Jill Ferdina Miller went to work Monday morning and made an announcement.

"I'll be needing more time off,'' the dental hygienist told her understanding boss and co-workers at the office they share in Lewistown.

Miller had to re-adjust her summer rodeo plans after one of the most stunning barrel racing runs in the history of the Cody, Wyo., Stampede on Saturday.

Miller and her horse, Willie B. Rockin', ripped around the barrels last Saturday in 16.87 seconds - a Cody Stampede Fairgrounds record - against a field that included the past two world champions: Brittany Pharr (2007) and Lindsay Sears (2008).

Miller left Wyoming with $8,643 stuffed in her pockets, the third-most won in a single event at Cody.

What made it even more stunning was that it was only her horse's second time at a large rodeo and the first money the two had won in the United States this year.

"I'm just all smiles,'' said Miller, who let loose with peals of laughter throughout the conversation. "I'm very proud of my horse.

"I think it hit me when I was coming out of the arena. The run felt good, but I had no idea it would be that fast.''

Miller hadn't entered the Cody Stampede in more than five years.

"I didn't think I had the horsepower the last few years,'' she said.

Miller started the weekend outside the top 200 of the WPRA world standings. When the dust settled Sunday night and she pulled the pickup truck and trailer into the driveway at home to see husband Ron and son Jordan, she was 60th. Along with winning Cody, she placed third at Livingston for $2,489 and won Drummond Sunday on her horse Chiquita's Cash for another $675.

Miller earned $11,808 during professional rodeo's "Cowboy Christmas,'' the sixth-most by any barrel racer.

"I was kind of running him to season him up for next year,'' Miller said of her primary horse. "It's pretty amazing what he did. I never dreamed at doing this well.

"We ran Livingston during slack, there was no crowd. Cody, there is a huge crowd, lots of commotion. I thought he might come uncorked on me but he was feeling good. It was just his third rodeo … ever.

"Willie, he's just wonderful to be around. He is very athletic and has a great disposition.''

Miller began the season thinking she would compete locally. She has now expanded it regionally and hopes to go nationally.

She purchased the large, athletic six-year-old bay with a white blaze on his head last September from Sue Smith in Blackfoot, Idaho. Miller won $388 at two rodeos on him in Canada earlier in the spring.

"That was the original plan, to make both the Montana Circuit and Canadian Finals this year,'' said Miller.

Her Canadian plans were set aside when her truck broke down and she missed some of the high-paying rodeos north of the border the last couple of weeks. "You need to get to those to make the Canadian Finals,'' she said.

Instead of north, Miller is now shifting her rodeo schedule westward.

The Cody Stampede is part of the Wrangler Gold Tour Schedule. The top 24 in money won on the tour qualify for the Wrangler Playoffs, which begin in mid-September at Puyallup, Wash. The top 12 advance to the Justin Boot Championships in Omaha, Neb., at the end of September. A couple of big paychecks would put her within striking distance of the top 15 necessary to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

"Let's not go that far ahead,'' she warned with another laugh.

Along with her Montana Pro Circuit schedule, Miller is adding Tour rodeos in Hermiston, Ore., Bremerton, Wash., and Ellensburg, Wash., to try and qualify for the playoffs.

"I started thinking about the tour 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning when I had to be to work at 8,'' she said. "This (Cody) was a huge stepping-stone. But one step at a time.

"My goal was to reach the Montana Circuit Finals this year. My dream is to make the National Finals Rodeo.''