PRCA for the Record: Spanish Fork
By Matt Naber
The 2019 Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo truly was one for the record books, four times over, in fact.
Stetson Wright set the Spanish Fork record for most money won in the all-around after earning $10,006 in saddle bronc riding and bull riding. Spanish Fork’s previous all-around record was $8,710, set by Josh Peek in 2015 for steer wrestling and tie-down roping.
Wright went on to win the 2019 all-around world title with $297,923. He also won 2019 PRCA | Resistol Rookie of the Year titles for saddle bronc riding and bull riding.
Kaycee Feild set the bareback riding record in Spanish Fork with a 91-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Ship. Spanish Fork’s previous bareback riding record of 89 points was set by James Sursa in 2006 and matched by Ryan Gray in 2009.
Feild is a four-time world champion bareback rider (2011-14), and the 2019 season marked his 10th trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (2008-15, 2018-19).
Saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson set the Spanish Fork record with an 89.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman. Johnson topped Spanish Fork’s oldest unmatched record by a half-point, set by Jeff Willert in 2005.
Johnson is a four-time qualifier for the NFR (2005, 2007-08, 2013) and continues to give bronc riders half his age a run for their money. Since his rookie year in 2001, he’s won more than $800,000, and earlier this season he won the Okeechobee (Fla.) Cowtown Rodeo Xtreme Broncs competition.
Spanish Fork’s fourth record that was set in 2019 has become almost a tradition for this ProRodeo Hall of Fame rodeo. Spanish Fork’s committee has set a record for total payout every year since 2011, with the 2019 rodeo raising the bar by $90 over the previous year with $289,543.
The rodeo grew significantly between 2004-10 with some fluctuations, but it ultimately went from $98,257 in 2004 to $189,604 in 2010. Since, it’s payouts have been:
• 2011: $179,851
• 2012: $198,225
• 2013: $202,937
• 2014: $227,684
• 2015: $227,857
• 2016: $251,870
• 2017: $276,762
• 2018: $289,453
• 2019: $289,543
Cowboys will have their chance to win their share of Spanish Fork’s prize money while trying to dethrone one of the rodeo’s records July 21-24. As an added incentive, cowboys will also compete for valuable ProRodeo Tour points.
Fans can catch the Spanish Fork action on The Cowboy Channel and the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App at 9:30 p.m. (ET), July 21-24.
Rodeo records
• Total payout: $289,543 in 2019
• All-around: $10,006 Stetson Wright, 2019
• Bareback riding: 91 points Kaycee Feild, 2019
• Steer wrestling: 3.2 seconds, Baylor Roche, 2016 (7.5/2, Seth Brockman, 2014; Tyler Waguespack, 2016)
• Team roping: 3.7 seconds, Tee Woolman/Bobby Harris, 1986; Clay Smith/Paul Eaves, 2015; Doyle Hoskins/Wyatt Cox, 2015; Dustin Egusquiza/Kory Koontz, 2018 (8.4/2, Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 2018)
• Saddle bronc riding: 89.5 points, Chet Johnson, 2019
• Tie-down roping: 6.7 seconds, Marty Yates, 2013 (14.5/2, Shane Hanchey, 2013)
• Barrel racing: 16.70 seconds, Cayla Melby, 2016
• Bull riding: 93 points, Howdy Cloud, 2011
Courtesy of PRCA