Reigning Hooey Jr. Patriot Champion Kate Reynolds has returned to Fort Worth to collect another healthy payday in the 15-and-Under Breakaway, winning the Semifinals with a time of 4.4 seconds on two head.
For the feat, she’s pocketing $6,000—not quite the $30,000 she garnered in 2024 with her 15-and-Under Breakaway Championship, but a strong start to a week with two short gos ahead of her.
@breakawayropingjournal Kate Reynolds took home $30,000 for her win in the 2024 Hooey Jr. Patriot 15 & Under Breakaway with a 2.21-second time. All Patriot streaming is available for rewatching on @Roping.com ♬ original sound – Roping.com
Reynolds, from LaRue, Texas, entered the Semifinals with two entries. From there, she had to out rope more than 220 other entries to progress to Round 2. She posted a 2.43-second run to get it done, but her Round 1 wasn’t without some struggle.
“I was really proud of how I came back from another bad run and went faster,” Reynolds said of her 2.43. “I was trying hard to not break out because I’m good at that. And then I chunked my rope because that calf was running.”
Once in Round 2, the battle wasn’t over. Out of 50 entries, Reynolds needed to be inside the top 15 on two head to secure her position in the short go on Saturday.
“I can be all or nothing,” Reynolds said. “I am either going to break out or win it, I’m not going to safety up.”
Riding 2024 Champion mare “Reba,” Reynolds was confident she could catch, she just needed to be clean at the line.
“Reba’s really strong across the line and is best at the nod-and-go setups,” Reynolds explained. “She’s going to give you that spot right there every time. I have to see a lot more on her [other people] see. She’s great at what she does but you do have to ride her the whole way because she will [get short].”
Reynolds and Reba posted a time of 1.97 seconds, the fastest of Round 2 and bumping them to No. 1 in the average.
Now, Reynolds has 19-and-Under breakaway Semifinals and both the 15-and-19-and-Under Goat Tying ahead of her… and she’s looking to make it to the short go in as many as possible.
