The Wild Card round at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo was exactly what it promised to be as the final chance for contestants to advance.
The contestant roster for the semi finals at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is complete. 7 brackets of semi finals, and last nights Wild Card round has set the pace for an exciting completion of one of the biggest winter rodeos in the country.
Made for competitors who finished third in their original progressive brackets, the Wild Card offers just two semifinal spots per event. The Wild card rounds always get super tough because it is the final opportunity for these athletes to advance. Fast time and high scores are the standard.
Bareback riding started the night off with a big ride from Orin Larsen, the Canadian cowboy and 9 time NFR qulaifier who led the round with an 87-point ride aboard Calgary Stampede’s Forgetful Nelly. Second place ended in a tie at 85 points between R.C. Landingham and Nick Pelke. Pelke, the reigning Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo champion, won the tie-breaker and advanced.
Stetson Jorgensen topped the round in the steer wrestling with a 4.1-second run. Following closely behind was Boyd Sawyer at 4.3 seconds. Both advanced to the semifinals.
Team roping had a tough round. Not many teams made clean runs. But Clay Tryan and Whip Peterson took advantage of the opportunity, stopping the clock in 4.0 seconds to lead the round. Jr. Dees and Landen Glenn finished second to also move on.
Breakaway roping got super fast. The first lady out was Rylee George, the reining NFBR average champ. George set the tone immediately, with a clean 1.8 second run. The time held up and secured her a semifinal spot. Jill Tanner came in second with a 2.3-second run to claim her semi finals spot as well.
Ben Andersen led the Wild Card in the saddle bronc with an 87-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Yesterday’s Delivery. Second place ended in a tie between Brody Cress and Logan Hay at 85.5 points. Logan Hay would win the tie breaker based on previous round scores.
In the tie-down roping we saw the fastest time of the entire rodeo so far when Marty Yates stopped the clock in 7.5 seconds, just one-tenth off the arena record. Blane Cox followed with a 9.8-second run to earn the second semifinal spot.
Barrel racing saw Katelyn Scott and the amazing Peanut Seed lead the way with a 16.22-second run. Acey Pinkston clocked a 16.34 to advance alongside Scott.
Bull riding closed out the Wild Card round with Colton Coffman on top after an 85-point ride aboard Rafter G’s James Brown. Riley Shippy followed with an 84.5-point ride to secure the final spot into the semifinals.
By the end of the Wild Card, the semifinal field was complete. This round always rewards those who can deliver when the door was nearly closed.
It all comes down to the last three nights in Fort Worth. Two semi final rounds taking the top 4 to Championship Saturday night.