Rodeo Austin: Playoffs Night 1

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.