Lisa Warfield knew the door was open

Lisa Warfield knew the door was open.

A self-confessed “numbers cruncher,” the Helena cowgirl did the math and assessed the situation.

With the barrel racing standings lead within her grasp, Warfield would need a couple of good checks at Hamilton and Helmville, the last two regular-season rodeos for the 2024 Mountain Health Co-op Tour.

Warfield didn’t just step through the door. She and her horse, Friday Night Headline, made news of their own by sprinting past the rest of the competition.

Warfield enters the Northern Rodeo Association Finals presented by nuWest Builders No. 1 in the barrel racing standings.

The well-respected horse trainer will carry a $1,020.91 lead over Brittney Sporer, of Cody, Wyoming, into Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Oct. 24-26.

Warfield entered the final weekend trailing Sporer by $522.

“Going into Labor Day I knew Brittney was with her daughter at another event in Wyoming,” Warfield said. “I had to capitalize on that.”

She placed third at Hamilton to take the standings lead and separated herself from the talented pack by winning Helmville. Warfield earned $1,579 in the final two summer rodeos.

“I just wanted to qualify for the Finals,” she said of her early 2024 goals. “The goal was to get into the Finals in the top five.”

After placing second at the first Bozeman rodeo, Warfield re-calibrated her plans.

“After Bozeman, I was, ‘I like that,’ ” she said. “I revamped the goals during the Fourth of July and wanted a top three spot.”

Warfield’s husband James won the 2008 NRA bull riding title.

The annual NRA Finals showcases the top 10 in each event and will crown champions in 11 disciplines.

An added bonus this year is Tito’s Challenge, a $1,000 bonus presented to the high-money earner of the Finals by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Warfield will be one of those chasing the money. And more.

“I am,” she said of being excited for the upcoming event.

The barrel racing field includes Sporer, who won the Finals average and defending year-end champion Alexis McDonald of Gardiner.

Warfield, who used a team effort this summer, will be riding Friday Night Headline, the horse that made her the front-runner.

The seven-year-old sorrel gelding was honored as the Bill Parker Timed Event horse of the year for barrel racing.

“Let him make his run,” she said of the Finals. “Send him and let him do his job. I’m there to make the corrections. I look forward to running in Majestic Valley Arena.

“He’s just consistent. He’s deceiving … smooth in his turns. He doesn’t look as fast as he is.”

This is Friday Night Headline’s first season in the Northern Women’s Rodeo Association. And he enjoys the spotlight.

“He has to be the center of attention,” Warfield continued with a laugh. “He wants to be in your space at all times.”

Along with Helmville, Warfield and her horses won at Scobey and Boulder and placed second at Bozeman 1, Bozeman 2 and Livingston. She put $1,962 in her pockets from the three Bozeman rodeos.

Warfield also rode Wiki and Rowdy to checks, including the Boulder victory. “I have a team,” she said.

Warfield also got some season-changing advice this summer.

“I set weekly goals and always had trouble pulling them off at the end,” she said. “Deena Moeykens (NRA barrel racer) told me to stay in the moment. In whatever you are doing. I’ve stepped back into the moment of time.

“It’s been working ever since. The trick to riding is to have fun.”