Eli Lord rewrote the Gooding record books with a 3.1 second steer wrestling run, while some of rodeo's biggest names battled for the titles in Idaho.
The Gooding Pro Rodeo had a little bit of everything this year. When you take a look at these results, you see just how tough it was with a record breaking run, many major names at the top of the leaderboard, and big checks that mean a lot this late in the season.
Eli Lord may have stolen the spotlight with his 3.1 second steer wrestling run, but he was the only one of Gooding's nine event champions who has not yet competed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Seven others already know what it feels like to walk into Las Vegas in the top 15 in the world, and Lord is on the bubble to make 2026 the year he gets that experience himself.
That made the results in Gooding one worth paying attention to as the 2026 regular season continues to wind down. The rodeo brought together contestants at very different points in their careers, from world champions and longtime NFR qualifiers to those who are still chasing their first trip to the Thomas & Mack.
Eli Lord's Record Breaking Run
For Eli Lord, the 3.1 second run at Gooding was a huge win. The 32 year old from Sturgis, South Dakota, has been chasing a Wrangler NFR qualification for several years now, getting close without quite breaking into those top 15 that qualify. He has finished inside the top 30 in the world in each of the last two seasons, but the jump into the top 15 has continued to be just out of reach.
That is what made the timing of his Gooding win so important. Now, Lord is sitting No. 18 in the PRCA World Standings, less than $10,000 behind the current top 15 cutoff. With a little more than a month left in the regular season, he has put himself in a position where one or two big checks could completely change the end of his season.
Lord's run not only won the steer wrestling at Gooding, it broke the arena record that had been held for over 40 years. This was another big accomplishment for a guy who has had an impressive career already. He has more than half a million dollars in career earnings and has built his reputation as an all around cowboy, competing most notably in both steer wrestling and team roping.
Gooding was not his first big win of the summer, either. Earlier in July, Lord won the steer wrestling at Spanish Fork, Utah. In August, he won the average at Lovington, New Mexico, after placing in the first round and collected more than $8,000 from the rodeo. He has continued to put himself in the money, including in Tremonton, Utah where he currently is sitting second with a 3.9 second run.
What Lord gets done, as well as the rest of the talented field, within the next month could determine whether he finally gets to take that momentum he has built all the way to Las Vegas.
Familiar Names
Eli easily took the headlines with that record breaking run, but many other big names dominated while in Gooding too.
In the bareback riding, Leighton Berry took the win after scoring 91 points on Summit Pro Rodeo's Game Trail. The Weatherford, Texas cowboy is sitting number 7 in the world and looking to qualify to his 5th NFR in 2026. Wins like this is exactly what it takes and we have seen Berry score big time and time again.
The team roping was wicked per usual. Coming out on top was Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira with a 4.1 second run. This big win launched them back to familiar territory, number 1 in the world. They have already won 2 World Titles together, and are looking to make that 3 this year.
In the breakaway roping, Macy Young was a 2.1 to get the win. Macy is in the top 25 in the world right now. It is a tight race, but with a late season surge, she could still end up back at the NFBR this year if the cards play just right. A couple more big wins like here in Gooding, and she'll be right in the mix of things,
No one was better in the saddle bronc riding then Ben Andersen who was 88 points on Summit Pro Rodeo's Cowboy Fool. Anderson is on the bubble right now fighting to get into that top 15 once again. Gooding helped his cause, but there are a lot of talented guys sitting in the 12-18 area right now that could shake things up with the month of rodeos remaining.
Just to cushion his World Standings lead a little more, Riley Webb was 7.5 to claim the Gooding Idaho title. He won the rodeo by almost a second with Tom Crouse being second with an 8.4. Webb is nearing the $300,000 mark on the season, and is setting himself up well for a 4th consecutive World Championship this year.
By over a tenth of a second, Carlee Otero got the win with a 16.54. Otero is sitting number 2 in the WPRA World Standings right now and is gaining ground on world number 1 Hayle Gibson Stillwell. Otero has been cashing checks very consistently and has just under $180,000 won on the 2026 season.
In the bull riding, it took a 90 point ride to claim the title. The man to get it done is the 2025 PBR rookie of the year and 2025 NFR qualifier, Hudson Bolton. Bolton was 90 on Summit Pro Rodeo's Howdy Rowdy to add around $8,000 to his year. This win pushed him over the $200,000 mark where he currently sits number 4 in the PRCA World Standings.
The stories just kept unfolding in Gooding, and the roster was very stacked. Only the best of the best took home the title there this year. It will be fun to watch how these wins help many of these guys chase a gold buckle this December.
