For rodeo cowboys, there is little more exciting than the month of July. The month kicks off with Cowboy Christmas and great rodeos across the country for the Fourth of July. Across the border, the Calgary Stampede plays a key role in who qualifies for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) each year. Adding county and state fair rodeos into the mix, the World Standings see major changes in the heat of the summer run.
Ryder Wright is closing in on his tenth consecutive NFR qualification. With three World Championships and an NFR Average title to his name, 27-year-old Wright is encroaching on $3 million in lifetime earnings.
Capitalizing at some of the top rodeos over Cowboy Christmas, he placed high in Cody, Wyo., Prescott, Ariz., and won Livingston, Mont. With $212,155 in season earnings, he leads the World Standings by $34,000. The current regular season earnings record was set by Damian Brennan in 2024, at $280,035. With 10 weeks left in the regular season, that record could be broken once again.
Dawson Hay seeks his sixth consecutive NFR qualification and with $178,674 in season earnings, he sits No. 2 in the World Standings. A second place finish in the finals at the Calgary Stampede gave him a major boost in recent weeks, as well as Cowboy Christmas checks in Basin City, Wash., Oakley City, Utah, and St. Paul, Ore.
Currently sitting No. 3, Damian Brennan has $143,909 in season earnings. He put on a standout performance over the Fourth Of July, winning checks in St. Paul, Mandan, N.D., Oakley City, Belle Fourche, S.D., and Killdeer, N.D. He added a substantial amount to that total in Calgary, Sheridan, Wyo., and Salinas, Calif.
Zeke Thurston skyrocketed up the standings, with a $50,000 victory in Calgary. Now ranked No. 5 in the World with $139,992 won, the four-time World Championship is well on his way to his 11th NFR qualification.
After a solid Cowboy Christmas, Brody Cress has been on a roll in the month of July. Winning Cody, banking nearly $20,000 in Calgary, and another $20,000 at the NFR Open, he has earned over $50,000 in the last three weeks and is currently No. 8 in the World.
These standings will continue to fluctuate, with so many big payouts on the table over the next few weeks. As the race to the NFR continues to heat up, we will be keeping close tabs on all of the action.
PC: Hillary Maybery