The Playoffs of Rodeo Austin will take place over three nights and bring us the Top 24 from the Long Round in each event. From here, the Top 8 overall will go on to the Final Round where a Champion will be crowned. The first night of Playoffs brings us top athletes from both sides of the arena as well as top animal athletes.
BAREBACK RIDING
Cole Reiner’s horse is Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Foul Motion. This is the horse that the Long Round was won on in 2022 before he got the best of Wyatt Denny in the playoffs. The cowboy currently leading the Resistol Rookie race has matched up with Dakota Rodeo’s War Rock, who has only had one qualified ride put on in 2023.
Clay Jorgenson | Gringo Joe |
Ty Pope | Lost & Found |
Yance Day | Satin Doll |
Cole Reiner | Forward Motion |
Logan Patterson | Last Dance |
Keenan Hayes | War Rock |
Clay Stone | Gun Powder |
Kody Lamb | Private Eyes |
STEER WRESTLING
Jesse Brown is currently sitting third in the PRCA World Standings and he has already gone further at Rodeo Austin in 2023 than 2022 by making it onto the Playoffs. South Dakota’s Jace Melvin won the National Western and has since had luck only one other place. Austin could be his turn around.
Jace Melvin |
Dakota Champion |
Justin Kimsey |
Sterling Lambert |
Cade Goodman |
Levi Rudd |
Jesse Brown |
Remey Parrott |
TEAM ROPING
Clay Smith and Jake Long are among eight teams to back into the box. Smith conquered roping with a broken leg in the 2022 season and this season, it is Long with a broken foot. Nothing seems to slow the duo down, they are set to continue in Austin.
Luke Brown | Hunter Koch |
Cash Duty | Sid Sporer |
Cory Kidd V | Lane Mitchell |
Curry Kirchner | Tyson Thompson |
Clay Smith | Jake Long |
McCray Profili | McCoy Profili |
Aaron Tsinigine | Kyle Lockett |
Erich Rogers | Paul Eaves |
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
Jacobs Crawley will go toe-to-toe with a horse that his brother has ridden twice, Cash Deal of Dakota Rodeo. This will be Jacobs first time on the bronc. Texas cowboy Blaise Freeman has drawn another well-known Dakota horse, Bartender. The National Finals Rodeo bucking horse helped Parker Fleet to the pay window earlier this season in Fort Worth.
Weston Patterson | Pretty Boy Floyd |
Jacobs Crawley | Cash Deal |
Blaise Freeman | Bartender |
Kade Bruno | Kenny’s Girl |
Brody Wells | Fireball |
Ryder Sanford | Red Wings |
Stetson Wright | Richie’s High |
Damian Brennan | Choctaw Ridge |
TIE-DOWN ROPING
Last year’s second place finisher, John Douch, is the only calf roper out in this first night of Playoffs that went on to the Final Go-Round in 2022. He knows exactly what needs to be done to move on but he has veterans like Taylor Santos and Marcos Costa hot on his heels.
Bo Pickett |
Andrew Burks |
Dakota Felton |
Dylan Hancock |
John Douch |
Taylor Santos |
Marcos Costa |
Luke Potter |
BREAKAWAY ROPING
Ladies that will be the first to ever back into the box for a Playoff in Austin will not disappoint. World Champion Sawyer Gilbert and her paint horse are a power duo while Joey Williams has had a success all winter long on her horse, Baby.
Sawyer Gilbert |
Brooke Rogers |
Makayla Boisjoli |
TiAda Gray |
Tierra Zapalac |
Jordan Jo Hollabaugh |
Sloan Anderson |
Joey Williams |
BARREL RACING
Jackie Ganter has been on fire this winter as she won Fort Worth and went to the Final Round of San Antonio and she’s found herself there yet again, this time in Austin and they are out on the top of the ground.
Jackie Ganter |
Tiany Schuster |
Jordan Driver |
Rachelle Riggers |
Kalli McCall |
Jessica Routier |
Stephanie Fryar |
Presley Smith |
BULL RIDING
It is a night of Andrews Rodeo’s bulls at Rodeo Austin. NFR standout Tristen Hutchings has matched up with Panhandle, a bull that seven-time World Champion Sage Kimzey rode for 85 points in San Antonio. Fellow NFR bull rider Josh Frost will attempt to cover Crazy Heart, who is unridden this 2023 season.
Dalton Walling | 3X |
Clayton Appelhans | I’m A Savage |
Maverick Smith | Velocity |
Tristen Hutchings | Panhandler |
Cutter Kaylor | Wooly Bully |
Coy Thorson | Kyote Train |
Josh Frost | Crazy Heart |
Trey Holston | Weekend Warrior |