SAN ANTONIO -- There was a lot of heat during the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo on Saturday, most of it caused by barrel racer Taylor Langdon and her great buckskin mare, Vegas Firefighter.

The eight-year-old mare and her jockey were the only barrel-racing duo in Bracket 1 to have three runs under 14 seconds that were penalty-free. Their times of 13.85, 13.94, and 13.74 were by far the most consistent and saw them making three victory laps around the AT&T Center. As the high-money earners out of all the contestants in the bracket at $6,843, they can plan their trip back to the semifinals, which start on Feb. 21.

I'm on cloud nine," Langdon said in a Facebook post shortly after her third run. "I don't know when I have been more excited. Semifinals here we come.

Langdon grew up near Aubrey, Texas, riding cutting horses. While in high school, she started competing in barrel racing and was hooked. She earned a rodeo scholarship to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where she qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo three times.

It has all been part of the process for the focused young woman who has her sights set on the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) next December in Las Vegas. It's not just a coincidence that the mare that is helping her achieve that goal is called Vegas.

Langdon finished the 2016 season just two spots out of qualifying for her first NFR. She is currently 30th in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association world standings with $7,802. Add in the money she has already won here and she would be in the top 10 with an opportunity to change that with a win in the semifinals and then the finals.

While Langdon and other contestants from Bracket 1 are excited about making the trip back to the Alamo City after their third-round competition on Saturday afternoon, a new group started Bracket 2 that night. Jacobs Crawley, from Boerne dominated the saddle bronc riding in Bracket 1, winning two rounds and placing in the third to earn $5,987 so far.

On Saturday night it was his younger brother, Sterling, who made the victory lap around the arena after the saddle bronc riding. He was 88 points on Stampede Warrior, a horse from Canada's Calgary Stampede for the win. He is hoping to dominate like his world champion brother and have a chance at a San Antonio Championship on Feb. 22.

The second round of Bracket 2 will continue here on Sunday with a performance at 1 PM. At other rodeos, contestants focus on their scores and times, but these are all looking at how much money they earn to advance into the semifinals and then to the finals. When it is all said and done, $1.7 million in prize money will have been distributed among the athletes. For Langdon, it has the potential to change her whole year.

By Susan Kanode