Brenda Mays may have been the fastest thing on four hoofs last week.

The Terrebonne barrel racer recorded a brilliant Fourth of July weekend run, placing in the money at five of the seven rodeos she entered en route to $23,809 in winnings. Mays’ haul over “Cowboy Christmas” — the nickname for the glut of rodeos staged each year over the Independence Day holiday — skyrocketed her to eighth place in the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association world barrel racing standings and has her on track for a seventh consecutive National Finals Rodeo berth.

“This was probably the best Cowboy Christmas of my career,” said Mays, 44, who won two rodeos and placed second in two others last week.

“Everything just fell into place. I even won a rodeo on my backup horse. … It was an exceptional weekend,” Mays added.

The 2013 seasons for both the WPRA and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) hit their unofficial halfway mark last week, and a host of local cowboys and cowgirls are sitting pretty in the world standings in their respective events.

Part-time Central Oregonian Bobby Mote — the former Culver resident moved to Stephensville, Texas, last fall, but he and his family are spending the summer in Powell Butte with his mother — enters this weekend third overall in the PRCA’s bareback standings with $57,062 in season earnings. Kaycee Feild, of Payson, Utah, leads the bareback money list with $65,032.

“I’d rather be the leader, but I’m close,” says the 37-year-old Mote, who is chasing a fifth world title. “The closer to the top (of the world standings before the NFR) the better. No amount of a lead is enough once you get there (to Las Vegas).”

Terrebonne cowboy Austin Foss, 21, is eyeing his first NFR appearance in just his second year on the PRCA tour, sitting 10th ($39,419) on the bareback money list. Redmond’s Steven Peebles, 24, also has a shot at Vegas as he is 20th in the bareback world standings with $24,012 in earnings this season.

Each year, the top 15 finishers from each rodeo discipline at the end of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. This year, the NFR is scheduled for Dec. 5-14.

“You always want to do good over the Fourth,” says Mays, whose $23,809 in earnings last week was the fourth-highest total of any pro rodeo cowboy or cowgirl for the 2013 Cowboy Christmas, a time period that ran from July 1-7. “It gives you that little bit of ‘umph’ to keep going.”

Prineville steer wrestler Sean Santucci, who is making a push for his first NFR bid, finished second in the average last week at the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede and fifth overall at the St. Paul Rodeo back home in Oregon to climb to 19th overall ($23,367) in the world standings. Casey Martin, of Sulphur, La., leads all steer wrestlers with $52,537 in winnings this season, but Santucci is less than $2,000 away from Cooper Shofner, of Huntsville, Texas, who is currently 15th in the world with $25,215.

“Last year was more educational than motivational,” says Santucci, who missed the 2012 NFR by four spots, finishing 19th overall. “The motivation’s always been there. But just like any other sport, you’ve got to learn the ropes.

“It’s just one steer at a time,” the 26-year-old bulldogger adds. “That’s all you can do. … You start thinking too far in the future or past and you’ll break down.”

Team roper Charly Crawford, also of Prineville, seems poised for a seventh trip to the NFR. Partnering with Ryan Motes, of Weatherford, Texas, Crawford, 35, is eighth in the team roping (headers) world standings with $36,651.

“It’s a marathon out here,” Santucci says about the grueling 11-month pro rodeo regular season. “It’s not a sprint. You’ve got to keep your nose to the grindstone, ride out the waves, and hope a guy has put in the effort.”

2013 PRCA world standings

2013 PRCA world standings

(Leaders and Central Oregonians in contention for National Finals Rodeo berths)

Bareback

1, Kaycee Field, Payson, Utah, $65,032

3, Bobby Mote, Culver, $57,062

10, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, $39,419

20, Steven Peebles, Redmond, $24,012

Team roping (headers)

1, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., $59,856

8, Charly Crawford, Prineville, $36,651

Steer wrestling

1, Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., $52,537

19, Sean Santucci, Prineville, $23,367

2013 WPRA world standings

(Leaders and Central Oregonians in contention for National Finals Rodeo berths)

Barrel racing

1, Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., $70,026.47

8, Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, $44,562.27

(Leaders and Central Oregonians in contention for National Finals Rodeo berths)

Bareback

1, Kaycee Feild, Payson, Utah, $65,032

3, Bobby Mote, Culver, $57,062

10, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, $39,419

20, Steven Peebles, Redmond, $24,012

Team roping (headers)

1, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., $59,856

8, Charly Crawford, Prineville, $36,651

Steer wrestling

1, Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., $52,537

19, Sean Santucci, Prineville, $23,367

2013 WPRA world standings

(Leaders and Central Oregonians in contention for National Finals Rodeo berths)

Barrel racing

1, Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., $70,026.47

8, Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, $44,562.27