Livestock Show & Rodeo
FIELD SET FOR FINALS OF FWSSR PRO RODEO TOURNAMENT
FORT WORTH, Texas, (Feb. 2, 2024) — Dickies Arena was electric on Friday night for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Pro Rodeo Tournament’s Semi-Finals B.
There were two scores over 90 points at the riding end of the arena.
It all started with reigning world champion bareback rider Keenan Hayes.
The native of Colorado set numerous records in 2023 on the way to winning his gold buckle.
He hasn’t let off the gas yet. In Fort Worth’s Semi-Finals B, Hayes rode a Canadian horse from Macza Pro Rodeo named Sideshow for 91 points.
That is the high-marked ride of the rodeo so far and advances him to Saturday night’s Championship Finals.
It also earned $4,000 for the man who is currently fifth in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings.
Canada dominated the top of the leaderboard in the saddle bronc riding and another world champion prevailed. This past December, Zeke Thurston from Big Valley, Alberta, won his fourth world title at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
The rodeo here is the first one he has entered in the 2024 season. He rode Calgary Stampede’s horse Exotic Warrior for 92 points to win Friday’s Semi-Finals.
That score is just two points shy of the arena record and is the highest of this year’s rodeo so far.
Thurston is now Championship Finals bound and hoping to win his first Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo title.
On Thursday night all of the bull riders in Semi-Finals A hit the dirt early. Friday night, four rode to advance to Saturday night.
When travel complications kept a contestant from getting to Fort Worth , Brody Yeary from Morgan Mill, Texas, got the call to compete.
He made the most of that opportunity and scored 87 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s previously unridden bull named Battle Creek for the win.
He had planned on leaving for a family vacation, but that has been postponed. If he keeps adding to his checking account, they will celebrate when they get to go on that vacation.
The final performance of this year’s rodeo will start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday where the top score or fastest time in each event will earn the legendary title of champion of the 127th edition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The following are unofficial results from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Pro Rodeo Tournament Semi-Finals B on February 2, 2024.
Bareback riding: 1, Keenan Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 91 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Sideshow, $4,000. 2, (tie) Jess Pope, Waverly, Kan., and Sam Petersen, Helena, Mont., 88.5, $2,500 each. 4, Jayco Roper, Oktaha, Okla., 88, $1,000 each.
Finals qualifiers: Hayes, Pope, Petersen and Roper
Steer wrestling: 1, Gavin Soileau, Bunkie, La., 3.8 seconds, $4,000. 2, Winsten McGraw, Gill, Colo., 4.0, $3,000 each. 3, Stan Branco, Chowchilla, Calif., 4.9, $2,000. 4, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 5.1, $1,000.
Finals qualifiers: Soileau, McGraw, Branco and Parrott
Breakaway roping: 1, Maddy Deerman, Hope, N.M., 2.7 seconds, $4,000. 2, Jill Tanner, 3.1, $3,000. 3, Rickie Fanning, Spearfish, S.D., 12.1, $2,000. 4, Lari Dee Guy, Abilene, Texas, 12.3, $1,000
Finals qualifiers: Deerman, Tanner, Fanning and Guy
Saddle bronc riding: 1, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 92 points on Calgary Stampede’s Exotic Warrior, $4,000. 2, Ryder Wright, Beaver, Utah, 90, $3,000. 3, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, Canada, 86, $2,000. 4, (tie) Leon Fountain, Corona, N.M., and Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 85, $500 each.
Finals qualifiers: Thurston, Wright, Hay and Holman
Tie-down roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 7.5 seconds, $4,000. 2, Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 8.1, $3,000. 3, Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn., 9.1, $2,000. 4, Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, 9.3, $1,000.
Finals qualifiers: Mayfield, Milligan, Oftedahl and Yates
Team Roping: 1, Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 5.7, $4,000 each. 2, Brenten Hall, Jay, Okla., and Kaden Profili, Jacksonville, Texas, 6.0, $3,000 each. 3, Dustin Egusquiza, Marianna, Fla., and Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 7.8, $2,000 each. 4, Clint Summers, Lake City, Fla., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 9.3, $1,000 each.
Finals qualifiers: Clay and Yates; Hall and Profili; Egusquiza and Lord; and Summers and Long
Barrel Racing: 1, Sara Winkelman, Big Lake, Minn., 16.26 seconds, $4,000. 2, Rainey Skelton, Llano, Texas, 16.28, $3,000. 3, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 16.32, $2,000. 4, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 16.60, $1,000.
Finals qualifiers: Winkelman, Skelton, Busby and Lockhart
Bull Riding: 1, Brody Yeary, Morgan Mill, Texas, 87 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Battle Creek, $4,000. 2, Taylor Toves, Stephenville, Texas, 86, $3,000. 3, Justin Houston, Sutherlin, Ore., 81, $2,000. 4, Hayes Weight, Goshen, Utah, 71, $1,000.
Finals qualifiers: Yeary; Toves; Houston; Weight; Braden Richardson, Jasper, Texas; Cody Teel, Bryan, Texas; Jestyn Woodward, Custer, S.D.
FWSSR photo by James Phifer.
