The 2026 Breakaway Roping Gold Buckle Race Just Got Tighter

The 2026 breakaway roping race just got a little more interesting. This year has been incredible, and more money has been up for grabs than ever before for the ladies. One has been stand out all year long, and just a few weeks ago, it looked like Cheyanne McCartney had built herself a lead that would be tough to catch. 

Now, the gold buckle race is a little tighter. 

McCartney still sits at No. 1, however Hali Williams and Josie Conner made major moves in Sioux Falls that completely changed the race. The three are now separated by roughly $6,000, with a gold buckle on the line at the NFBR in Fort Worth.

McCartney earned $3,000 this week and remains in the lead. Williams brought home nearly $20,000 and moved within about $2,000 of McCartney. Conner had the biggest week of the three, winning the Sioux Falls Governor's Cup and earning around $44,000 to move into the unofficial No. 3 spot.

What was once a pretty comfortable lead for McCartney is now a three woman race. These three at the top are some of the most talented ladies with a horse and with a rope. This is going to be a fight til the end. 

Cheyanne McCartney has spent much of the 2026 season at the top of the standings. She made a huge jump after winning both the Calgary Stampede and Cheyenne Frontier Days, putting herself in position for her first world championship. The Kingston, Oklahoma, cowgirl has already qualified for the NFBR four times before this year and knows what it takes to win when the pressure is on. 

Hali Williams, 3x NFBR qualifier, has been right behind her for much of the season. She actually held the No. 1 spot earlier in the year after winning RODEOHOUSTON. Since then, Williams has stayed close and continued to put money on her season total. Her Sioux Falls week was exactly what she needed to close the gap, and now she is sitting just a couple thousand dollars behind the leader.

Then Josie Conner went to work in Sioux Falls.Her Governor's Cup win came with a huge payday and put her right back in the middle of the world championship race. After earning roughly $44,000 during the week, she is now only around $6,000 behind McCartney. A 1.9 in the final round in Sioux Falls was exactly what she needed to do. 

Conner is no stranger to the NFBR either. She is a four time qualifier before this year and, like McCartney and Williams, has already won rounds at the finals as well. 

All three have been around this stage before. None of them has won the world championship however. They also each bring their own style to the arena.

The NFBR in Fort Worth this December will decide who gets to add the first breakaway roping gold buckle to her collection. McCartney has the lead for now, but Williams is right behind her and Conner just made the biggest move of the three.

It will all come down the 2026 WPRA National Breakaway Finals in Will Rogers Coliseum December 18th and 19th.