PRORODEO Sports News - October 4, 2024

CINCH PLAYOFFS GOVERNOR’S CUP

Pope stays hot with win

Jess Pope didn’t have the best start at the Cinch Playoff Governor’s Cup. The 25-year-old bareback rider opened the weekend on Sept. 26 with a 79.5-point ride to finish 11th in the first round. But instead of looking out of the rearview mirror, he turned his attention to the windshield and got on his next horse. Pope won the second round, finished fourth in the semifinals and went on to win $30,000 and the top spot in the finals. “It’s really easy this time of year to get to looking at numbers and crunching numbers really hard to become a freaking nutcase,” Pope said. “I definitely was one, but I knew the right people to talk to, and it kept me looking out of the windshield and not the rearview. And it sure worked out.” Pope tied for the top spot in Round 2 with Rocker Steiner. Pope paired with Burch Rodeo Company’s Hells Fire for 86.5 points and $9,625.

In the finals, Pope matched Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven for an 88.5-point ride. “I’ve seen people win a lot of money on (Lunatic Heaven) and didn’t really know what to expect,” he said of his draw for the finals. “But it dang sure caught me there at the end. I was trying as hard as I could to win. If I had to ride for three more seconds, I was probably going to be messed up bad.” Pope’s $39,625 weekend put him squarely in the chase for a world title, entering the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge. “It’s truly a blessing,” he said. “This has been one of the hardest years of rodeo that I’ve ever had. Starting off, I just couldn’t draw the ones that I needed to, and there are so many good guys riding. “July was really discouraging, and everything really turned around once I got to August. “This is by far the best fall that I’ve ever had.”

2022 PRCA World

Champion Jess Pope is back in the Top 15 after winning the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup with this 88.5-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven. Hailey Rae photo

Win caps Sellars’ season

Ryder Wright has made a living making high-pressure rides in his nine-year PRORODEO career. The two-time PRCA World Champion was up for the task yet again at the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., to end the regular season. Wright advanced to the eight-man round on Championship Saturday after posting 166 points on two head in the first two go-rounds. With his ninth trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge already locked up, Wright let it all hang out on the final day. Wright leaves mark on Cinch Playoffs

It’s been nearly four years since bull rider Clayton Sellars last competed inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge. That hiatus is coming to an end thanks in part to his success at the Cinch Playoff Governor’s Cup at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Wildwood, Fla., native rode three out of the four bulls he matched up against at the event. The highlight of his weekend came during the Final-Four championship round. Sellars went head-to-head with Burch Rodeo’s Cookies and Cream for 88.5 points. It was a bull he didn’t have much intel on headed into the ride. “I have never been on that bull before,” said Sellars, a three time NFR qualifier. “But a cute little muley in the four-man for $30,000, c’mon it doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.” In 2023, Sellars didn’t have much success at the Governor’s Cup, getting bucked off both bulls he climbed on. The 26-year old flipped the narrative this time around. “Last year I didn’t do very well here in Sioux Falls, but now I love this place,” Sellars laughed. His three rides resulted in a $30,000 payout, bumping him up to fifth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings. He will now turn his focus to preparing for the NFR. Sellars said he will have a different approach to the 10 nights in Las Vegas this time around. “I’m super excited to go back. I feel like this is the first time I’m going to the NFR as an adult, and I know what I’m doing,” Sellars said. “I’m ready to see what I can do in Las Vegas at my best and what I can do with a plan in place. “This year, I’m really going to focus on practice. In the past, I didn’t really do much to prepare because I was young and didn’t really have a plan. We have some good practice bulls, so we are going to do a lot of riding on them leading up to the NFR.”

Hailey Rae photo Ryder Wright put together a picture perfect 88-point ride on Sutton Rodeos’ South Point to win the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup.

In Sioux Falls, Wright added $38,250 to 2024 season earnings, bumping him up to second in the PRCA | RAM World Standings headed into Las Vegas. Wright said the money will help cover expensive during the rodeo break, but it’s more about riding the momentum into the Thomas & Mack Center in December. “This is an awesome event. We are going to be out of work here for a couple months,” Wright said. “So, this will be a nice payday to have as we end the regular season. I plan to keep things rolling. We will go to New Town, N.D., in early October for the first bronc match of the year. So, I’ll hopefully just keep the ball rolling until the Finals. Then we will see what happens in Vegas.”

He advanced out of the semifinals in the No. 2 spot after an 87.5-point trip on Powder River Rodeo’s Double Take. That set the stage for the Final Four showdown with a $30,000 payday on the line. Wright and Sutton Rodeos’ South Point tangoed for an 88.5-point ride to take the top spot and the win. He knew the opportunity was right there for the taking once he saw the draw next to his name. “I was super pumped to have that horse,” said Wright, 26. “They won it on her here last year. That horse is always a contender for first place. If you just go out and do your part, it usually ends up good. So, I was super stoked to have her name next to mine in the finals.”

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Clay Guardipee Clayton Sellars capped off his 2024 season by picking up the victory in Sioux Falls. Sellars had an 88-point ride on Buch Rodeo Company’s Cookie & Cream in the Final-Four round.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/4/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 10/4/2024

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