ProRodeo Sports News | 2020 Year-End Edition | Dec.18, 2020

XTREME BRONCS TOUR RECAP

BY TRACY RENCK T ransitioning into ProRodeo and making a living is a difficult task for most cowboys. Ryder Wright isn’t most cowboys. The Beaver, Utah, saddle bronc rider has won more than $1 million since getting his PRCA card in 2016, highlighted by his 2017 world championship. And the winning hasn’t stopped. Wright won the second annual Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale title in Rapid City, S.D., Aug. 28. “This is great,” Wright said. “They always bring good horses to this event. It’s not just one stock contractor. It’s a few stock contractors who bring up all their best stock. It makes for some good watching. Most of these horses are NFR horses. I welcome the challenge an event like this presents.” Wright won the two-head average with 177.5 points, edging Brody Cress by a half point. Cress split the 2019 Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale championship a year ago with Wade Sundell. Wright earned $16,923 for his performance. “This is an event you want to show up at and show out at because of the money and the guys here,” saidWright, 22. “These are the top guys you’re trying to beat in the standings. This feels awesome. It’s great to have a bronc riding event that pays like this.” The top 12 saddle bronc riders in the world standings and the top 12 in the Xtreme Broncs standings qualified for the finale. Ryder Wright adds Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale win to résumé Box Checker

Ryder Wright’s near-record ride at the Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale in Rapid City, S.D., added to another fine season for the Beaver, Utah, cowboy. Clay Guardipee photo

horse’s name from a bucket during the draw before the finals. Wright’s ride was a half point off the event record. Wade Sundell had a 92-point ride on Burch Rodeo’s Lunatic FromHell in the final round of the 2019 inaugural event. “That was the first time I’ve been on that horse,” Wright said. “That horse was super flashy. It’s the type of horse that all bronc riders like. I was happy to draw her and to get on her. “She was better than I thought she was going to be. That horse is honest as the day is long. If you do your part, you know you’re going to win some money.”

Wright put his Rapid City win in motion with an 86-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo & PhenomGenetics’ Outlaw Tunes in the first round. “That was an awesome horse,” Wright said. “I’ve seen that horse the past couple of years and wanted to get on him since the first time I saw him. The horse was as good as I imagined. I had a lot of confidence (after winning in Tremonton, Utah). It’s important to have confidence in yourself and your equipment." The top eight after the first round advanced to the finals. Wright topped all comers with his 91.5-point trip – the top score of the event – on Sutton Rodeos’ South Point, a perennial NFR selection. Wright picked the standout

ProRodeo Sports News 12/18/2020

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