WILD CARD IS PIVOTAL EVENT AT FWSSR & PRO RODEO TOURNAMENT

FORT WORTH, Texas, (Jan. 31, 2024) — Wild Card Wednesday was crucial for contestants looking for a last-chance opportunity to compete in the Semi-Finals at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Pro Rodeo Tournament.

One cowboy who is looking forward to getting on again is rising bareback riding star Bradlee Miller from Huntsville, Texas. Miller is a student at Sam Houston State University and is on the rodeo team there where his father, Bubba Miller, is the coach.

A horse named Prairie Rose from Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics took the younger Miller to the winners’ circle in Dickies Arena.

When the judges added up their scores, he had an 88.5 by his name, added $1,000 to his season earnings and secured a spot in the Semi-Finals.

Miller, who leads the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings, finished 28^th in 2023.

The college senior also has a commanding lead in the bareback riding in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s (NIRA) Southern Region.

If he keeps up his pace through the spring college rodeos and also PRCA events, he will qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in June and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December.

Saddle bronc rider Damian Brennan from Injune, Queensland, Australia, knows a little bit about that.

Brennan qualified for the CNFR last June for Western Texas College where he tied for the championship. Then he went on to compete at rodeo’s ultimate championships in Las Vegas last December.

Brennan had the high-marked ride in saddle bronc riding on Wednesday at 89.5 points.

He rode a horse named Birch Bubbles from the famed Calgary Stampede outfit.

He finished fifth in the world standings last year and needs a financial boost to vie for a gold buckle again. That could happen here since he is advancing to the Semi-Finals.

Barrel racer Stephanie Fryar could not stop smiling after her run on Wednesday.

Fryar, from Waco, Texas, is a seasoned veteran that took a five-year-old mare named Milania around the pattern for the fastest time of 16.44 seconds.

It was an amazing accomplishment in a fast-paced event where fan-favorite Lisa Lockhart, of Oelrichs, South Dakota, came in second at 16.48 seconds. They are both Semi-Finals bound.

The first Semi-Finals will be held on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and will feature eight competitors in each event.

Semi-Finals 2 will be on Friday with another eight competitors. The best four from each Semi-Finals will advance to Saturday night’s Championship Finals.

FORT WORTH, Texas –— The following are unofficial results from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Pro Rodeo Tournament Wild Card Round on January 31, 2024.

Bareback riding: 1, Bradlee Miller, Huntsville, Texas, 88.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s Prairie Rose, $1,000. 2, Ty Taypotat, Nanton, Alberta, Canada, 87.5, $600. 3, Tristan Hansen, Dillon, Mont., 86.5, $400.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Miller and Taypotat

Steer wrestling: 1, Stephen Culling, Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada, 4.4 seconds, $1,000. 2, (tie) Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., and Jacob Talley, Keatchie, La., 5.3, $500 each.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Culling and Parrott.

Breakaway roping: 1, Bailey Patterson, Pendleton, Ore., 2.4 seconds, $1,000. 2, Maddy Deerman, Hope, N.M., 2.6, $600. 3, Sarah Angelone, Lipan, Texas, 11.8, $400.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Patterson and Deerman

Saddle bronc riding: 1, Damian Brennan, Injune, Queensland, Australia, 89.5 points on Calgary Stampede’s Birch Bubbles, $1,000. 2, Parker Fleet, Axtell, Texas, 85, $600.  3, Ben Andersen, Eckville, Alberta, Canada, 83.5, $400

Semi-finals qualifiers: Brennan and Fleet

Tie-down roping: 1, Tom Crouse, Gallatin, Mo., 9.4 seconds, $1,000. 2, Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn., 9.7. 3, Britt Bedke, Oakley, Idaho, 9.9, $400

Semi-finals qualifiers: Crouse and Oftedahl

Team Roping: 1, Ty Arnold, Midway, Texas, and Tyler McKnight, 4.3 seconds, $1,000 each. 2, Tanner Tomlinson, Midway, Texas, and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, 6.0, $600 each. 3, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M., 9.3, $400 each.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Arnold and McKnight and Tomlinson and Smith

Barrel Racing: 1, Stephanie Fryar, Waco, Texas, 16.44 seconds, $1,000. 2, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 16.49, $600. 3, Tracy Nowlin, Nowata, Okla., 16.52, $400.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Fryar and Lockhart

Bull Riding: (two rides) 1, T.J. Gray, Dairy, Ore., 86.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Swanky, $1,200. 2, Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa, 76, $800.

Semi-finals qualifiers: Gray and Reiste

COURTESY OF SUSAN KANODE & NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW FOR

TENN TEXAS MEDIA