Dusky Hall (great name) is the fastest-rising superstar in rodeo. The 11-year-old barrel racing phenom came just a few milliseconds short of a $1 million grand prize Dallas, Texas over the weekend.
Remember the name because she did not show any signs of slowing down any time soon!
Hall, a native of Huntsville, Texas, might still be five years away from getting her driver’s license but her horse is all she needs to tear up the rodeo arena alongside competitors three times (or more) her age. It is already to the point that 30- and 40-year-old women are having to look over their shoulders for the youngster. She is already running with the best of the best.
This past weekend was Hall’s most remarkable feat to date. The American Rodeo presented her with an opportunity to go home with $1,000,000. Even though she did not win, she put the world on notice.
The American Rodeo is one of the biggest stages in the sport. Taking place at Globe Life Field since 2023, it welcomes some of the best racers, riders and ropers in the world.
Coming into The American, Dusky Hall won checks on multiple horses at two notable races in the same weekend. It was a lot of miles for a competitor of any age, let alone an 11-year-old!
Hall won the Big Stakes Race in Marshall aboard ‘Enzo’ and finished third on ‘Louie’ on Saturday. She also won the 1D Open on Enzo on Friday. One day later, Hall won the KK Run for Vegas qualifier, Youth Slot Race and the Open on ‘Wally.’ She also ran the 1D Open and Youth 1D on ‘Copper.’
Hall won nearly $17,000 with checks on four different horses in one busy weekend. The strong results set her up nicely for Arlington.
Contenders who came through the qualifying rounds were eligible for a $1,000,000 bonus in addition to the $100,000 grand prize at The American. Hall was one of them. Pretty high stakes!
Dusky Hall left a trail of dust!
The first group of the Round of 10 at The American featured two World Champions and three millionaires. Hall was in the second group. Believe it or not, she actually won $1 million in career earnings before her 11th birthday so her competition knew not to take her lightly. They could not keep up.
Hall set a new arena record with a time of 15.133. It sent her right to the top of the leaderboard and guaranteed that she would race for $100,000 and the $1 million bonus. The way she loved on her horse, Ain’t Seen Famous Yet, after the run will give you goosebumps. What a moment!
Here’s another look at the run:
Just incredible. 11-year-old Dusky Hall sets an arena record during the 10-man round and will run for $1 million in a couple of hours. pic.twitter.com/Z24nm9dhCO
— Michael Snow – The Cowboy Channel (@ProRodeoMike) April 12, 2025
Unfortunately, Dusky Hall ran .253 seconds slower during the championship round. Kassie Mowry won the grand prize with a new arena record of 15.055.
Although Hall did not leave with the seven-figure bonus, she won a cool $5,000 as the fourth-place finisher. Certainly could be worse! The 11-year-old phenom proved once again that she is not just a flash in the pan. This is a name that will be around in rodeo for a very, very long time. God willing.