Benette Little has had an outstanding start to the 2012 ProRodeo season.

Little, a 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, won five rodeos to kick-start the campaign, including the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo. She held the lead in the WPRA’s ProRodeo world standings until Brittany Pozzi took over the top spot with Pozzi’s win in Denver.

But Little, who used the last name Barrington until recently, is well on her way to moving back to No. 1. She is leading the second go-round of barrel racing at the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show Rodeo and finished third in the opening round. More importantly, she leads the two-run average with a cumulative time of 32.99 seconds – Kaley Bass sits second in the aggregate at 33.36.

That’s a pretty big lead for Little, who already has collected $3,250 in Fort Worth. She trails Pozzi by just $124 in this week’s world standings, so it’s not exactly a long shot to give Little the advantage.

Besides, it’s a lot of fun keeping up with something this special.