Wright, Foss & Tonozzi Move to Semifinals at Fort Worth With Back-To-Back Round Wins
By Johna Cravens
Austin Foss of Terrebonne, Ore., won both of his preliminary rounds. This ride on Andrews Rodeo’s horse Rylee’s Raisin Cane was worth 88 points at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament January 28. FWSSR photo by James Phifer
FORT WORTH, Texas — Bareback rider Austin Foss and saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright rode back-to-back wins on Monday and Tuesday to qualify for the semifinals of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s (FWSSR) ProRodeo Tournament.
Foss, a four-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) from Terrebonne, Oregon, won Monday’s round of bareback riding with an 88-point ride, then came back Tuesday to score 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s horse Rylee’s Raisin Cane. That earned him a total of $3,520 and a berth in one of two semifinals February 6 and 7.
Wright, the former world champion saddle bronc rider from Milford, Utah, was even more consistent – recording a score of 89 points to win Monday’s round and following that up with an 88-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s Cat Walk to take first on Tuesday. He moves to the semifinals with $3,520 in total winnings.
Two-time world champion barrel racer Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi of Lampasas, Texas, boosted her lead in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) standings by winning both rounds of barrel racing. Her $3,520 in total winnings put her in the semifinals.
The biggest money winner of the third set of competitors in Fort Worth’s new tournament format was bull rider Gavin Michel of Sulphur Springs, Texas. The native Missourian won $4,400 as the only bull rider to score on Monday and added another $1,026 by placing third on Tuesday.
The FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament features 56 contestants in each of eight events competing in seven two-round brackets. The top two money winners from each bracket move to the semifinals in each event, while the third-highest money winner qualifies for the wild card round on February 5. The top two from the wild card round make the semifinals, with the top four from each semifinal meeting in the final championship round February 8.
The rodeo continues Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with a new set of rodeo athletes competing in their first round.
Former world champion Ryder Wright of Milford, Utah, rode Andrews Rodeo’s horse Cat Walk to win the sixth performance of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament January 28. Wright won both his preliminary rounds to move on to the semifinals February 6 and 7. FWSSR photo by James Phifer
The following are unofficial results from the FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, Tuesday, January 28, 2020.
Second set – Round 2
Bareback riding: 1, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Raisin Cane, $1,760. 2, Paden Hurst, Huntsville, Texas, 85, $1,320. 3, (tie) Tony Barrington, Elko, Nev., and Cauy Pool, Redmond, Ore., 81.5, $660 each
Semifinals Qualifiers: Foss, $3,520, and Hurst, $1,7600. Wild Card Qualifier: Pool, $1,520.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Blake Mindemann, Blanchard, Okla., 4.2, $1,760. 2, Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfood, Idaho, 4.9, $1,320. 3, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 6.0, $880. 4, Clayton Hass, Weatherford, Texas, 10.7, $440.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Lord, $2,640, and Jorgensen, $2,200. Wild Card Qualifier: Mindemann., $1,760.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Jennifer Casey, Mesa, Wash., 2.1 seconds, $1,760. 2, Ceri Ward, Wayne, Okla., 2.4, $1,320. 3, Cassidy Boggs, Stephenville, Texas, 2.6, $880. 4, Loni Lester, Gonzales, Texas, 2.7, $440.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Boggs, $2,766.66, and Loni Lester, Gonzales, Texas, $1,906.66. Wild Card Qualifier: Casey, $1,760.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 88 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Cat Walk, $1,760. 2, Colt Gordon, Comanche, Okla., 86.5, $1,320. 3, (tie) Ben T. Anderson, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, and Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah, 84 points, $660 each.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Rusty Wright $3,520, and Gordon, $2,640. Wild Card Qualifier: Anderson, $1,100.
Tiedown Roping: 1, Westyn Hughes, Caldwell, Texas, 8.1 seconds, $1,760. 2, Justin Smith, Leesville, La., 8.9, $1,320. 3, Ryan Thibodeaux, Stephenville, Texas, 9.0, $880. 4, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 9.2, $440.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Hughes, $2,420, and Douch, $2,200. Wild Card Qualifier: Smith, $1,320.
Team Roping: 1, Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and Dustin Davis, Terrell, Texas, 5.6 seconds, $1,760 each. 2, Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M., and Caleb Anderson, 6.6, $1,320 each. 3, Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, Lipan, Texas, 10.3, $880 each. 4, Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn., and Wesley Thorpe, Throckmorton, Texas, 11.4, $440 each.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Tonozzi and Davis , $3,520 each, and Brown and Smith, $2,200 each. Wild Card Qualifiers: Billy Bob Brown, Carbon, Texas, and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., $1,760 each.
Barrel Racing: 1, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 16.49 seconds, $1,760. 2, Megan Champion, Ukiah, Calif., 16.51, $1,320. 3, Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D, 16.57, $880. 4, (tie) Emily Miller, Weatherford, Okla., and Ryan Pedone, Sunset, Texas, 16.63, $220 each.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Pozzi Tonozzi, $3,520, and Champion, $1,760. Wild Card Qualifier: Sabra O’Quinn, Ocala, Fla., $1,320.
Bull Riding: (three rides) 1, Nic Lica, Garden City, Mich., 84.5 points on Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s Steve, $1,906.66. 2, Cole Fischer, Jefferson City, Mo., 79.5, $1,466.66. 3, Gavin Michel, Sulphur Springs, Texas, $73, $1,026.66.
Semifinals Qualifiers: Michel, $5,436.66, and Lica, $1,906.66. Wild Card Qualifier: Fischer, $1,466.66