BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Dakota Eldridge has been a mainstay in NFR steer wrestling for over a decade, notching 11 qualifications since 2013.
Now, he enters Las Vegas as the No. 2 steer wrestler in the World, with perhaps his best shot yet at a Gold Buckle. Eldridge, a two-time NFR Average champion, came close in 2015, finishing as Reserve World Champion.
He’s currently $30,000 behind Dalton Massey.
RodeoHouston, $54,250
Oddly enough, Eldridge’s longest run of the rodeo brought in $50,000. After posting times of 7.1, 4.2, 7.3, 4.6, and 4.6 seconds, his 8.1-second Shootout run was enough to edge out the competition. It’s his first Houston title and his first Texas Swing win since San Antonio in 2018.
Silver State Stampede, $3,316
In his hometown, Eldridge won the one-header by six tenths of a second after finishing with a time of 5.7 seconds.
It is the first time he has won the Silver State Stampede and first win in Nevada since 2019.
Cheyenne Frontier Days, $11,160
Eldridge was on fire from the jump at the The Daddy of ‘em All as he placed on all three runs and was one of two cowboys with three runs of faster than 7 seconds.
Eldridge won the Sixth Performance with a 6.9 and then followed it up by shaving a second off of his time in the Second Semifinal, which he also won.
In the Finals, he was three tenths behind winner Denton Good and finished third with a 6.8.
He won at least $2,000 on all three runs in Cheyenne.
Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, $7,247
In Dodge City, Eldridge made a 4.3-second run to take fifth in Round 1 and a 3.7 to grab second in the Finals on his way to a second place finish in the Average at 13.3 seconds on three.
Dodge City was by far Eldridge’s highest paying rodeo of August, the next closest was the Farm-City Pro Rodeo, where he made $2,274.
Ellensburg Rodeo, $10,993
After going all summer without a marquee win, Eldridge cashed in over Labor Day with five figure payday.
The cash was well-earned as Eldridge won the Second Round and the Finals with times of 4.0 and 4.6 seconds respectively. Eldridge finished with an aggregate time of 13.3 seconds on three head.
Of his four wins on the season, three of them came at Playoff Series events.
Governor’s Cup, $13,236
Eldridge won a bulk of his money in Sioux Falls for a Round 1 win that paid nearly $10,000, but he also made $3,611 for advancing to the Semifinals. He rebounded from having two no times at the inaugural event in 2023.
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