ProRodeo sporst News - October 15, 2021

PRORODEO MARKS

2021 regular season was world-record setting

Stetson Wright acknowledges the crowd at the Nephi (Utah) Xtreme Bulls in September. Wright had a record-setting season in the all-around race. Steve Gray photo

RECORDS TIED/ BROKEN IN 2021 SEASON EARNINGS IN THE ALL AROUND $320,482, Stetson Wright, 2021. Previous Record: $218,852, Trevor Brazile in 2015 SEASON EARNINGS FOR STEER ROPING $104,516, Cole Patterson, 2021. Previous Record: $89,427, Tuf Cooper in 2018 HIGHEST-SCORED RIDES Bareback Riding 94 points, Tim O’Connell on Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire in Weatherford, Texas. Previous Record: 94 points held by five riders (Wes Stevenson, Will Lowe, Ryan Gray, Tilden Hooper, and Tim O’Connell) Saddle Bronc Riding 95 points, Dawson Hay on Calgary Stampede’s Wild Cherry in Pollockville, Alberta. Previous Record: 95 points held by Doug Vold (Franklin’s Transport in Meadow Lake, Sask., in 1979) and Glen O’Neill (Franklin’s Airwolf in Innisfail, Alberta, in 1996) FASTEST TIMES Team Roping 3.3 seconds by Clay Smith and Jade Corkill in San Antonio, Texas, and Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves in Oakley, Utah. Previous Record: 3.3 seconds by Chad Masters/ Jade Corkill (Wrangler NFR 2009), Brock Hanson/Ryan Motes (Nacogdoches 2012) and Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira (Wrangler NFR 2017).

BY JOLEE JORDAN Special to ProRodeo Sports News I t’s sometimes easy to forget StetsonWright is only in his third season as a professional. Just 22 years old, the Milford, Utah, phenom has already collected three PRCA world titles, two in the all- around and one in bull riding. In two seasons, Wright had already sprinkled his name into ProRodeo’ s record books but he added more accolades in 2021. Wright broke the regular season all-around earnings record held by the King of the Cowboys, and the record books, Trevor Brazile. During a magical 2015 campaign, Brazile earned $218,852. Competing in saddle bronc riding and bull riding, Wright passed that mark in early September, eventually landing at $320,482. Wright finished the regular season ranked first in saddle bronc riding and second in bull riding. “I set out to break as many records as I can every year,” Wright said, “but the end goal is to win world titles. Ever since I was a little kid, all I dreamed of was winning the world.” Wright gives credit to his father, PRCAWorld Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Cody Wright, who handles all his entering, navigating the challenges of entering rodeos as well as Xtreme Broncs and Bulls events, which don’t count for all-around standings but put more than $63,000 inWright’s pockets this year. “All of it was my dad, I don’t take part in it, I just rodeo,” Wright said with a chuckle. “This year was hard (getting entered) I only got to about 50 rodeos in both events where in the past I’d go to 75 to 100.” Despite fewer rodeos and missing the bull riding at

Season Records OF

Joe Duty photo Bobby Steiner, left, bareback rider Tim O’Connell, and Sid Steiner share a moment after O’Connell tied the world record with a 94-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire at the Riggin Rally Xtreme Broncs in Weatherford, Texas, April 3.

the $1 million ProRodeo Tour Finale in Salinas, Wright set the bar nearly $100,000 higher than it had been and is just under $200,000 from Brazile’s all-time single season earnings record of $518,011. Wright set a record for Wrangler National Finals Rodeo earnings in 2020 after earning an astounding $313,898 for 20 head of livestock. That feat coupled with the increase in purse at the Wrangler NFR begs the question of just how high the record could go come December? Wright was amongst a handful of cowboys who broke and tied world records during an eventful season including steer roper Cole Patterson, bareback rider TimO’Connell, saddle bronc rider Dawson Hay and team ropers Clay Smith, Jade Corkill, Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves. Patterson shattered the existing record for regular season earnings. He heads to his third National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) ranked first in the World after picking up $104,516 during the regular season, nearly $40,000 ahead of second place Vin Fisher Jr. Patterson orchestrated his record-breaking season with eight victories including Cheyenne Frontier Days for $15,276 and the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping for $10,785 in Torrington, Wyo. High scores and fast times also characterized the season. Three-time PRCAWorld Champion Bareback Rider O’Connell tied the record for highest marked bareback ride when he took Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire to 94 points at the Riggin Rally inWeatherford, Texas, in April. O’Connell already held a share of the record from last year along with Wes Stevenson, Will Lowe, Ryan Gray and Tilden Hooper. While the bareback record has been equaled recently, in the saddle bronc

riding, it’s been since 1996 when Glen O’Neill matched the record held by Doug Vold at 95 points. Ironically, it took the match up of Canadian horse and Canadian bronc rider to match the record again, 25 years later. The Calgary Stampede’s Wild Cherry is known for high-scored rides and spectacular buck-offs, and she delivered the former when Dawson Hay picked her to be his dancing partner for the finals at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville, Alberta, in July. After a furious finish to the season including winning the Xtreme Broncs Tour title, and his marriage in early October, Hay was finally able to sit back and reflect upon the accomplishment. “It took a couple of weeks before it really sunk in,” Hay said. “It’s been an amazing year and I’ve really been blessed both with my health and with drawing great horses like Wild Cherry. “It was just the perfect spot – it’s the biggest bronc match north of the border,” he said. “The horses were all bucking like crazy. “It was an incredible night, and the energy was just insane.” Two teams tied the record for the fastest team roping run ever this season. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill stopped the clock in 3.3 seconds during the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo; like O’Connell, Corkill already owned a share of the record, a feat he accomplished with Chad Masters in 2009 at the Wrangler NFR. Several months later, world leader Dustin Egusquiza spun one just as fast for partner Travis Graves in Oakley, Utah. In addition to Masters and Corkill, Brock Hanson and Ryan Motes along with Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira share the record.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/15/2021

ProRodeo Sports News 10/15/2021

ProRodeo.com

ProRodeo.com

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