BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Leighton Berry has not been shy about his goals in 2023, he wants a Gold Buckle.
“Every morning I wake up and read it on my board and I really believe that it’s going to come true if I keep staying on the path that I’ve been staying,” he said after his most recent win at the Parker County Sheriffs Posse Frontier Days, his first since April 14.
After returning to the NFR in 2022, he quietly finished No. 3 in the PRCA World Standings and this year, he stormed out of the gates by winning three of the five Texas Swing Rodeos. He has had the No. 1 spot in the world since the conclusion of RodeoHouston on March 19.
If Berry wants that coveted buckle, though, he’s going to have to go through tough competitors young and old. In the No. 2 and 3 spots are Keenan Hayes and Rocker Steiner, both of whom can’t legally drink.
Behind them? Defending and six-time World Champion Kaycee Feild.
Heading into the Summer Run, the bareback riding represents a converging of generations and at 24-years-old and two career NFR appearances, Berry finds him somewhere in between. Yet when it comes to the World Standings, he remains on top.
1. Leighton Berry - $126,881
The two-time NFR qualifier leads the way much thanks to his PRCA-leading four Playoff Series wins, which came in Houston, San Antonio, San Angelo and most recently, at the Parker County Sheriffs Posse Frontier Days (Texas). Berry’s 12 Go-Round wins and four 90-point rides are also tied for first among bareback riders. He is one of two bareback riders currently averaging more than 85 points.
2. Keenan Hayes - $121,434
The man running away with the Resistol Rookie of the Year race is now also closing in on the No. 1 spot in the world. Hayes has been chipping away Berry’s lead for a few months and is nearly within $5,000 thanks to starting June with five straight trips to the pay window. Hayes has won a total of seven times this season and has more qualified rides (55) than any other bareback rider this season. He’s also tied with Berry for the lead in Go-Round Wins and 90-point rides.
3. Rocker Steiner - $85,470
Since May 27, Steiner has won five rodeos, including three over the Weekend of June 11. The reigning Resistol Rookie of the Year has already had nine rides result in checks of $1,000 or more in June and six of those have been worth north of $2,500.
4. Kaycee Feild - $69,021
In true Kaycee Feild fashion, he took more than a month off after Red Bluff on April 23 and in his first rodeo back, he won more than $20,000 at the Darby Extreme Bareback (Montana) with a 93.5-point ride in the Finals. Feild’s average score of 85.43 is tops in the PRCA. Feild has only competed at six events total in the 2023 season.
5. Jayco Roper - $55,933
This year, the 21-year-old has four wins which have paid him between $1,000 and $7,603. Roper has increased his average score year-over-year by almost 1.5 points from 80.34 to 81.75 and is less than $10,000 from surpassing the $65,763 he made last season when he finished 19th in the world.
6. Clayton Biglow - $55,302
The California cowboy is in a good position to make his eighth straight NFR. Biglow has dominated in his home state as six of his seven wins have come there. Biglow is in the Top 5 in the PRCA in Go-Round wins and 85+ Point Rides.
7. Kade Sonnier - $48,460
The 23-year-old has impressed early in his first ProRodeo season by finishing second at the Permit Finals, fourth at the Southeastern Circuit Finals before winning the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo (Texas) in January. More recently, he had a run of six straight rides ending in payday from May 5-June 3.
8. Dean Thompson - $46,895
Thompson has been in the Top 10 for most of the season and the 21-year-old may have solidified himself as someone here to stay when he rode Gun Fire for 92.5 to win the Guymon Pioneer Days (Oklahoma), it was his most recent of four wins this year. Thompson’s 56 qualified rides ranks second among PRCA bareback riders in 2023.
9. Luke Thrash - $46,638
One of four rookies in the Top 10, Thrash’s season-defining ride was an 88.5-pointer on Think Pink to win the Long Round and over $7,500 in San Angelo. Thrash’s other big money rodeo was when he was the champion of the Southeastern Circuit Finals in November, collecting more than $11,000.
10. Jacob Lees - $46,186
Lees is fresh off of a win at the Mackay Rodeo (Idaho) on June 16 and has already made about $7,000 in June to jump from No. 13 into the Top 10 once again. Lees already has set career high marks in Go-Round wins and 85+ point rides.
11. Tanner Aus - $45,806
Aus, like Lees, won a rodeo over the weekend and has moved up several spots in June. Aus was the champion of Buffalo Bill Rodeo (Nebraska) and has gone from No. 15 to No. 11 since the beginning of the month. The seven-time NFR qualifier has won seven rodeos this year including Rodeo Rapid City (South Dakota) and the Daily Record Xtreme Bares (Washington) which each paid more than $4,500.
12. Cole Reiner - $45,608
Reiner has started his career with three straight Top 7 finishes and is quickly nearing the Top 10 again. He is a perfect 44-for-44 and averaging 84.24 points, the latter puts him in the Top 5 in the PRCA. On his last six rides prior to Reno, he averaged 86 points and pulled a check on all six. During the Texas Swing, Reiner finished fourth in both San Antonio and Houston.
13. Taylor Broussard - $44,381
The two-time NFR qualifier has won eight rodeos this season and five of them have come in Florida. However, the highest paying wins of the season for the Louisiana native was $4,759 at the High Desert Stampede (Oregon).
14. Tim O’Connell - $44,070
With wins at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Arizona), Clark County Fair and Rodeo (Nevada) and Woodward Elks (Oklahoma), only Leighton Berry has more PRCA Playoff Series wins this season than O’Connell. The three-time World Champion ranks in the Top 10 in average score and 85+ point rides and is looking for his sixth straight season averaging at least 83 points with at least 30 rides of 85+ points.
15. Chad Rutherford - $41,550
Rutherford placed in three rodeos on the Weekend of May 28, which was the last time he competed because of hand surgery. Rutherford has four wins on the season and also made $12,000 for a second place finish in Fort Worth.
16. Garrett Shadbolt - $40,633
Like Rutherford, Shadbolt is also sidelined right now. The Nebraska native suffered an ankle injury in a non-rodeo accident and is hoping to return in July. Shadbolt was the champion of the National Western (Colorado) and made the Finals in Fort Worth and Austin, his 83.34 Average Score is the best of his career.
17. Mason Clements - $39,970
The three-time NFR qualifier was No. 24 at the beginning of June but is up seven spots thanks to a run of seven straight rides leading to checks, two of which have been worth more than $5,000. In June, Clements has already made about $16,000 total, about 40 percent of his money for the season.
18. Jacek Frost - $39,498
The 19-year-old has won five rodeos this season and seven Go-Rounds total, which puts him in 13th in the world in Go-Round wins. His most recent win was at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo on June 4.
19. Sam Petersen - $37,610
Despite three straight rides of 83 or better, Petersen has not pulled acheck since a fourth place finish in the Resistol Rookie Roundup on April 29.
20. Bradlee Miller - $31,987
Miller is a new name in the Top 20 thanks to a win at the Battle Born Broncs (Nevada) which paid almost $7,000.
Standings are via ProRodeo.com and are accurate as of 11 AM ET on Sunday, June 18.
