ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2024

XTREME BRONCS TOUR RECAP

Wyatt Casper rides J Bar J’s Shady Jacket for 87 points to finish second in the final go-round of the PRCA Xtreme Broncs Finals on Aug. 18 in Rapid City, S.D. The trip proved enough to earn him a second-straight event championship. Clay Guardipee photo

Back-to-Back Casper repeats Xtreme Broncs Finals success

BY TANNER BARTH W inning at the highest level is never easy, repeating that success becomes even more difficult. There’s a reason it’s a feat that is rarely achieved, but don’t tell Miami, Texas, saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper that. He put his championship pedigree on full display in Rapid City, S.D., walking away with the coveted PRCA Xtreme Broncs Finals championship for the second straight season. Casper was a model of consistency in front of the sold-out crowd, besting the field of 24 contestants, in the average race with 174 points on two head. “I love Rapid City now,” laughed Casper, a four-time NFR qualifier. “I never dreamt of probably even winning this deal one time, so to win it twice is a dream come true for sure.” Casper was able to punch his ticket to eight-man finals after he put together an 87-point ride on Muddy Creek Pro Rodeo’s Disco Inferno in the first round. At the Xtreme Broncs Finals, each saddle bronc rider that advances to the short-go gets to choose their own horse by random draw in front of the bucking chutes. As one of the highest marked rides of the first round, Casper was one of the first cowboys to select their horse, J Bar J’s Shady Jacket was on the other

side of the card. It’s a matchup he was hesitant about after a rough outing at the beginning of August. “I got on him one time in Jordan, Mont., and had a really good score and rode him good. Then I got on him a couple weeks ago in Sentinel Butte (N.D.), and he kind of made me look silly,” Casper said. “I think I was only 77 points, so there were some mixed emotions drawing him out of the box, but I knew it could be good.” Shady Jacket ended up being the perfect dancing partner for Casper. The duo combined for an 87-point trip, which was enough to push him to the top of the leaderboard. Casper edged out both Allen Boore and Ryder Wright by a half point, with each cowboy scoring 173.5 points on two head. Casper’s 16 seconds of work in South Dakota put $33,044 in his pocket, which marked the most money ever won at a PRCA Xtreme Broncs event. He earned $30,838 in Rapid City with his victory last season. Casper walked away with the Xtreme Broncs year-end title as well earning $58,518 during the regular season. “My goal every year is to go to the NFR in the top 5,” Casper said. “This will dang sure help get me up there where I want to be, and it’ll make the rest of the year a little easier. Now, I’m going to focus on staying healthy and hopefully we will win some more big checks in September.”

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

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