Blane Cox has qualified for his second National Finals Rodeo, the first coming in 2016. The 30-year-old finished out the 2023 regular season at No. 10 in the PRCA World Standings.
BIGGEST PAYDAYS
The Calgary Stampede, $14,625
Cox moved out of Pool C of the Calgary Stampede in first place alongside Shane Hanchey, Ty Harris and Kyle Lucas after he placed in all three rounds, including a 7.4-second run in Round 3. Overall, he earned $9,600 toward the PRCA World Standings in pool competition alone. Cox claimed the No. 1 spot in the Semifinals with a run of 7.6-second run and then added a check for $10,000 ($5,000 toward the PRCA World Standings) in the Final Round after stopping the clock at 9.2 seconds to take third.
Pendleton Round-Up, $12,028
The Pendleton Round-up was a significant win for Cox as it is one of his personal favorite rodeos and a highly coveted title, it also moved him outside to inside the Top 15 on Sept. 17. A 7.8-second run in the Final Round was just the move Cox needed to make to secure the No. 1 spot in the Average with 27.1 seconds on three.
FASTEST RUNS
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup (South Dakota), 7.1 seconds
A run of 7.1 seconds secured Cox a second place check worth $7,500 in Round 2 of the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup. Cox advanced into the Semifinals where he finished sixth to win a total of $10,000 during the final rodeo of the regular season.
Walla Walla Frontier Days (Washington), 7.6 seconds
Cox stopped the clock at 7.6 seconds in Round 2 of the Walla Walla Frontier Days as he captured the Go-Round win along with a check for of around $2,850 .
NOTABLE WINS
Red Bluff Round-Up (California), 39.9 Seconds on Four
Cox was in the money for each round in Red Bluff as he claimed the No. 1 spot in the Average with an aggregate time of of 39.9 seconds on four head. His best run was 8.5 seconds in Round and he won a total of $8,989.
Amarillo Tri-State Fair and Rodeo (Texas), 7.8 Seconds
Cox split the win at the Amarillo Tri-State Fair and Rodeo wih reigning World Champion Caleb Smidt as they turned in a pair of 7.8-second runs. It came right in the middle of a late September stretch in which Cox placed on six straight runs.
Meet the NFR Athletes is presented by Montana Silversmiths #EveryBuckleHasAStory #BrandOfChampions #FromGreatToGold