeos, Tonozzi has been getting her next crop of star going at the futurities. She’s been placing on her homebreds, This Babe Rocks, a half-sister to Katniss, by Firewaterontherocks, and Flame Carver, a Wave Craver out of Shes Free Ta Flame, who helped her qualify for the NFR one year.
Raising and training on top of rodeo makes for a very busy winter and spring.
“It’s been so busy,” she said from the airport, awaiting her flight back to San Antonio for the semifinals on Wednesday and Thursday. “It’s been craziness actually. We’re trying to build stuff on our place. It’s been crazy. I took my rig into have the tires changed and they back it into the wall. I had to take it in and have the backend redone. It’s been one thing after another.”
Breeding season also means pulling embryos out of her great mares.
“We’re just kind of scooting along,” she laughed. “I’m going to embryo transfer Birdie, Katniss and Mona. Garrett heads on a full sister to StreakinFlinginDisco and we going to embryo transfer her. It’s fixing to get really busy with breeding season. It gets pretty crazy around this time of year for sure”
Tonozzi says she plans on breeding several mares to her young stallion, A Guy With Proof, who is a three-quarter brother to French Covergirl (“Cosmo”). They share the same dam, American Proof, by Extra Proof, a grandson of Bugs Alive In 75. A Guy With Proof is by Frenchmans Guy, while Cosmo was out a son.
“I’m going to breed to my stud a lot this year because I really like his babies,” she said. “I do look at incentives and stuff, but with these proven mares I’m going to breed to proven stuff. Like Steele Magnolias is going to be bred to Dash Ta Fame and Tres Seis. I’ll breed to The Goodbye Lane. I stick to things that are pretty hot.”
As for Katniss’ dam, Streakin Six Babe, Tonozzi is hoping to get an Aint Seen Nothin Yet out of her this spring. The grand old mare is one of the all-time leading producers of barrel horses. Tonozzi has run three of her babies down the alley at the Thomas & Mack.
Rundown with
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi
Ima Famous Babe (“Katniss”), 2013 Chestnut Mare, 16 hands, 1,250 lbs.
Bit: Long-shanked Ed Wright Lifter with a three-piece twisted mouthpiece; warmup in a bonnet and a Kerry Kelly Ticket
Headgear: none
Saddle: Pozzi Double J
Saddle Pad: Professional’s Choice
Leg Gear: Professional’s Choice polo wraps
Shoeing: Kerckhaert aluminum on front, steel rims on the back
Feed: Purina Ultium Gastric Care
Hay: Manzanola alfalfa cubes
Supplements: Pre-race: Oxy-Gen Triple Threat, Race X and Oxy-Pulmin; Oxy-Gen Mag Max everyday
Alternative Therapies: Acuscope; Soft Rides
Conditioning/Training Regimen: She gets runs and rest on her days off. I get her out and walk her, but no real conditioning at this point.
Sponsors: Professional’s Choice, Purina, Oxy-Gen, Manzanola Feeds, Double J Saddlery, Tanner Equine, Soft Rides and Roper Apparel & Footwear.
