Idaho Saddle Bronc Rider Dominates Bracket 5 at Fort Worth Rodeo
By: Susan Kanode
Kade Bruno of Challis, Idaho, won both rounds of saddle bronc riding in Bracket 5 of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s 2023 ProRodeo Tournament. He scored 86.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse Utopia during the early performance on January 28. FWSSR photo by James Phifer
FORT WORTH, Texas — No one had more success in Bracket 5 of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament than Kade Bruno of Challis, Idaho.
The saddle bronc rider is coming off his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification where he finished the 2022 season in 11th place. He’s already inside the top fifteen for 2023, and a win here could give him a big boost.
Bruno won round 1 of Bracket 5 Friday night. Then he came back Saturday morning and won again. On Saturday, it was the horse named Utopia from Stace Smith Pro Rodeo that got him the win. When the judges added up their scores, he had 85.5 points beside his name. That put him at the top of the leaderboard and earned him $1,760 for the second time in a row. Most importantly, it put him on the list of those advancing to the semifinals here.
Rocker Steiner of Weatherford, Texas, scored 86.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Betty’s Boy to win round 2 of Bracket 5 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament. Steiner advanced to the semifinals on money win in his bracket after this round win and a second-place finish in round 1. FWSSR photo by James Phifer.
Also winning round 2 of this bracket was Rocker Steiner who lives just west of Fort Worth in Weatherford. Steiner rode Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Betty’s Boy for 87. The $1,760 that he earned Saturday morning gave him a total of $3,080 earned here so far. He also is advancing to the semifinals.
There are just two brackets of competition left in this year’s rodeo. Bracket 6 starts Saturday night at 7:30. It will finish on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday’s competition features Bracket 7. The Wildcard round starts on Wednesday and Semifinals will be Thursday and Friday. At each level of the tournament, competitors start with a clean slate hoping to advance to Saturday night’s Finals where the champions will be crowned.
FORT WORTH, Texas – The following are unofficial results from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Pro Rodeo Tournament after Bracket 5, January 28, 2023.
(Qualifiers are based on tie-breaker rules.)
Bracket 5, Round 2
Bareback riding: 1, Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 87 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Betty’s Boy, 87, $1760. 2, Will Lowe, Amarillo, Texas, 86.5, $1,320. 3, Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., 85, $880. 4, Keenan Reed Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 84.5, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Steiner, $3,080. 2, Cooke, $1,760. Wild card qualifier: Lowe, $1,320.
Steer wrestling: 1, Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont., 3.6 seconds, $1,760. 2, Tucker Allen, Oakdale, Calif., 3.9, $1,320. 3, Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis., 4.0, $1,320. 4, Kodie Jang, Morgan Mill, Texas, 7.1, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Erickson and Graves, $1,760 each. Wild Card Qualifier: Allen, $1,760.
Breakaway roping: 1, Samantha Fulton, Miller, S.D., 2.0 seconds, $1,760. 2, Laramie Johnson, Shreveport, La., 2.1, $1,320. 3, Bradi Good, Abilene, Texas, 2.3, $880. 4, Timber Allenbrand, Paola, Kan., 2.8, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Fulton, $3,080 and Good, $2,640. Wild Card Qualifier: Johnson, $1,320.
Saddle bronc riding: 1, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho 85.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Utopia, $1,760. 2, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 85, $1,320. 3, Lefty Marvel Holman, Visalia, Calif., 82.5, $880. 4, Reed Neely, Sanger, Calif., 82, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Bruno, $3,520 and Neely, $1,540. Wild Card qualifier: Cress, $1,320.
Tie-down roping: 1, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 8.0 seconds, $1,760. 2, Marcos Costa, Iretama, Brazil, 8.7, $1,320. 3, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 9.6, $880. 4, Colton Farquer, Oakdale, Calif., 9.7.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Costa, $3,080 and Hanchey, $1,980. Wild Card qualifier: Solomon, $1,760.
Team Roping: 1, Jake Cooper Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., and Billie Jack Saebens, Nowata, Okla., 4.9 seconds, $1,760 each. 2, Payden Emmett, Ponca, Ark., and Lucas Falconer, Normangee, Texas, 6.3, $1,320. 3, Jr. Dees, Aurora, S.D., and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 5.8, $880. 4, Dustin Egusquiza, Marianna, Fla., and Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 6.6, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Clay and Saebens, $3,080 and Egusquiza and Lord, $2,200. Wild Card qualifier: Emmett and Falconer, $1,320 each.
Barrel Racing: 1, Sissy Winn, Corpus Christi, Texas, 16.42 seconds, $1,760. 2, Steely Steiner, Oakley, Utah, 16.62, $1,320. 3, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 16.72, $880. 4, Ivy Saebens, Nowata, Okla., 16.94, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Darling, $2,200 and Winn, $1,760. Wild Card qualifier: Shannon McReynolds, La Luz, N.M., $1,760.
Bull Riding: 1, Dalan Duncan, $1,760. 2, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 85.5, $1,320. 3, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 82, $880. 4, Trey Holston, Fort Scott, Kan., 79, $440.
Semi-finals qualifiers: Frost, $2,787 and Askey, $2,347. Wild card qualifier: Holston, $1,907.