After a week of exciting competition, the World's Oldest Rodeo has left many athletes with smiling faces and full pockets, handing out nearly $350,000 in total payouts.
The World’s Oldest Rodeo has officially concluded its 139th year of operation. The scores are posted, and the checks are cashed, resulting in an impressive list of winners. Some of rodeo’s biggest names traveled from far and wide to compete in this historical event, creating a truly memorable year as the small town of Prescott, Arizona, celebrated both its own history and the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The results from each of the events were exciting and unique in their own way, each one writing its own unique story.
Bareback Riding
The bareback riding section of the rodeo started out as a close competition, with Ben Cramer taking the lead on the fourth night of the event with an 84-pount ride on Fresno. This ride held the lead for the remainder of the week, and it looked as though he had the event win secured.
That is, until Luke Thrash entered the bucking chutes. On the very last night of the event, this Texas cowboy secured a major ride, scoring an impressive 87-point ride on Good Girl. This was easily the highest-scoring ride of the event, meaning that Thrash left the arena a champion with an extra $7,000 in his pocket. Luke currently holds the place of No. 9 bareback rider in the world and holds a good chance of climbing the charts as the season progresses.
Saddle Bronc Riding
87 points seemed to be a favorite among the bronc riders at the World’s Oldest Rodeo as four riders split the event win, each with a score of 87 points. The four riders in question are Allen Boore, Spencer Wright, Cash Wilson, and Ross Griffin. Each of these riders have been steadily climbing the PRCA World Standings, with Spencer Wright currently holding No, 40, Ross Griffin holding No. 33, and Cash Wilson and Allen Boore holding back-to-back positions of No. 20 and No. 19 respectively. Each cowboy walked away from the competition with nearly $5,000 in earnings, adding a good portion to each man’s season earnings. In all, the saddle bronc riding was a close and exciting week of competition that left many riders happy with the outcome. However, as exciting as the bronc riding event were, there was still more to come from the rough stock events.
Bull Riding
An early headline in this section of the World’s Oldest Rodeo was Hudson Bolton’s 88-point ride on the very first night of the event. Now, after an additional week of competition, the headline is quite the same. With only one other rider making a qualified ride – Cade Griego with a 75-point ride – Hudson Bolton has been officially named the event’s champion, taking home nearly $15,000 from a single event thanks to the added ground money from the lack of a qualified ride. The bulls in Arizona tried their best to win the World’s Oldest Rodeo, but thanks to these two skilled riders, the bull riding was the highest-earning section of the rodeo for those who successfully spurred their bulls.
Tie Down Roping
Ran as a 2 head event, one cowboy was able to secure the event win with a composite time of 18.9 seconds; this cowboy was Quade Hiatt. This Texas cowboy currently stands as the No. 14 tie down roper in the world, a qualifying spot for the Wrangler National Finals should he be able to hold his current position.
Team Roping
Also held as a 2 head event, the team roping happily gave the official event win to Clay Smith and Coleby Payne, who had a combined time of just 14 seconds. Overall, this was a great event with only .8 seconds separating the top two teams.
Steer Roping
This event’s winner forges a clear path to his title, putting almost 4 seconds between his 3-head composite time and those in second and third overall. Jake Clay of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, added a little over $2,000 to his season earnings with his composite time of 36.3 seconds across three rounds, a great few runs to have under his belt.
Steer Wrestling
The final male event of the rodeo, steer wrestling also ended with more than one cowboy splitting the title. Darcy Kersh and Seth Peterson both secured a 2 head total time of 10.9 seconds, earning each of them just over $3,000. Seth Peterson is truly a standout name in this event as he seems to keep landing his name in headlines as he advanced in the Calgary stampede, as well as the PRCA standings. At the start of the World’s Oldest Rodeo, Peterson sat in the No. 11 spot, but has now climbed to No. 9 in the world, only further securing the path to his NFR debut.
Breakaway Roping
The female athletes brought their best to the World’s Oldest Rodeo, making a close competition. However, in the end, it was Jordi Edens-Mitchel who secured the event win with a composite time of 5.8 seconds, earning just over $3.400.
Barrel Racing
Truly one of the most closely contested events of the rodeo, the barrel racing was continuously exciting to watch. Christina Gould seemed to reap the rewards of competing in her home state as this cowgirl from Williams, Arizona claimed the title of the event champion, her impressive combined time of 34.64 seconds earning her over $2,500. In all, this was a great event to watch with mere hundredths of a second separating some of the event’s leaders.
Overall, the 139th World’s Oldest Rodeo was an amazing event to watch, and with almost $350,000 in total payouts, many cowboys and cowgirls left this small town in Arizona with a smile on their face and a hefty check in their pocket.
