ProRodeo Sports News - March 31, 2023

RODEO AUSTIN

James Phifer photo

Stetson Wright acknowledges the sellout crowd at Rodeo Austin after winning the saddle bronc riding crown.

Stetson Wright wins Rodeo Austin saddle bronc riding During his ProRodeo career, Stetson Wright has made things look easy. At the age of 23, he has already won seven PRCA World Championships – four in all-around (2019-22), two in bull riding (2020 and 2022) and one in saddle bronc riding in 2021. The Milford, Utah, star had his magic on display again at Rodeo Wright collected $9,870 for his finals winning ride and ended the night second in the saddle bronc riding in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $90,148. He left Austin after earning $17,839 in just saddle bronc riding. Wright was the last rider out in the eight-man finals and was trying to break a logjam as Wyatt Casper, Tanner Butner, Q Taylor, and Zeke Thurston were all tied atop the leaderboard with 88-point rides.

Austin, winning the finals in saddle bronc riding with a 90-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s Brutus before a sellout crowd of 6,500 at the Travis County Expo Center. “I placed on Brutus at the NFR in 2021, but every time before that horse had bucked me off pretty hard,” said Wright, who was second on Brutus in Round 3 of the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with an 89.5-point trip. “The ride was wild. That horse is super strong and shoots ahead and hits your chin almost every jump. You just have to keep moving your feet or else you will buck off.”

“There was a lot going through my mind, especially because those guys all had such good rides,” Wright said. “But I knew that Sammy (Andrews) brought me a horse that I could win on. I just knew if I did my job, I could be first.” Wright acknowledged he has been fighting through a left ankle injury that he suffered Feb. 10, while riding a bull at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. “It has been an ongoing battle,” Wright said.

ProRodeo Sports News 3/31/2023

ProRodeo.com

40