BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
After two straight Reserve World Championship finishes in 2020 and 2021, Paden Bray has qualified for the NFR once again in 2023 after finishing No. 17 in 2022.
After roping with Brenten Hall during the regular season, he will be behind nine-time NFR qualifier Clay Smith in Las Vegas. Bray comes in ranked No. 11 in the PRCA Heeling World Standings, but is within $50,000 of World No. 1 Wesley Thorp.
BIGGEST PAYDAYS
Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo, $12,000
Hall/Bray dominated in Salt Lake City en route to a win at the only rodeo that awards a Gold Medal. They were 3.9 to win the Second Performance and notched the same time in the Short Round to win Gold and $10,000.
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup (South Dakota), $7,500
Hall/Bray won just one check in Sioux Falls, but it paid mighty as well as a 3.9 put them second in Round 2 behind Clay Smith/Coleby Payne.
St. Paul Rodeo (Oregon), $6,014
Hall/Bray had a terrific Cowboy Christmas, winning checks at five rodeos and more than $3,000 at three. There no check bigger than the one they got in St. Paul, where they finished third in the Average with an aggregate time of 10.4 seconds on two.
FASTEST RUNS
San Angelo Rodeo (Texas), 3.6 Seconds
Hall/Bray took second in Round 2 during the final leg of the Texas Swing to win $4,826. Hall/Bray finished the Texas Swing strong as they also won two rounds during their Super Series in Houston.
NOTABLE WINS
West Texas Fair and Rodeo, 8.7 Seconds on Two
Bray only notched two wins and the win in Abilene was the only that had an Average. Hall/Bray were 4 seconds flat to take second in Round 1 and a 4.7-second run in Round 2 was good enough to get them by the rest of the field by four tenths of a second.
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