Semi Finals Set at Daddy of ’em All

With the conclusion of Quarterfinals 6 at the128th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) the field for the two Semi Finals rounds is set with 24 (plus ties) advancing to compete Friday and Saturday afternoons.

Tuesday was the last chance for rodeo athletes to advance and they needed to finish in the top four of their event to make the cut.

Shad Mayfield of Clovis, N.M., is the current leader in both the tie-down roping and all-around cowboy world championship standings. Mayfield, the 2020 World Champion Tie-Down Roper, has been competing with two injured hips since January. He was planning surgery and rehab after the big winter rodeos, but after winning both the Fort Worth and San Antonio Stock Show rodeos, he vaulted to the top of the world standings and decided to continue his season.

He plans to take a few weeks off after Cheyenne, but those plans will have to wait a few more days. He won Quarterfinals 6 with a time of 10.8 seconds and advanced to the Semi Finals. He will need to finish in the top six in his Semi Finals to advance to Championship Sunday at the Daddy of ‘em All.

In steer wrestling Dakota Eldridge of Elko, Nevada, matched the fastest time of the 2024 CFD to win Quarterfinals 6. Eldridge, who is ranked second in the world championship standings, stopped the clock in 6.0 seconds to advance to the Semi Finals.

He has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) 10 times since winning the all-around and steer wrestling rookie of the year titles in 2012 and will qualify for pro rodeo’s grand finale again in December. The next step to adding a CFD championship to his resume is to be among the top six in his Semi Final.

Ryder Wright, the two-time world champion saddle bronc rider, would love to join his younger brother Stetson as the only member of their famous rodeo family to win a CFD championship. Ryder, who lives in Beaver, Utah, won Quarterfinals 6 with an 87-point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse Wondering Witch. He will ride in the Semi Finals with his eye on Championship Sunday.

Semi Finals 1 begins Friday at 12:45 p.m. where the six best rides or times in each event will advance to Championship Sunday and a chance to win more of the over $1 million purse.