BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
The big indoor rodeo season has finished up and as we get set for the summer run, we are taking a look at some of the biggest and most important moments in each event from throughout The Cowboy Channel’s Texas Tour.
1. Sage Newman has already cleared six figures
The top part of the leaderboard in the PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding World Standings is filled with familiar names, but currently standing well above all of them is Sage Newman, a 24-year-old Montana cowboy who made his first NFR in 2021. Newman has won $102,573 already in 2022 and around $60,000 of that came from winning RodeoHouston.
However, if Newman won $0 in Houston instead of finishing first, he’d still be in the Top 10 in the world. Newman has won 10 Go-Rounds and has an average score of 84.28 points on qualified rides.
SAGE NEWMAN’S 93 POINT RIDE AT RODEOHOUSTON
2. Stetson Wright won Fort Worth and San Antonio in style
Stetson Wright won his first PRCA Saddle Bronc World Title in December and he kept it rolling into the 2022 season. On Feb. 5, he won $20,000 for winning Fort Worth with 91.5 points on Big Surprise and on Feb. 26, he was 90.5 on Larry Culpepper to win San Antonio. Wright has four 90+ point rides in saddle bronc riding in 2022.
STETSON WRIGHT’S 91.5 POINT RIDE
3. Leon Fountain pushing for first NFR
Leon Fountain finished a career best No. 23 in the final World Standings in 2021 and right now, he sits No. 8 in the world with $42,211. Fountain was the champion of Rodeo Austin with 92 points on Killer Bee and also placed in five rounds at RodeoHouston.
LEON FOUNTAIN’S 92 POINT RIDE
4. Ryder Wright has 12 Go-Round wins
Ryder Wright has 43 qualified rides in 2022 and in more than almost a third of them, he has won the round. He is No. 3 in the PRCA World Standings, but his 12 Go-Round wins rank first in the world. His career high in Go-Round wins is a whopping 32 in 2018.
Wright has finished in the Top 5 in each of the last six years and is on pace for his best career average score in 2022 at 84.6 points per ride.
5. Lucas Macza’s breakout years is on pause
24-year-old Lucas Macza was off to a great start to 2022, but will miss several weeks after getting kicked in the face by a horse in San Angelo. Thankfully, he is okay and just needs a little time to heal up after surgery.
“BLESSED is truly a understatement, Saturday in San Angelo Texas was not what I had planned for my night. My Guardian Angels were watching over me tho cause it could have been so much worse,” he wrote on Instagram on April 12. “I wish I could name everyone for being out in that arena beside me, thanks for waiting on me, thank you for taking care of me and doing everything for me that night and the next day. you guys really don’t know how much it means to a guy like me honestly.”
6. Layton Green is off to a superb start
In 2021, Layton Green made the NFR for the second time in his career and first time since 2017. He finished a career best No. 7 in the PRCA World Standings and made $166,000 and in 2022, he has started even better.
Green is currently No. 6 in the world and has made $49,035 in 2022. He won the High Desert Stampede (Oregon) and two rounds at RodeoHouston, he also finished second in San Antonio.
7. Wyatt Casper made three consecutive 90 point rides at RodeoHouston
It is well known that 90 points is the standard for a terrific ride and it is hard to do just once, but Wyatt Capser did it three time in a row in RodeoHouston.
First, he was 92 points on Avenger, then 91 on Larry Culpepper and finally 90 on Toma Joe in the Finals, which won him $20,000.
Casper went 90 just once in all of 2021.
WYATT CASPER’S 91 POINT RIDE
8. Brody Cress if off to another Top 5 start
Brody Cress has yet to win a World Title in his career, which means some don’t realize just how elite he has been. Cress has made the NFR and finished in the Top 5 each of the past four years.
In 2022, Cress won the San Angelo Cinch Chute Out and La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros and currently sits No. 5 in the PRCA World Standings. He is averaging more than 84 points per ride, which would be a career high if it holds.
9. Rusty Wright is likely out for the year
After missing the NFR in 2021, Rusty Wright was off to a good start in 2022, but it will be two straight years of not competing in Vegas as he is likely going to miss the remainder of the year after breaking his leg on April 7.
Prior to his injury, Wright won the Arcadia All-Florida Championship and the Long Round of Rodeo Austin.
10. A full breakdown of the Top 20
To see a full standings update and how everyone in the Top 20 has performed so far click here.
