Molly Otto is a brand new name to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year. She is coming in as the No. 15 Barrel Racer after she had an outstanding year.
Otto is well known in the futurity world but this year, she took her futurity champion, Chewy, on the road as a professional. Otto had a break through year winning 12 rodeos.
Most of her success came from rodeos up north over the summer. She started out her professional run with a win at the Ute Mountain Roundup when she stopped the clock at 17.26. It was followed up by another win at the Pony Express Rodeo.
At the Sitting Bull Stampede, Otto and Chewy clocked a 17.13 to get the win and the duo got another win at the legendary Deadwood Days of ’76 Rodeo when she smoked the pattern to be a 16.58. At the Hamel Rodeo and Bull Ridin’ Bonanza, Otto was a 14.73 to be first before she went on to Wisconsin. At the Heart of the North Rodeo, Otto got another win with a 17.35 second run.
At the Moses Lake Round-Up Rodeo, Otto bested No. 14 Barrel Racer Lisa Lockhart by one hundredth of a second. The last three wins of Otto’s season came at bigger rodeos. She took home first place checks from Cattlemen’s Days (Colorado), Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo (Missouri) and Walla Walla Frontier Days (Washington).
Otto and Chewy have been in the spotlight before when they won the WPRA Futurity 1D World Championship, but the Futurity Champs took the professional rodeo world by storm. They earned $79,928 to clinch their first ever trip to the Thomas and Mack.