ProRodeo Sports News - July 7, 2023

ST. PAUL RODEO

ST. PAUL, ORE.

Wright on Time

Stu Wright breaks record BY JOLEE JORDAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News E ven days later, the excitement is still evident when Stu Wright talks about his first match-up with the 2022 Pendleton Whisky’s Let ‘er Buck Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year Black Tie. He won’t be alone in remembering the ride — the crowd inside the St. Paul, Ore., Rodeo Arena was treated to the highest marked ride in the rodeo’s storied history, a stellar 91.5 point score aboard the Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics bronc that landed Wright the championship and a $12,620 paycheck. “I liked that horse from the first time I saw him,” Wright, 26, noted. That special moment was at the Lewiston (Idaho) Round Up in 2022 when Wright lost out on a win to a rider mounted on the electric bay gelding. “I knew right then that I wanted to get on that horse someday, sometime.” Still, as Wright says, “I didn’t know how special he was” until he took his own ride. Wright is the newest member of his storied family to join the ranks of the PRCA, making the decision in 2022. “I had some injuries,” Wright explained his delay in joining the pro ranks. “The amateur rodeos were great to me, they helped me get where I was going. But I wanted to go compete with my brothers and my nephews and try to be one of the best in the world.” Conversations with big brother, and two-time PRCA World Champ, Cody Wright helped solidify the strategy. “Cody and I talked and he wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into . . . I was 25 years old and had a wife. We talked about how hard it is to be on the road and away from your family,” Wright continued. He married wife Kasidee four years ago and she was all in on his plan to chase his dream. The road was bumpy at first but Wright began to find his stride in the fall, filling his permit and purchasing his rookie card for 2023. Already ranked inside the top 40, Wright’s Fourth of July fireworks were foreshadowed long before he arrived in northwestern Oregon. “We were talking and (nephew) Statler was saying, ‘man I hope I get Black Tie,” Wright joked. Then he read the stock callbacks for St. Paul. “I about jumped out of my chair and strutted out there like a peacock and told him, ‘I have Black Tie.’” Drawing the horse is one thing. Riding him another. After a little jockeying in the chutes, Wright was ready and Black Tie exploded into the arena. “Man, it was a fight,” he said. “He was bailing in the air and it felt like we were catching the sky. And then he dropped out of there the same as how he got there.” The score was Wright’s personal best. “It was probably as hard (to ride) as I have ever had on a horse.” Turned out that was the highlight of an incredible first big Fourth of July run for the rookie. He earned $22,478, placing in five of seven rodeos he entered. Wright jumped to 28th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings and he’s 17th in the Playoff Series standings, a position that could be pivotal for big money opportunities at the end of the season. He also closed to third in a hotly contested rookie race. The road is only getting busier as Wright pursues his dreams. “We have quite a schedule,” he agreed wryly. “(Making the NFR) has always been on my mind. I’d love to see every one of us make it.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER Stu Wright ($12,620, saddle bronc riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Wright

1. Cole Reiner ............................. 88 pts. 2. Jacek Frost ................................. 87.5 3. Sam Peterson ................................ 87 STEER WRESTLING 1. Dirk Tavenner ................ 8.1 sec. on 2 2. Tristan Martin ............................... 8.7 3. Nick Guy ....................................... 9.3 TEAM ROPING 1. Thomas/Green ............... 9.4 sec. on 2 2. R. Richard/J. Buhler ..................... 9.9 3. B. Hall/P. Bray ............................. 10.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Stu Wright ........................... 91.5 pts. 2. (Tie) Tanner Butner ..................... 87.5 (Tie) Isaac Diaz ........................... 87.5 (Tie) Leon Fountain .................... 87.5 TIE DOWN ROPING 1. S. Hanchey .................. 17.3 sec. on 2 2. Chance Thiessen ........................ 17.8 3. (Tie) Shad Mayfield .................... 18.1 (Tie) Joel Harris .......................... 18.1 BARREL RACING 1. Tarryn Lee ......................... 17.13 sec. 2. Ashley Castleberry .................... 17.24 3. Tracy Nowlin ............................. 17.29 BULL RIDING 1. Braden Richardson .............. 90.5 pts. 2. Sage Kimzey .................................. 90 3. (Tie) Grayson Cole ...................... 88.5 (Tie) Junior Souza ...................... 88.5

Complete results/Page 91

Roseanna Sales photo Stu Wright set the arena record at the historic St. Paul Rodeo with a 91.5-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Black Tie. COWBOY CHRISTMAS

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

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