BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
The stretch of three PRCA Playoff Rodeos in California in a four weeks came to an end on Saturday in Redding with a rodeo that paid around $200,000.
The crowds for the three-day event witnessed the No. 1 man in the world win two of the seven events, a rookie get the biggest win of his 2023 season and a $2 million cowboy do something he has never done before in is career.
Let’s start with those top-ranked cowboys, tie-down roper Riley Webb and bull rider Ky Hamilton.
Webb finished second in Round 1 and fourth in Round 2 to win the rodeo by one tenth over Jake Pratt. He won $6,172 in Redding and now has twice as much money as the next closest cowboy.
As for Hamilton, he rode for Brookman’s Far West for 85.5 points in the first performance and watched as no one could best it in the next two perfs. Only five bull riders made the whistle for the weekend.
In bareback riding, reigning College National Champion Ty Pope was took the top prize with 87.5 points on Brookman’s SOS. Pope (No. 24) is one of nine rookie bareback riders currently ranked in the Top 25.
In steer wrestling, Curtis Cassidy won a Playoff Rodeo in California for the first time in his career. Cassidy has made over $2.1 million in his career and made eight NFRs, but none of that was from a first place finish in Red Bluff, Clovis or Redding.
Other champions were Dan Williams Jr./Cody Stewart in team roping (11.1 seconds on two) Q Taylor in saddle bronc riding (88.5 points) and Miley Bunting in barrel racing (17.32 seconds).
BAREBACK RIDING
First Round: 1. Ty Pope, 87.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Sos, $5,358; 2. (tie) Tanner Aus, Keenan Hayes and Tim O’Connell, 85, $3,036 each; 5. Taylor Broussard, 84.5, $1,250; 6. (tie) Wyatt Denny, Cole Reiner and Kade Sonnier, 84, $714 each.
STEER WRESTLING
First Round: 1. Colin Wolfe, 4.2 seconds, $1,683; 2. Ringo Robinson, 4.3, $1,464; 3. Curtis Cassidy, 4.7, $1,244; 4. Kyler Dick, 4.9, $1,025; 5. Stephen Culling, 5.3, $805; 6. Dalton Massey, 5.4, $585; 7. Levi Rudd, 5.5, $366; 8. Brush Minton, 5.9, $146.
Second Round: 1. Mike McGinn, 4.0 seconds, $1,683; 2. Stan Branco, 4.3, $1,464; 3. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Grant Peterson, 4.4, $1,134 each; 5. Levi Rudd, 4.6, $805; 6. Curtis Cassidy, 5.0, $585; 7. (tie) Josh Garner and Tanner Milan, 5.1, $256 each.
Average: 1. Curtis Cassidy, 9.7 seconds on two head, $2,525; 2. Levi Rudd, 10.1, $2,196; 3. Dakota Eldridge, 11.3, $1,866; 4. (tie) Josh Garner and Kyler Dick, 12.0, $1,372 each; 6. (tie) Tanner Milan, Colin Wolfe and Caden Camp, 12.1, $549 each.
TEAM ROPING
First Round: 1. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Dan Williams Jr./Cody Stewart, 5.4 seconds, $1,865 each; 3. Keven Daniel/Travis Graves, 5.7, $1,475; 4. Hayes Smith/Jason Duby, 5.8, $1,214; 5. T.C. Hammack/Calgary Smith, 6.2, $954; 6. Spencer Mitchell/Cody Cowden, 6.4, $694; 7. Ben Jordan/Scott Lauaki, 6.5, $434; 8. Mike Christensen/Rhett Kennedy, 6.6, $174.
Second Round: 1. Jaxson Tucker/Wyatt Cox, 5.4 seconds, $1,995 each; 2. Brandon Beers/Justin Davis, 5.6, $1,735; 3. (tie) Presto Burgess/Brush Minton, Keven Daniel/Travis Graves and Dan Williams Jr./Cody Stewart, 5.7, $1,214 each; 6. (tie) Rhett Anderson/Zackery Lewis, Tanner Kent/Joseph Shawnego and Hayes Smith/Jason Duby, 5.8, $434 each.
Average: 1. Dan Williams Jr./Cody Stewart, 11.1 seconds on two head, $2,993 each; 2. Keven Daniel/Travis Graves, 11.4, $2,602; 3. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 11.5, $2,212; 4. Hayes Smith/Jason Duby, 11.6, $1,822; 5. Brandon Beers/Justin Davis, 12.9, $1,431; 6. T.C. Hammack/Calgary Smith, 13.2, $1,041; 7. (tie) Rhett Anderson/Zackery Lewis and Ben Jordan/Scott Lauaki, 13.8, $455 each.
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
First Round: 1. Q Taylor, 88.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Indian Burn, $5,104; 2. Kade Bruno, 88, $3,913; 3. Q McWhorter, 86.5, $2,892; 4. (tie) Stu Wright and Ryder Wright, 86, $1,531 each; 6. (tie) Damian Brennan and Jesse Wright, 85, $766 each; 8. (tie) Jake Watson and Stetson Dell Wright, 84.5, $255 each.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
First Round: 1. Jake Pratt, 8.0 seconds, $2,119; 2. Riley Mason Webb, 8.1, $1,842; 3. (tie) Dylan Hancock and Lucas Potter, 8.6, $1,428 each; 5. Dan Williams Jr., 8.7, $1,013; 6. (tie) Neil Dove and Colton Farquer, 8.8, $599 each; 8. (tie) Britt Bedke, Cash Hooper and Ladd King, 9.0, $61 each.
Second Round: 1. Matt Shiozawa, 7.5 seconds, $2,119; 2. Westyn Hughes, 7.6, $1,842; 3. J. Cody Jones, 7.8, $1,566; 4. (tie) Dylan Hancock and Riley Mason Webb, 7.9, $1,152 each; 6. Cody Stewart, 8.0, $737; 7. Jake Pratt, 8.1, $461; 8. Jordan Ketscher, 8.4, $184.
Average: 1. Riley Mason Webb, 16.0 seconds on two head, $3,178; 2. Jake Pratt, 16.1, $2,764; 3. Dylan Hancock, 16.5, $2,349; 4. Jordan Ketscher, 17.5, $1,935; 5. Britt Bedke, 17.6, $1,520; 6. Dan Williams Jr., 18.1, $1,105; 7. (tie) Tyler Forsberg and Trevor Hale, 19.0, $484 each.
BARREL RACING
First Round: 1. Miley Bunting, 17.32 seconds, $4,365; 2. Sue Smith, 17.36, $3,492; 3. Payton Schoeppach, 17.49, $2,837; 4. (tie) Shelley Holman and Italy Sheehan, 17.54, $1,964 each; 6. (tie) Shelby Bates, Kay Cochran and Kathy Petska, 17.58, $1,128 each; 9. Jennifer Kalafatic, 17.62, $873; 10. Meghann McNulty, 17.68, $764; 11. (tie) Vicky Cook and Kailee Murdock, 17.70, $600 each; 13. Karen Gleason, 17.73, $437; 14. Emily Hannaford, 17.74, $327; 15. Amanda Welsh, 17.77, $218.
BULL RIDING
First Round: *1. Ky Hamilton, 85.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Far West, $5,878; 2. Kase Hitt, 84, $4,608; 3. Levi Gray, 83.5, $3,520; 4. Brady Portenier, 80, $2,431; 5. T Parker, 79, $1,705; no other qualified rides. *(all totals include ground money).
