Martha Angelone started her 2026 ProRodeo season with a bang, sweeping both the Texas Circuit Average Championship and the Year-End Championship to secure her qualification for the 2026 NFR Open in Colorado Springs.
The reigning 2022 World Champion Breakaway Roper turned in three runs of 2.2 seconds each for an aggregate time of 6.6 seconds on three head, earning $9,901 at the Texas Circuit Finals and finishing the year with $25,691 in total circuit earnings.
The win was a meaningful rebound for Angelone, who missed the Top 15 cutoff for the 2025 NFBR and hadn’t claimed the Texas Circuit title since 2023. Joining her at the NFR Open will be Britta Strain, who finished second in the year-end standings with $23,706.
Q: You came into the Finals second in the standings behind Britta Strain. How did you approach the weekend?
Angelone:
Britta had a great year at the circuit rodeos—she went in with more money than I did. I just went in thinking, “Catch four and win the average.” That’s usually what it takes at our Finals. The calves were fresh; they’d only had two runs at the house before the Finals, so I knew there would be a lot thrown at us. My plan was to knock down three or four clean ones, try to get the average win, and hopefully make enough to get the year-end title, too.
Q: How did those fresh calves affect the roping? What was your game plan?
Angelone:
They were just green. Like I said, they’d only been run twice before the Finals, so we didn’t know what we were getting each night. One would go straight, the next would dart left or right—it was a different trip every time. You just had to make smart runs and not try to be a hero. A lot of girls went for go-round wins early and took themselves out, so I focused on catching clean and letting the money add up. Once I saw how it was shaping up, I knew if I stayed steady, I could win the average and probably the year-end, too.
Q: Let’s talk about your new horse, “Tank.” How did he fit into this win?
Angelone:
I actually bought Tank just a few days before the Circuit Finals. I’ve known that horse for a long time—he’s the one Avery Landry’s won a ton on at jackpots and high school rodeos. He’s nothing fancy, but he’s honest. I jackpotted on him a couple of days before the Finals, and he gave me the same feel I look for in all my good ones. I knew he’d give me a chance on every calf.
Q: That’s impressive, taking a brand-new horse to a Finals.
Angelone:
It’s all about the feel for me. Whether I’ve had a horse for one day or five years, if the feel’s right, I trust it. Tank fit me right away. And it doesn’t hurt to give my other horses some rest—they’ve had a long season. Good horses need breaks, too.
Q: You mentioned missing the NFBR this year. Did that fuel you heading into the Circuit Finals?
Angelone:
Oh, absolutely. I was mad when I left the Circuit Finals last year because it was the first year I hadn’t won the circuit, and missing the NFR Open in 2024 hurt. That rodeo has always been good to me—I won almost $30,000 there one year, and it really helped my summer run. So, yeah, I came into this year’s Finals wanting to prove a point. People can say whatever they want about my roping, but I know what I can do. I think I reminded everyone of that this weekend.
Q: What’s next for you after this comeback win?
Angelone:
I’ve been jackpotting all week. I won second at The Masters, and I’ve got a big weekend coming up with the Kimes qualifier, my match roping against my sister, and the open at Chris Neal’s. I’m just trying to keep everything feeling good—taking my horses to the vet, staying sharp, and keeping the momentum going into winter.
Angelone’s Texas Circuit sweep not only reasserted her dominance but also punched her ticket back to the NFR Open—an event that’s proven pivotal in her career before. As she balances jackpots, qualifiers, and rebuilding her horsepower, one thing’s clear: Martha Angelone’s far from slowing down.
2025 Texas Circuit Finals Breakaway Results
First round: 1. Rylie Smith, 1.9 seconds, $2,330; 2. Martha Angelone, 2.2, $1,748; 3. Bailey Currie, 2.7, $1,165; 4. Whitney Profili, 12.5, $583.
Second round: 1. Britta Strain, 1.8 seconds, $2,330; 2. (tie) Martha Angelone and Hannah Phillips, 2.2, $1,456 each; 4. Jordi Edens-Mitchell, 2.7, $583.
Third round: 1. (tie) Martha Angelone and Kayla Graham, 2.2 seconds, $2,039 each; 3. KC-Gail Churchill, 2.5, $1,165; 4. Karen Little, 3.0, $583.
Fourth round: 1. Hannah Phillips, 1.9 seconds, $2,330; 2. Bailey Currie, 2.7, $1,748; 3. Kelsie Domer, 2.9, $1,165; 4. Jordi Edens-Mitchell, 4.4, $583.
Average: 1. Martha Angelone, 6.6 seconds on three head, $4,661; 2. Britta Strain, 17.1, $3,496; 3. Kelsie Domer, 17.9, $2,330; 4. Hannah Phillips, 4.1 on two head, $1,165.
