ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2022

PRORODEO PAYDAY

PRCA Contestants eye Cowboy Christmas Run Full of Riches Clay Guardipee photo Caleb Bennett was the top roughstock money earner during last year’s Cowboy Christmas run, earning $20,264 during the nine days of rodeo.

BY TANNER BARTH T here’s nothing quite like it in all of sports. That’s what makes the Cowboy Christmas run over the Fourth of July so special for ProRodeo contestants. It’s nine days of non-stop rodeo action with more money up for grabs than ever before. Caleb Bennett has been through plenty of Fourth of July runs. This season will be his 16th run over the holiday week and last year proved to be one of his most fruitful. Bennett was the top roughstock money earner over Cowboy Christmas in 2021. He earned $20,264 during that stretch, propelling him to his ninthWrangler National Finals Rodeo. He said it’s all about getting off to a strong start and riding the momentum. “It’s huge in the sport of rodeo if you can get the ball rolling, whether it’s over the Fourth or just throughout the year,” said Bennett, 33. “If you’re able to keep it rolling is the key. Shoot last year it all kind of kicked off at Prescott (Ariz.) for me.

“One of the biggest things about carrying momentum on is once you get rolling if you’re still good mentally and physically it almost doesn’t matter what you draw it feels like things will go your way.”

The win in Prescott proved to light Bennett’s fire. After that performance he went on to pick up wins at the Killdeer (N.D.) Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo and the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede. The latter came after a 91.5-point ride on one of the sports best horses in Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire. As of June 14, Bennett sits 13th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $38,923. Bennett was forced to miss nearly two months of action in mid-April after suffering an elbow injury, but back healthy now, the ProRodeo veteran hopes the 2022 Cowboy Christmas will deliver similar gifts. “I’m fixing to head out ( June 14) to really get rocking and rolling with rodeo and I’ve never felt as good as I do right now,” he said. “I’m probably more rested than about 90 percent of the guys who have been going down the road all year long.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/24/2022

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