PRORODEO Sports News - July 2, 2026

GUS GAILLARD’S 92.5-POINT RIDE SECURES JORDAN XTREME BRONC TITLE

G us Gaillard delivered the high est-marked ride of his career to win the Jordan (Mont.) Xtreme Bronc, one of the premier stops in the Rank 45 Xtreme Broncs Series, June 21. The victory came against one of the strongest fields on the Xtreme Broncs Tour, including six-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Chase Brooks and 2026 Boot Barn Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals champion Sage Newman, and added another milestone to an already strong season for the reigning Resistol Rookie Sad dle Bronc Rider of the Year. The Morse, Texas, cowboy capi talized on two favorable draws and finished the job aboard J Bar J’s Shady Jacket in the short round. The 92.5-point score surpassed his pre vious career best and secured one of the most coveted titles on the Xtreme Broncs schedule. “That was the highest-marked ride I’d ever had, actually,” Gaillard said. “I’d been 91 here at Jordan last year, and then the last time I had Shady Jacket, I was 88. It dang sure beat my high score on him by quite a bit.” The win, which netted Gaillard $6,858, almost became much hard er to achieve before it ever started. Gaillard and his traveling partners en countered truck trouble on the way to Jordan and scrambled to find a ride to the event. They arrived shortly before BY KENSIE DARST-TODD, SPECIAL TO PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS

the long round began, leaving little time to think about the competition. “I was pretty worried about getting here, honestly,” Gaillard said. “We had some pickup troubles on the way over here and had to call some bud dies and catch rides and we made it right before the long round started.” He drew J Bar J’s Dirty Lizard in the opening round, a horse he knew

well and one he believed gave him the opportunity to advance. “I was super excited,” he said. “I’ve seen that horse a bunch, and he’s been around forever. A lot of guys have been on it and scored a lot of points on it.” Before the short round, Gaillard and his traveling partner, Newman, joked about which horses they expected to

40 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE July 2, 2026