Hometown cowgirl, world champion wins barrel racing title at Red Bluff Round Up

RED BLUFF, Calif. — Nellie Miller, a hometown cowgirl from Cottonwood, won a gold buckle at the Red Bluff Round Up on Sunday.

The 2017 barrel racing world champion won the barrel racing title at the 2019 Red Bluff Round Up with a time of 34.38 seconds on two runs.

Miller has attended the Round Up since she was a little girl and says to win it at her hometown rodeo was special.

“It’s a real honor,” Miller said. “We have a lot of family and friends here, so it’s neat to win it in front of everybody.”

Miller rode 11-year-old mare, Rafter W Minnie Reba, also known as Sister, for the rodeo.

The horse was raised by Miller and her parents, Sam and Roxy Williams, and carried Miller to her 2017 world title. They consider Sister to be a part of the family.

“We raised her from the time she was a baby. She’s been an outstanding part of our program," Miller said.

Sister loves to hear the crowd cheer, and when Miller’s name got announced at the Round Up, the Red Bluff fans got loud.

“She was pretty fired up. The crowd got her going. [Red Bluff] is one of the few times I can actually hear the crowd. I don’t usually pay attention to it, but they’re so loud here when we run, it’s so much fun," Miller said.

Miller is ranked first in the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association barrel racing standings, after having won Rodeo Houston. She says the Round Up adds to her winnings.

“Houston definitely set us up nice,” Miller said. “This will help things keep going in our direction. Hopefully, we can ease up this summer when it gets real busy," Miller said.

Jackie Ganter from Abilene, Texas got second place with a time of 34.42 seconds on two runs.

Jessie Telford, from Caldwell, Idaho got third place with a time of 34.55 seconds.