Damian Brennan Secures 4th NFR after Big Duel at the Dunes Win

It came down to the very last bronc and the final dollars of the 2026 PRCA regular season.

Saddle bronc riders Damian Brennan and Ben Andersen spent the last day of the season battling for their spots inside the top 15. Less than $50 separated the two saddle bronc riders heading into the Duel at the Dunes in Roggen, Colorado. 

There was no room to wait for the next rodeo because there simply wasn't a next rodeo for the first time all year. 

Damian Brennan, 3 time NFR qualfier, knew he had to make his money count.

The Australian saddle bronc rider won the Duel at the Dunes with an 85 point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo's Hillbilly Havoc, putting the finishing touches on what turned out to be quite the dramatic push to his fourth consecutive Wrangler NFR appearance.

Brennan entered the Duel at the Dunes with an unofficial lead of less than $50 over Andersen. 2025 Resistol Rookie of the Year Gus Galliard was sitting 14th in the world and less than $3,000 ahead of Brennan.

Three saddle bronc riders were fighting for two spots at the finals. The pressure was there from the beginning, but Brennan didn't change his approach. He opened the rodeo with an 86 point ride on Cervi Brothers' Texas Toast, finishing third in the long round and advancing to the championship round.

Andersen made the short round as well, keeping himself firmly in the fight. Galliard finished seventh in the long round and would not get another chance to add to his season total.

Brennan drew Hillbilly Havoc for the championship round and marked 85 points, good enough to win the rodeo. Andersen followed with an 84 point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo's Avenger to finish second. Suddenly, the standings had changed and both Brennan and Andreson had secured another NFR qualification, pushing Gus Galliard to 16th.

Brennan's unofficial season total climbed to $158,073, putting him 14th in the world. Andersen's total reached $157,993, moving him into 15th place.

Just $80 separates them going into Vegas. An entire season on the road, came down to that last bronc. 

Brennan had missed more than a month of competition late in the season, leaving himself with very little room to make up ground. There were rodeos throughout the year where he felt like he could have gotten more money, but there was no going back now.

He needed to capitalize when the opportunity came in northeastern Colorado.

Brennan now will make his fourth consecutive NFR appearance this December, adding another trip to the Thomas & Mack Center after a regular season that ended with one of the closest races of the year.

The Duel at the Dunes gives roughstock riders one final opportunity to change their position in the world standings before the PRCA regular season closes. Cervi Championship Rodeo brings you the invitational that brings 20 contestants from each roughstock event to Roggen, Colorado, with a $60,000 purse up for grabs. The money earned at the event has historically made the difference in who gets a ticket to Las Vegas.

The rodeo takes place at Rodeo Dunes, the golf course located on land where Cervi Ranch sits, giving the event a setting unlike most stops on the PRCA schedule. After its first year in 2025, the Duel at the Dunes quickly showed why a final day rodeo can matter so much, with the inaugural event paying more than $66,000 and impacting the NFR race. By the time the cowboys arrive in Roggen every year, there is no tomorrow left on the regular season calendar.

1. Rusty Wright
2. Zeke Thurston
3. Stetson Wright
4. Ryder Wright
5. Sage Newman
6. Kade Bruno
7. Brody Wells
8. Wyatt Casper
9. Chase Brooks
10. Waitley Sharon
11. Q Taylor
12. Kolby Wanchuck
13. Statler Wright
14. Damian Brennan
15. Ben Anderson