Drew Ellen Stewart put on a clinic in the goat tying to win the 19 & Under Goat Tying Last Chance Qualifier at the 2026 Patriot in Fort Worth, Texas.
The 17-year-old tied three goats in 18.97 seconds to win the aggregate and $1,719. Stewart came into the qualifier with momentum at the Patriot. A year ago, she won more than $29,000 in the 15 & Under Goat Tying, winning both the finals and the shootout round. Now competing in the 19 & Under division, she returned to Fort Worth looking to stay in position for another run at the event’s prize money.
She started the qualifier by settling her horse into the arena. Riding a former barrel horse she has transitioned into a goat horse, Stewart focused on making a solid first run in one of the biggest setups the horse has seen.
“I just wanted to get her in the arena and make a solid run,” Stewart said.
From there, the runs stacked up quickly. Stewart clocked a 6.12 to finish second in the first round before turning in a 6.26 to win the second round and move to the top of the average.
Heading into the short round as the first callback, Stewart stayed composed and made another clean run, stopping the clock in 6.21 seconds to lock in the aggregate time of 18.97.
“I just wanted to be smart,” Stewart said. “I knew my horse was running by that time, and I needed to get off where I was supposed to.”
Stewart also showed strong sportsmanship during the qualifier. After her short go run on her second entry resulted in an illegal tie, she pointed it out before the judge had inspected it.
“I just didn’t want anything on my conscience,” Stewart said.
With the win secured, Stewart now turns her focus to three semifinal appearances later in the week as the Patriot competition continues in Fort Worth.
