Wildfire Ranch Barrel Racing Cancelled

[Christi]

I just might be there!    XX:)

[Roadrunner]

JMO I think it is their format that is hurting their response. There were so many things I didn't like about it. It was just too much & confusing. Why don't they just have a good standard 4D? With all that added money I think they would get plenty of entries. I like the arena and the facilities. I hope they reconsider & reschedule with a different format.

[Christi]

Everyone keep speaking your mind (good & bad) about the Wildfire Ranch Barrel Race.  I am going to give them some suggestions and maybe they will change some things & reschedule the race for a later date.

[lksmith1]

I agree with Roadrunner.  Just have a plain old 4D with lots of added money over a two or three day period.  That will bring the entries!  Love the facility.

I was planning on entering the original Wildfire race but was waiting until closer to the deadline to enter to make sure my horse was 100% healthy.  Even though I was planning on entering, I wasn't that wild about all of the different ways to win.  Too confusing for me!  Again, my preference is the plain old 4D with LOTS of added money.

[Christi]

Ok, I emailed Wildfire Ranch back and told them lots of girls where planning on going, just not entered yet.  I asked how many entries they had so far before they decided to cancel.  This is what they said...........

We only had about 15 entries with only a week and a half before the late fee date would come into effect.  I don't think we were going to get the remaining 1,185 entries needed to fill it up within that week and a half!  Thanks for the inquiry.

[horses4life]

So I wonder if they were worried about losing there butts if they did not get a certain amount of entries. It sounds like he was hoping to get most of his entries in before the late fee date. I think it usually works the other way around. Most of the entries come after the date or the day of the race.

That is too bad they are canceling. They are nice people and I like the big pattern there. Better luck to them in the future.

Oh yeah. JMO I like the new format. Takes some time to understand it, but everything new is that way and you can enter anytime you want. I don't know how they make money like that though...being there all day and just having a few people in some hours and none in others. You still have to pay the help barrel racers or no.

[Christi]

I agree, most people do wait until the weekend of the barrel race to enter b/c they aren't sure if they can make it.  That's what I do most of the time b/c I have a crazy work schedule and don't ever know where I'm gonna be.  I hope they reschedule also!

[Mandi]

I would much rather go to Stephenville.

I went to Wildfire's race last year.

I really don't like the way they had the format and times set up for this year. Even though I live 15 minutes from there, it was not on my list of places to go and considering it was scheduled the same as Stephenville, which I've been dying to go to all year, I probably still would have drove to Stephenville instead for that race.

They advertise it as 'not a marathon' but then they have different time slots for you to run in and then you have to find out if you made the short go so you can possibly run again that evening. If you want to run early in the morning, there's hardly no way you can't consider sitting and waiting 'not a marathon'. I would also like to see them take all that money they pay out in the sections and just add it elsewhere. Its like they are trying to be comparable to Bobby's diesel money jackpots, but on a smaller scale.

[Karol]

I don't understand why they don't just have a $5000 or $7500 added with a $75 entry fee.  I really think more people would go.  Also, please not pre-entries.  Late fees are killing everyone.

[Capt Jack]

I have kept records on most of the barrel races held during the past two years and one thing that the numbers show is:  Pre-entries are down by a huge percentage.  I have spoken to over 200 barrel racers who chose to attend races and just pay the late entry.  Their replys were very much the same in that they said: Diesel is to high, so I just wait to see if I can make it.  I would rather keep my money and spend the little late fee than send off my money and not have it in my pocket.  Another answer that I have gotten with regard to this question is:  There are so many races I just hold off until the last minute to choose one....
It is my not very good opinion that the days of the huge pre-entry races (except in special cases) are over.  The medium and smaller producers need not panic over small pre entries.  Frankie and I, working for the first time together, had almost no pre-entries and over 150 riders on the day of the show and that was a very, very small amount of added money.
Do any of you remember Tamet and De$try's race at Cleburne on January 1, 2005?  Almost no pre-entries and over 300 riders for a one day show.  Bob got his nickname...Burger King...from the race as he was grilling the burgers.  We closed our trailer at 10:30 because we just were so tired......again, the pre-entries had nothing do to with the fun racing....
So, pick a race and go and have fun......
Speaking of fun. 
See ya at the Performance Trailer, Xpress Trailer Group's Halloween Barrel Bash where we have a barrel of fun and a barrel race too.
Huggs from the Captain