LEXINGTON — Lexington’s spring sports calendar is about to kick up some dust this weekend as one of rodeo’s biggest qualifying events comes to town.
The American Rodeo East Regional Finals arrive at the Kentucky Horse Park this week, bringing top rodeo athletes from across North America to Alltech Arena for three days of competition that will send qualifying winners on to the national championship in Texas.
The event runs April 9 through April 11 at Alltech Arena and features eight rodeo disciplines, including barrel racing, bull riding, bronc riding and breakaway roping. Friday night’s performance focuses on roughstock events, while Saturday’s finals begin at 6:45 p.m.
In an interview Wednesday on WWKY’s Mornings on Main, Canadian barrel racer Océane Veilleux, a Quebec native competing in the East Regional, described the precision and speed required in barrel racing, where horse and rider race a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels in a matter of seconds.
“We’ve got to go as fast as we can,” Veilleux told host Joel Bennett. “You turn around three barrels, and if you tip one, that’s either disqualification or a time penalty. The fastest wins.”
Veilleux, who now attends East Texas A&M University and studies biological sciences while competing collegiately and professionally, said she brought three horses to Lexington: Vegas, her primary competition horse; Nairobi; and Ice Cream, who is currently sidelined with an injury.
Vegas, an eight-year-old quarter horse, will be her mount for this weekend’s competition.
“He’s a little grumpy,” Veilleux said with a laugh during the interview. “But he knows how to sprint.”
That sprint could lead to a major payday. The Lexington regional is one of three national qualifiers feeding into The American Rodeo Championship Weekend at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, in May. Regional winners can earn $10,000 each and advance toward a potential $2 million championship purse.
The Lexington stop is expected to draw up to 125 athletes in some events, including elite professionals, rising contenders and local competitors. Veilleux said nearly 100 barrel racers are entered in her discipline alone.
Though Kentucky is better known as horse racing country than rodeo country, Veilleux praised Lexington’s venue and crowds.
“The energy in here is just awesome,” she said of Alltech Arena. “The fact that it’s indoors and so many fans come — it makes it really exciting.”
The American Rodeo is billed as one of the richest single-day rodeo events in the world, blending professional champions with open qualifiers who earn their way into the field.
Tickets are available through AmericanRodeo.com, TicketMaster, and at the Alltech Arena box office.
For Lexington, it is a rare chance to see a national rodeo circuit up close — complete with barrel racers chasing fractions of a second, bulls launching riders skyward, and cowboys and cowgirls competing for a shot at one of rodeo’s richest prizes.
