All-Around Champion Looking Good at San Antonio Rodeo

By Susan Kanode

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo has been good enough to Stetson Wright that he might want to invest in some real estate in the area.

Wright of Milford, Utah is the reigning world champion all-around cowboy. He competes in saddle bronc riding and bull riding and was the first contestant to win rodeo’s most prestigious buckle that competed in the riding events since Ty Murray won his last one in 1998.

Last year, Wright had most of his success in the bull riding qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and finishing third in the world standings. He was close to qualifying in both events but finished 21st in the saddle bronc riding. The top 15 at the end of the season make the trip to Las Vegas in December to compete at rodeo’s championships.

This year, Wright is hoping to be in Las Vegas in both of his events and with the success he is having in San Antonio, there is little doubt that he will accomplish that goal. He advanced to the Semifinals in both events and competed in the first set in saddle bronc riding, then will ride bulls in the second set.

On Monday night, he got the win with an 87.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Wild Cherry. That added $5,000 to his earnings in the AT&T arena and he now is at the top of the leaderboard in saddle bronc riding with $9,750. He can add to that on Tuesday night and is looking very good for a Finals qualification in that event.

Tuf Cooper is also looking good for a Finals qualification in the tie-down roping. Cooper, of Decatur, Texas, split the win with Monty Lewis of Hereford, Texas, on Monday night. They each added $4,500 to their earnings bringing Cooper up to $11,500. He is the most successful contestant in Semifinals 1 so far.

Contestants in Semifinals 1 have their second round on Tuesday night beginning at 7 p.m. At the conclusion of that rodeo, the top five money earners will make their plans to be back here on Saturday to compete for the championships and the biggest payday yet.

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The following are unofficial results from the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo, the 14-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year. Complete results are at www.sarodeo.com.

Semifinals 1, Round 1 followed by money leaders –

Bareback Riding: 1, Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 89 points on J Bar J’s Blessed Day, $5,000. 2, Jesse Pope, Marshall, Mo., 88, $4,000. 3, (tie) Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., and Leighton Berry, weatherford, Texas, 87 points and $2,000 each. (total money) 1, Breuer, $7,500. 2, Mason Clements, Draper, Utah, $7,000. 3, Jesse Pope, Marshall, Mo., $6,500. 4, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., $6,000.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Bridger Anderson, Carrington, N.D., 4.1 seconds, $5,000. 2, Jacob Edler, State Center, Iowa, 4.2, $4,000. 3, Aaron Vosler, Laramie, Wyo., 4.4, $2,500. 4, Juan Alcazar Jr., Okeechobee, Fla., 8.7, $1,500. (total money) 1, Anderson, $8,125. 2, Edler, $8,000. 3, (tie) Vosler, and Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., $5,000 each.

Team Roping: 1, Charly Crawford, Stephenville, Texas, and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M., 4.2 seconds, $5,000. 2, Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 4.5, $4,000. 3, Jeff Flinniken, Caldwell, Idaho and Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark., 5.1, $2,500. 4, Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn., and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 6.9, $1,500. (total money) 1, Crawford and Medlin, $8,875. 2, Snow and Eaves, $7,000. 3, (tie) Flenniken and Worley; and Masters and Thorp, $6,500 each.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 87.5 points on Calgary Stampede’s Wild Cherry, $5,000. 2, Wyatt Casper, Pampa, Texas, 87, $4,000. 3, Lane Schuelke, Newell, S.D., 81.5, $5,625. 4, (tie) Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., and Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D., 81, $750. (total money) 1, Wright, $9,750. 2, Casper, $7,750. 3, Garrett, $7,517. 4, Schuelke, $5,625.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, (tie) Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, and Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas, 8.0 seconds and $4,500 each. 3, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 8.6, $2,500. 4, Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, 9.6, $1,500. (total money) 1, Cooper, $11,500. 2, Lewis, $6,500. 3, Smidt, $5,125. 4, Solomon, $5,000.

Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Kathy Grimes, Medical Lake, Wash., 14.05 seconds, $5,000. 2, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 14.11, $4,000. 3, Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn., 14.15, $2,500. 4, Brittney Barnett, Stephenville, Texas, 14.32, $1,500. (total money) 1, Grimes, $8,500. 2, Taylor, $7,000. 3, Smith, $6,875. 4, Barnett, $6,000.

Bull Riding: 1, J.T. Moore, Alvin, Texas, 91 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Grey Wolf, $5,000. 2, J.W. Harris, Goldthwaite, Texas, 88, $4,000. 3, Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho, 86, $2,500. 4, Jordan Hansen, Ponoka, Alberta, 81, $1,500. (total money) 1, Harris, $8,750. 2, Moore and Hansen, $7,750 each. 4, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, $5,500.

About the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo:
Established in 1949, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, winner of the PRCA Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year for an unprecedented 14 consecutive times, has grown to be one of the largest and most prestigious single events in the city, with nearly 2 million visitors entering the grounds each year. The success of the organization is attributed to over 6,000 volunteers who give countless hours to the organization. With community, donor and volunteer support, the organization has donated over $210 million to the youth of Texas through scholarships, grants, endowments, auctions, a calf scramble program and show premiums. For more information, visit sarodeo.com.