BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
A powerhouse saddle bronc riding leaderboard has 16 cowboys over $100,000 already and if zoom in on the Top 10, its a collection of who’s who in rodeo’s classic event.
No. 1 Kade Bruno, $184,902
The two-time NFR qualifier and No. 3 cowboy in the final 2023 PRCA World Standings powered ahead of RodeHouston Champion Damian Brennan by winning the only other rodeo whose payday comes close, The Calgary Stampede. Since that win on July 14, Bruno has won Ogden Pioneer Days (Utah), finished fourth at California Rodeo Salinas and second at Utah Days of ’47.
No. 2 Damian Brennan, $175,085
Brennan has won two checks since July 25 and those came at the Deadwood Days of 76 Rodeo (South Dakota) and Big Sky Pro Rodeo (Montana). From July 21-24, Brennan finished fourth in California Rodeo Salinas and fifth at the Fiesta Days Rodeo (Utah).
No. 3 Lefty Holman, $173,294
After winning Ogden Pioneer Days (Utah) and finishing second at the Fiesta Days Rodeo, both of which concluded on June 24, Holman followed it up with a Finals appearance in Cheyenne. Between those three rodeos, he won $22,225.
No. 4 Sage Newman, $165,489
The three-time NFR qualifier has had a relatively light schedule since winning the NFR Open on July 13, but has won just about everywhere he has gone since. That includes a Round 1 in Cheyenne and a second place finish at the Home On The Range Champions Ride (North Dakota).
No. 5 Zeke Thurston, $158,935
The reigning World Champion built on a $12,000 victory at the Fiesta Days Rodeo with a Finals berth in Cheyenne where he brought home another $5,500.
No. 6 Wyatt Casper, $152,210
Casper appears locked in to his fifth straight NFR and he’s done it once again with remarkable consistency. He has won checks on 19-of-25 rides since July 1 and that included wins at California Rodeo Salinas and the Snake River Stampede (Idaho).
No. 7 Statler Wright, $131,219
Prior to bucking off at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo (Oregon) on Wednesday night, Wright had won a check of more than $1,000 on seven straight rides, the biggest among them worth $6,571 for a win at the Mountain Valley Stampede (Utah). He has improved his Average Score from 81.84 in 2023 to 83.5 in 2024.
No. 8 Ryder Wright, $129,660
Wright has been to every NFR since 2016 and will likely make it nine in a row this year. At the end of July, he won Round 1 of the Cheyenne Frontier Days and made the Finals of the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo.
No. 9 Brody Cress, $127,361
Cress is just one shy of Wright with seven straight NFRs and the veteran made one of his strongest pushes of the season over the weekend when he won the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo (Kansas) and Home On The Range Champions Ride. All five of his rides at those two rodeos were marked 86 points or higher.
No. 10 Kolby Wanchuk, $113,158
Over the weekend, Wanchuk also won two rodeos taking home titles at the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo (Colorado) and Richland County Fair and Rodeo (Montana). In Colorado, he made his highest marked ride of the season with 91 points on Cat Walk of Summit Pro Rodeo.
No. 11 Dawson Hay, $112,717
Over his last three rodeos in the US, the four-time NFR qualifier has won three checks totaling $4,866 ll from events in Montana. Between those, he won the Strathmore Stampede (Alberta) with 88.25 points on OLS Tubs Little Muffin.
No. 12 Brody Wells, $109,047
Wells was the champion of the most recent rodeo on the schedule, sweeuping the US Open Xtreme Broncs Match (South Dakota) with rides of 87.5 and 88.5 points. Over the weekend, he also took third at the Home On The Range Champions Ride. Wells also $13,000 on July 24 for his 92-point ride on The Black Tie in Salt Lake City.
No. 13 Ben Andersen, $107,845
Andersen won the Last Chance Stampede (Montana) on July 27 and also leads the Farm-City Pro Rodeo after the First Performance. The two-time NFR qualifier is covering horses at an 85 percent clip in 2024, which is the highest of his career.
No. 14 Zachary Dallas, $107,751
The highest ranked rookie in the PRCA won checks at both rodeos he went to last weekend, the Home On The Range Champions Ride and the Richland County Fair and Rodeo.
No. 15 Logan Hay, $107,703
Logan Hay’s last two checks were both more than $2,000, one for a Fourth Performance win in Cheyenne and another for a second place finish at the War Bonnet Round Up (Idaho).
No. 16 Ryder Sanford, $103,926
Based on the drop off following him, Sanford is the only cowboy outside the Top 15 truly on the bubble right now. He strengthened his position over the weekend with a second place finish at the Wild Bill Hickock Rodeo (Kansas) and a third place finish at the Richland County Fair and Rodeo.
No. 17 Logan Cook, $78,317
Cook won the Finals at the Home On The Range Champions Rodeo and the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, proving that he can beat the best of the best. That bodes well as he hopes for one final NFR push.
No. 18 Layton Green, $77,252
Green is looking for a fourth straight NFR and has won two checks of more than $1,000 since July 13.
No. 19 Cole Elshere, $70,479
Elshere is looking for his first NFR since 2020 and the last time we saw him compete, he won the Sheridan County fair and Rodeo (Nebraska) on July 27.
No. 20 Lucas Macza, $68,703
Macza hasn’t won a check in the US since March 23, but has won five rodeos in Canada this season.
Standings accurate as of 3:00 PM ET on prorodeo.com
