Harley Pryor came away with $10,000 in three runs at the Hooey Jr. Patriot 19-and-Under Breakaway Semifinals, battling through more than 340 entries to emerge victorious with an aggregate of 4.43 seconds on two head.
The 16-year-old from Moore Haven, Florida, has been winning for years—but her Round 1 run of 1.62 seconds may have been one of her closest calls yet.
“Muffin was great, got on the left hip,” Harley said of her star mare. “My hand was going right, and Muffin was [pulled] left. I was hanging off the side and saw more of the ground than my calf. I thought I was coming off.”
Despite the close call, Pryor stayed in the buggy to win the Round 1 for $4,500. She roped in 2.31 on another entry for an additional $1,000, too.
“I roped in the 15-and-Under Semifinals on Wednesday and didn’t do any good, so, today I wanted to capitalize,” Pryor said.
With $5,500 pocketed, Pryor knew it would be wise to get Muffin freed up before she had to rope again in the top 50 for a spot in the Short Go on Sunday.
“After that 1.6 I went outside, and they’d finished the jackpot out there,” Pryor said. “A really good guy let me run one down the pen to free Muffin up. I wouldn’t have gotten to the barrier line [next time] without him.”
With Muffin schooled, Pryor headed back inside. She drew a calf that was softer than she expected, but she managed to get the rope broken off in 2.81 seconds. The 4.43 aggregate netted her another $4,500 in winnings.
Ahead of the short go, Pryor is counting her blessings. Her mare Muffin has “gotten me places I could have never imagined.” And her support system including her parents, grandparents, Martha Angelone and Billy Morrow are always in her corner.
