World No. 2 Ryder Wright added more than $16,000 to his earnings with two impressive rides to finish with a score of 177.5 on 2 to win the PRCA Xtreme Broncs Finale in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The event featured 24 of the PRCA’s top saddle bronc riders as well as some of the rankest broncs in rodeo.
“This is an event you want to show up at and show out at because of the money and the guys here,” Wright told ProRodeo.com. “These are the top guys you’re trying to beat in the standings.”
In the long go, Wright finished tied for second alongside his brother Rusty as well as Brody Cress with 86 points. The trio was a half-point behind Shorty Garrett, who rode Dakota Rodeo’s Chirrikawa for 86.5 points.
In the short round, Wright was the first cowboy to be marked more than 90 points on the evening when he rode South Point for 91.5 points. In the very next ride, Cress turned in the second, and only other, ride of more than 90 points with a 91 on Onion Ring to finish a half-point behind the 22-year-old Wright.
“That was the first time I’ve been on that horse,” Wright told ProRodeo.com. “That horse was super flashy. It’s the type of horse that all bronc riders like. I was happy to draw her and to get on her. She was better than I thought she was going to be. That horse is honest as the day is long. If you do your part, you know you’re going to win some money.”
Wright is now one of two cowboys to have won more than $100,000 this year. The other is Wyatt Casper, the winner of RFD-TV’s The American.
Full Results
First round
1. Shorty Garrett, 86.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Chirrikawa, $5,414
T2. Ryder Wright, 86, $3,068
T2. Brody Cress, 86, $3,068
T2. Rusty Wright, 86, $3,068
T5. Zeke Thurston, 85.5, $1,083
T5. Chase Brooks, 85.5, $1,083
7. Stetson Wright, 85, $722
T8. Wyatt Casper, 82.5, $271
T8. Allen Boore, 82.5, $271
Finals
1. Ryder Wright, 91.5 points on Sutton Rodeos’ South Point, $4,813
2. Brody Cress, 91, $3,610
3. Allen Boore, 89, $2,406
4. Shorty Garrett, 87.5, $1,203
Average
1. Ryder Wright, 177.5 points on two head, $9,024
2. Brody Cress, 177, $6,918
3. Shorty Garrett, 174, $5,114
4. Rusty Wright, 172, $3,309
5. Allen Boore, 171.5, $2,106
6. Zeke Thurston, 169.5, $1,504
7. Stetson Wright, 169, $1,203
8. Chase Brooks, 166.5, $902
