Jordi Edens-Mitchell walked away from the 2026 Cowboy Christmas run with $22,345 won, leading the field by $1,535 and puts her just $1,270 behind barrel racing’s top earner on the week.
Edens-Mitchell’s total came from three stops: a share of the four-way tie for first at St. Paul, Oregon, worth $8,786, wins in both Round 2 and the Average in Prescott, Arizona, worth $7,333, and a Round 1 check, a second place finish in the finals, and a share of the Average at Greeley, Colorado worth $6,226.
Put that next to barrel racing’s tally for the same stretch: Michelle Alley led all barrel racers with $23,615, per BarrelRacing.com’s unofficial numbers. That’s a gap of $1,270 between the week’s top breakaway earner and the week’s top barrel racing earner.
But that isn’t where it stops. Stack the two sports’ top 10 money earners for the week side by side, and breakaway holds its own. When you add up all 10 names on both sides, the breakaway ropers banked $162,043 combined against barrel racings $142,324—nearly $19,700 more. And the ropers did it with fewer rodeos on the board.
Haiden Thompson landed herself in the No. 2 spot for most money won with $20,810 won across six rodeos. Her biggest check came from Mandan, North Dakota where she cashed in $6,641 but she also brought money home from Greeley, Colorado, Prescott, Arizona, St. Paul, Oregon, Cody, Wyoming and Killdeer, North Dakota.
One of the most impressive story lines of the week is Falyn Thomson winning $17,703 at one single rodeo. The cowgirl made the most of her trip to Ponoka, Alberta, Canada winning Round 2, second in the finals, winning the showdown round and the average paid out in a big way.
The money stays high with Danielle Lowman cashing in $17,551 across five rodeos; Greeley, Colorado, Prescott, Arizona, Mandan, North Dakota, Belle Fourche, South Dakota and Cody, Wyoming. Her win at Greeley was the biggest contributor worth more than $10,000 of her total winnings.
Josie Conner rounded out the top five with $17,145 won across four rodeos. Her biggest piece came from that same St. Paul four-way tie that boosted Edens-Mitchell, and she added checks from Prescott, Arizona, Oakley, Utah, and Red Lodge, Montana.
Bradi Good banked $16,001 across five rodeos as well. Her biggest check came from a second-place finish at Oakley, Utah, worth $7,907 that was boosted by money from Greeley, Colorado, Prescott, Arizona, Red Lodge, Montana, and Cody, Wyoming.
Martha Angelone brought home $14,395 from four rodeos: Prescott, Arizona, St. Paul, Oregon, Cody, Wyoming, and Basin City, Washington.
Hali Williams cashed in $12,575 in an impressive two rodeos with money won at both Greeley, Colorado, and Cody, Wyoming.
Summer Williams won $12,484 in four rodeos and to round out the top 10 money earners on the week was Bailey Patterson with $11,034 won.
In fewer rodeos than any other event, the breakaway ropers hustled their way within $1,270 of catching the top barrel racing payout and smoked last year’s benchmark by of $16,628 by $5,717.
