Little Miss Honky Tonk might be young, but she’s showing extraordinary promise around the barrels. The 2011 gray solid mare captured the futurity average at the Lazy E Barrel Bash April 17–19 in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Capturing back-to-back wins in the futurity’s 1D first and second go-rounds—jockey Alona James clocked times of 17.487 and 17.652, respectively—Little Miss Honky Tonk easily captured the futurity average. That netted her $1,164, in addition to a pair of $582 checks for round wins.
“We entered the Friday night jackpot—I thought I would just get her in the pen and let her feel the ground and stuff. She placed in the 2D Friday night. Our futurity run on Saturday went great. On Sunday, she warmed up great. She was real excited and very focused and calm. She turned the first awesome, then almost stopped at the second so I had to pull her over to get around it. Our third barrel was fantastic,” Alona said in the April 21, 2015, Barrel Racing Report.
Bred and owned by Charles and Mary Hainline of Noble, Oklahoma, Little Miss Honky Tonk is by Furyofthewind (QH) and out of Itscleats Littledoll.
Though Alona is still getting to know the gray mare around the barrels, she’s well acquainted with Little Miss Honky Tonk’s career. Alona’s boyfriend raced the mare on the flat track, logging a win and a second in five starts in 2013.
“My boyfriend raced her on the track and I kind of took care of her and I think we formed a bond,” she said. “I got her at the beginning of the year and took her to a few little jackpots. I then took her to the Lance Graves Futurity. Our runs weren’t terrible but weren’t great either. I brought her back from there and have been running at a few local jackpots on her to get her more solid. This futurity was my second futurity on her, and although she has been working well, I never expected for her to win it. She is entered in the BBR futurity this coming week, and then we will be off to Fort Smith.”
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