ProRodeo Sports News - Sept.15, 2023

ELLENSBURG, WASH.

XTREME BULLS

Stetson Wright breaks out of funk with big X-Bulls win BY ALEX RILEY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News S ince July 22, Stetson Wright’s success can best be described as piecemeal. In Utah, at the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Xtreme Bulls event back in late July, the Milford, Utah, cowboy picked up the victory and nearly $12,000 after posting a 90-point ride to win the event. Since then, his outcomes had been less than desirable. Over a span of 10 rodeos, Wright won about $6,700, placing no higher than second while getting bucked off six times. The seven-time world champion knows momentum can be very fickle this time of year – and it can swing back in your favor very quickly. Which is exactly what happened in Ellensburg, Wash. Wright’s 91-point effort won the Ellensburg Xtreme Bulls short-go and helped him capture the average title with a combined score of 178.5 on two head. Coupled with his third-place finish of 87.5 points on Wayne Vold Rodeo’s Wolf Bait in the opening round, the Xtreme Bulls competition in Ellensburg was worth more than $30,000. “I was ready for something big to happen. It seems like I’ve just been nickeling and diming them all year,” Wright said. “This was the first big win that I’ve had in a while and it’s pretty special.” Wright knew he had a good chance at busting his slump in Washington based solely on the draw. During Round 8 of the 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Ky Hamilton, Wright’s travel partner, rode Dakota Rodeo bull Bubba G to a 90-point effort, good enough to tie for first in the round. After seeing what his fellow competitor could accomplish on the bull, Wright was itching to find their names together on a pairing sheet. It turned out to be a long but worthwhile wait. Wright has made the short-go in Ellensburg at every Xtreme Bulls event he’s taken part in, but has always been bucked off in the final ride to come up just short. That changed on Sept. 2. While he still has a stranglehold on the lead in the all-round standings and is sitting atop in the saddle bronc ranks, his lead in the PRCA | RAM World Bull Riding Standings had dipped approximately $20,000 prior to the much-needed victory. The Ellensburg Xtreme Bulls event was one piece of his success in Washington. Wright came back to ride in the short go at the Ellensburg Rodeo for both the saddle bronc and bull riding events. He won the final round and the average in saddle bronc, while placing third in the final round and second in the average for bull riding. In all, Wright’s trip to Ellensburg was worth more than $45,000 in earnings. The money provides the reigning world bull riding champion with a little more comfort as the regular season draws to a close. Even more crucial, it gets him back on a winning path, something equally vital this time of year. “It’s super important. This is kind of where I really hit my groove last year also and finished the season on a hot streak,” Wright said. “I feel like if you can ride the heater through the end of the summer into the NFR with it, you just keep on going. That’s the way I’m feeling right now.” Wright on Time

Roseanna Sales photo Stetson Wright wouldn’t be denied at the Ellensburg Division 1 Xtreme Bulls. He captured the average title with 178.5 points on two head.

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ProRodeo Sports News 9/15/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 9/15/2023

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