Bareback Rider Cooper Cooke Has Recipe for Success in San Antonio Semifinals
SAN ANTONIO – The spotlight wasn’t too bright for Cooper Cooke.
The Victor, Idaho, cowboy had an 87.5-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Renovo Shady Nights to win the first semifinal round Thursday night at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo at the Frost Bank Center.
“That was awesome,” said Cooke, 21. “When I saw that horse pop up next to my name, I thought I had a good chance (of winning). I had that horse in Fort Worth this year and was 89 (on Jan. 27), so I knew what to expect.
“Rodeos like San Antonio you go out against the top guys in the world and if you keep up against these boys early in the season, it just sets you up for the rest of the year.”
The finals at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo are at 7:30 p.m. (CT), Saturday night and will consist of 11 contestants or teams – 5 from each of the semifinals based on money earned at the rodeo and one from the wildcard round at noon on Saturday. The semifinals conclude at 7 p.m. (CT), Friday.
Keenan Hayes, the 2023 PRCA Bareback Riding World Champion, was the top money earner in the event through the first semifinal with $8,500, followed by Cooke ($7,500); Kade Sonnier ($7,000); Luke Thrash ($6,250); and Cole Reiner ($4,500).
“If I could win San Antonio, I would be so happy,” Cooke said. “I told my dad (Casey) if I pulled a big check out of San Antone I would fly home for a couple of days and go snowboarding.”
Being a PRCA cowboy was always the dream for Cooke since he was a little boy, and it might have been as a bull rider before he broke his jaw in 2022, while competing in that event in college.
“I was riding bulls, and doing bareback riding and saddle bronc riding,” Cooke said. “Right after I got injured bull riding, I quit the broncs as well. I probably could have been a better bull rider or bronc rider, but the fact that I wasn’t as good at bareback riding pushed me to want that one. I’m a guy who wants a challenge. I’m exactly where I want to be. If little 5-year-old me could see me now, he would be happy.”
Cooke nearly made the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo a year ago, finishing 21st in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $82,718.
“I’m going after it this year,” the 5-foot-9, 145-pound Cooke said. “I just missed making it last year. I have more experience and more confidence, and I just have to stay consistent (to make the NFR) and keep getting on them.”
Courtesy of PRCA