BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
There are very few regular seasons in PRCA history in which a saddle bronc rider has cleared $200,000. This year, Sage Newman, Stetson Wright and Zeke Thurston have all done it already, which should give an indication of just how good the top-end of rodeo’s classic event has been in 2023.
Newman, the World No. 1, is about $32,000 away from breaking the regular season earnings record he set last year and that’s not the only record in jeopardy come September.
Averaging 85.61 and 85.60 points per ride respectively, Thurston and Wright are both on track to best the highest Average Score of all time, 85.47 set by Wright in 2022. Also, with one more ride of 90+, Stetson will be the first saddle bronc rider to reach double digits in a season.
One record has already fallen, too. With 54 rides of 85 Points or More, Stetson broke his own record of 53 set a year ago. Entering this year, there were three PRCA bronc riders to ever have 50 or more such rides in a season. There’s a good chance that many do it in 2023 alone.
QUALIFIED RIDES
1. Damian Brennan - 90
2. Ryder Sanford - 88
3. Ryder Wright - 87
4. Kade Bruno - 82
T5. Stetson Wright - 81
T5. Statler Wright - 81
7. Tanner Butner - 80
8. Sage Newman - 79
9. Isaac Diaz - 78
10. Brody Cress - 77
11. Wyatt Casper - 73
T12. Zeke Thurston - 70
T12. Chase Brooks - 70
14. Kolby Wanchuk - 69
15. Q Taylor - 68
16. Layton Green - 67
17. Leon Fountain - 66
18. Ben Andersen - 51
19. Dawson Hay - 46
RIDING PERCENTAGE
1. Zeke Thurston - 99%
2. Tanner Butner - 95%
3. Stetson Wright - 93%
T4. Ryder Wright - 93%
T4. Chase Brooks - 93%
6. Layton Green - 91%
7. Sage Newman - 90%
T8. Kade Bruno - 89%
T8. Damian Brennan - 89%
10. Brody Cress - 88%
11. Isaac Diaz - 87%
12. Wyatt Casper - 86%
T13. Kolby Wanchuk - 86%
T13. Q Taylor - 86%
15. Ryder Sanford - 85%
16. Dawson Hay - 84%
T17. Leon Fountain - 83%
T17. Statler Wright - 83%
19. Ben Andersen - 80%
AVERAGE SCORE
1. Zeke Thurston - 85.61
2. Stetson Wright - 85.60
3. Dawson Hay - 84.51
4. Sage Newman - 84.47
5. Kade Bruno - 83.74
6. Chase Brooks - 83.64
7. Ryder Wright - 83.5
8. Ben Andersen - 83.3
9. Wyatt Casper - 83.26
10. Tanner Butner - 82.73
11. Layton Green - 82.59
12. Kolby Wanchuk - 82.52
13. Brody Cress - 82.34
14. Damian Brennan - 81.77
15. Statler Wright - 81.70
16. Leon Fountain - 81.61
17. Q Taylor - 81.56
18. Ryder Sanford - 81.15
19. Isaac Diaz - 80.94
85+ POINT RIDES
1. Stetson Wright - 54
2. Sage Newman - 47
3. Zeke Thurston - 46
4. Ryder Wright - 41
5. Kade Bruno - 37
6. Brody Cress - 35
7. Wyatt Casper - 30
8. Chase Brooks - 29
9. Tanner Butner - 27
10. Damian Brennan - 25
T11. Dawson Hay - 23
T11. Layton Green - 23
13. Kolby Wanchuk - 21
14. Leon Fountain - 20
T15. Q Taylor - 19
T15. Statler Wright - 19
T15. Isaac Diaz - 19
T15. Ryder Sanford - 19
19. Ben Andersen - 16
90+ POINT RIDES
1. Stetson Wright - 9
2. Sage Newman - 7
3. Zeke Thurston - 5
4. Dawson Hay - 4
T5. Kade Bruno - 2
T5. Damian Brennan - 2
T5. Brody Cress - 2
T5. Tanner Butner - 2
T5. Kolby Wanchuk - 2
T10. Ben Andersen - 1
T10. Wyatt Casper - 1
T10. Chase Brooks - 1
T10. Leon Fountain - 1
T10. Statler Wright - 1
T10. Ryder Sanford - 1
GO-ROUND WINS
1. Stetson Wright - 23
2. Sage Newman - 17
T3. Kade Bruno - 15
T3. Brody Cress - 15
T5. Zeke Thurston - 11
T5. Dawson Hay - 11
T5. Ryder Wright - 11
T8. Ben Andersen - 10
T8. Statler Wright - 10
T8. Ryder Sanford - 10
11. Kolby Wanchuk - 9
T12. Layton Green - 8
T12. Damian Brennan - 8
T12. Q Taylor - 8
15. Chase Brooks - 7
T16. Wyatt Casper - 6
T16. Tanner Butner - 6
T16. Isaac Diaz - 6
T16. Leon Fountain - 6
Standings via ProRodeo.Com are accurate as of 5 PM ET on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Only athletes in the Top 20 were included. Stats were not available for No. 10 Lefty Holman.
