BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
It has been the case for most of the last two regular seasons and its still the case, Stetson Wright and Sage Newman are ranked No. 1 and 2 in the saddle bronc riding.
There once massive lead, however, isn’t near as large as it once was thanks to a California charge from Zeke Thurston and Kade Bruno. Those two Top 5 bronc riders as well a cowboy from South Dakota who has already cleared his 2022 earnings are who we are focusing on in this week’s Standings Update.
No. 3 Zeke Thurston, $77,607
Thurston hasn’t made changed places in the World Standings recently, but he’s added a boatload of money in the past two weeks to cut into Stetson Wright and Sage Newman’s lead on him. The reigning World Champion finished third in Red Bluff and second in Clovis in consecutive weekends and both of those Playoff Series Rodeos in California paid him more than $5,000. Thurston is averaging a whopping 86.2 points and is a perfect 40-for-40 this season.
No. 4 Kade Bruno, $59,546
Bruno has moved up four spots in the World Standings in the last two weeks because of consistency out in California. The 22-year-old took sixth in Red Bluff on April 23 to win $1,019, first in Lakeside to win $2,730 and second in Clovis to win $7,545. Bruno has been 85.5 points or better on five of his last seven rides.
No. 12 Cash Wilson, $44,063
After winning the High Desert Stampede (Oregon) on April 8 and finisheing second in San Angelo on April 14 to start the month, Wilson has since added another win at the Cinch World’s Toughest in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was 84 points. The South Dakota cowboy was ranked No. 19 at the end of March.
| WORLD RANK | NAME | EARNINGS |
| 1. | Stetson Wright | $104,247 |
| 2. | Sage Newman | $98,806 |
| 3. | Zeke Thurston | $77,607 |
| 4. | Kade Bruno | $59,946 |
| 5. | Chase Brooks | $51,326 |
| 6. | Ben Andersen | $50,827 |
| 7. | Tanner Butner | $47,442 |
| 8. | Dawson Hay | $47,125 |
| 9. | Ryder Wright | $44,675 |
| 10. | Brody Cress | $44,415 |
| 11. | Jacobs Crawley | $44,405 |
| 12. | Cash Wilson | $44,063 |
| 13. | Wyatt Casper | $41,617 |
| 14. | Shorty Garrett | $38,087 |
| 15. | Logan Hay | $37,111 |
| 16. | Isaac Diaz | $36,216 |
| 17. | Brody Wells | $33,277 |
| 18. | Ryder Sanford | $32,233 |
| 19. | Layton Green | $30,418 |
| 20. | Q Taylor | $28,907 |
Standings via ProRodeo.Com are accurate as of 12 PM ET on Thursday, May 4.