The duo everyone's been cheering for had their big moment tonight, setting a new record and winning Round 4 during their first NFR appearance.
The ground in the Thomas & Mack was fast in Round 4, and no pair made better use of it than first-time NFR qualifiers Tricia Aldridge and her 5-year-old stud Adios Pantalones. The pair dominated the round with a smokin 13.42, the fastest time of the 2025 NFR so far. This also set the record for the fastest run ever recorded by a stallion in the Thomas & Mack.
Aldridge came into her first NFR ranked No. 11 in the world, grinding her way through 87 rodeos this season and earning $141,182 along the way. Now, after an electric night, she sits No. 3 in the average and No. 7 in the world. She is gaining ground and is actually in the conversation for a world title with six rounds remaining and nearly $40,000 up for grabs each night.
For a horse and jockey new to rodeo’s biggest stage, and to rodeo itself, the moment was surreal.
At the buckle ceremony, Aldridge tried to put it into words.
“We have gotten to share his whole story and to just accomplish all that he has and bring him from the beginning and to have all these awesome fans. I just can’t even ever imagine standing right here.”
She continued with a big smile, “He just made his perfect Adios run tonight, he is just so honest. Just chase your dreams, put it out there, say it, and go do it. If anything I hope that is what we inspire y’all to do.”
Speak It Into Reality
Before Tricia and Adios ever took their first steps under the bright lights of Vegas, Rodeo Roundtable interviewed her about their impressive road to the NFR, their partnership, and the stallion the entire industry now knows by name.
She told us then,“I definitely don’t think it is over yet.”
These are the type of prophetic words that got them here and now that she and Adios just shared their first round win in the Thomas and Mack.
Adios Pantalones is a 2020 stallion by Tres Seis out of French Bar Belle. He has already made history before ever entering his first rodeo. He is the all-time leading futurity horse and the all-time leading stallion in the barrel racing industry.
Rodeo was brand new to him and brand new to Tricia, too. Their original plan was to make the top 30 this year and then get to run at the big building rodeos next season. But Adios had different plans. He won in California, then he won again, and again and suddenly Aldridge wasn’t chasing 2026, she headed straight towards Vegas.
When we asked whether he surprised her this year, Aldridge explained:
“I know he is a great horse. I wouldn’t have tried to do it if he wasn’t. He just handled everything so well all year… I never had to change headgear on him or anything. I really didn’t change anything this entire year, he just was the horse he has always been. He still surprises me every time even though I know he can”
She described his personality, “I always joke that he is a unicorn but he literally is, I mean Barbie Dreamhorse. He’s got a large personality.”
There is a big difference between the futurity scene and the rodeo road. Aldridge explained the difference her and Adios experienced.
“The futurities are a lot more of a horse race, and the rodeos are just a lot more strategy because it is not always the fastest or best horse that wins… There really were some places I ran that I felt like he was too fast for the ground, others where everything was good, and you had to capitalize on those opportunities.”
Despite being only five years old, Adios handled all the setups, big pens, small pens, outdoors, indoors, with remarkable maturity.
“He is just so honest and if he gets in any type of jam too he lets me help him and always makes the right call.”
The Final Stretch
Sioux Falls ultimately punched their ticket to Vegas. The Governors Cup is the final big rodeo of the season and usually the deciding factor for many NFR dreams. Tricia had options to fly around to hit all the last-minute smaller rodeos that week too, but after a bit decided to just go back and trust Adios at Sioux Falls. Itt turned out in their favor.
“I knew he could. He was coming off Abilene and Albuquerque and he won both of those… I was really excited because I knew that was his setup, that smaller pen and alleyway.”
The pair ended up second in Sioux Falls and officially punched their ticket to their very first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Tricia explained that the Thomas & Mack's alleyway set up is actually a familiar comfort for him compared to closed-gate setups.
“My plan is for him to be able to do all 10 rounds, I hope to run Adios the whole time”
Aldridge finished our interview with a message that now continues through her record-setting run in round 4.
“The biggest thing this year, well, we have this saying: ‘Speak what you see until you see what you say.’ and I just feel like if anybody takes anything from my story I just hope that they are brave enough to go chase goals and put it out there and try for it.”
She added: “I don’t come from money, I don’t come from a big horse family or anything like that… Sometimes it’s better than you could have even dreamed of.”
Adios is closing in on a million dollars in earnings. Tricia says that is the next goal, and could be sooner rather than later if the NFR continues to go their way.
Rodeo’s Biggest Stage
Tricia and Adios have placed in 3 of the 4 rounds, winning number 4. They have had a storybook debut year and still have 6 rounds to go. What started as a long-shot rookie season has turned into a history-making NFR appearance, and so much can still happen.
This story isn’t luck, this is a pair who believed before anyone else did, and now the whole world gets to see what just trusting your preparation and believing looks like at full Adios speed.
