BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
September has never been bigger in ProRodeo and because of the additions of the North Dakota Roughrider Cup and Governor’s Cup in South Dakota the past two years, Pendleton is now smack-dab in the middle of a month that also includes Ellensburg and the Cinch Playoffs.
- Jace Trosclair is the new No. 1 in the PRCA Bull Riding World Standings. Josh Frost has had the top spot since early July, but Trosclair has ridden more than 60 percent of his bulls since the beginning of August to pile on more than $100,000 and rise all the way from No. 9.
- Six saddle bronc riders are over $205,000, all six could break the regular season earnings record. There has never been more athletes above $200,000 in the regular season in a single event and there could be several who surpass Sage Newman’s regular season record of $253,190 set in 2022. Damian Brennan is the closest at $224,967 while Kade Bruno, Wyatt Casper, Zeke Thurston, Ryder Wright and Lefty Holman are also in the mix.
- Barrel racer Lisa Lockhart adds Pendelton to long list of achivements. Lockhart has made 17 straight NFRs, but didn’t begin running at Pendleton until much later in her career, making her debut there by winning Round 1 in 2021. After that, she placed fourth in the Average in 2022 and second in 2023 before winning it this year with an aggregate time of 57.29 seconds on two.
- Half of the rides on Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics’ The Black Tie have been for 90 or more points this year. Jake Finlay delivered the most recent one with 91 points in the Finals to complete a sweep of Pendleton. Logan Cook, Zeke Thurston, Brody Wells and Zac Dallas were the others.
- Trevor Reiste rode the same bull for 90+ points twice in a five day stretch. Reiste won the Third Round of the Pendleton X Bulls Finale with 90.5 on Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Blue Magic then matched up with him again for 91.5 to in the Finals of the rodeo in Pendleton. In total, the two events paid him about $21,000 to help him crack the Top 10 in the World Standings. The 31-year-old will likely make his first NFR since 2017.
- Steer wrestler Rowdy Parrott has moved up a dozen spots in the last month, now No. 9 in the World. Parrott won over $7,000 this past weekend after a second place finish at the Cinch Playoffs in Puyallup the weekend prior paid him $11,900. He has made five runs of 4.3 seconds or faster in September.
- Three-time NFR bull rider Dustin Boquet is inside the Top 15 for the first time all year. Boquet was ranked No. 27 just a month ago, but after a 3-for-4 showing at the Pendleton Xtreme Bulls Finale earned him 260 points and a $24,000 payday, he’s now back in the hunt for Vegas. He has made more than $40,000 since Aug. 16.
- Tie-down roper Quade Hiatt went from No. 16 to No. 14 thanks to the fastest run of his career at the New Mexico State Fair and Rodeo. Hiatt was 6.9 seconds in Albuquerque to win $4,500 and now the 24-year-old has his best chance yet to make the NFR after finishing No. 43, No. 29 and No. 31 in his first three years in the PRCA.
- Rookie bull rider Jeter Lawrence rode 5-of-6 to win more than $30,000 between the two events in Pendleton. With two second place finishes and a boatload of money in Pendleton, Lawrence may have had an even better weekend than Reiste. Of those five qualified rides, four were marked 86 or better and the 19-year-old is now No. 7 in the World Standings.
- Tie-down roper Ty Harris won Pendleton thanks to the fastest run of the rodeo in the Finals. Harris entered the Finals seventh but ws 8.4 to rally to share the win with Preston Pederson. Harris has overtaken Haven Meged for the No. 2 spot in the World and trails Shad Mayfield by $25,000.
