RODEO RECAP: Finals Ends with Record-Setting Action

The 129th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) ended with a record-setting final championship round.

Saddle bronc riding has been part of the “Daddy of ‘em All” since 1897. Over the years only three cowboys have won the bronc riding title three times- Earl Thode in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Cody DeMoss in 2004, 2010 and 2012, and local favorite Brody Cress who was the first to win three in a row from 2017 to 2019.

Cress, who is from nearby Hillsdale and graduated from a Cheyenne high school, was the favorite to win after a random draw gave him the chance to ride THE Black Tie. The mare, owned by Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics, was the dance partner for the past two CFD champions and helped Ryder Sanford set the record in Frontier Park two years ago.

The scores were high with a pair of 89.5-point rides leading as the final two cowboys left the chute. First, Cress scored 91 points bringing the crowd to its feet, then four-time world champion Zeke Thurston made a great ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cat Walk for 90 points.

Cress became the first cowboy to win the saddle bronc riding title four times and said the fourth win was the sweetest yet, after not coming close for the six years since his last win here.

Cress wasn’t the only record setter on Championship Sunday. Bareback rider Kade Berry of Weatherford, Texas, broke a record set more than 50 years ago by three-time CFD champ Joe Alexander.

Berry rode Brookman Rodeos’ Lunatic Heaven for 93.5 points, half a point higher than the record and two points higher than former world champion Jess Pope who rode Smith Pro Rodeo’s Risky Business just before Berry.

The winningest cowgirl in Women’s Professional Rodeo Association history, Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, South Dakota, made her own CFD history. Lockhart was the champion here in 2015 riding her famous buckskin horse Louie. She joined the list of two-time CFD champions when she and another Buckskin, Rosa’s Cantina, stopped the clock in 17.03. She is the first woman to win titles here ten years apart.

But the decade between Lockhart’s wins in Frontier Park wasn’t the longest. Steer roper Scott Snedecor won the championship here in 2009. Last year the four-time world champion came close to winning his second CFD title, but his steer did not stay tied for the required time.

The Texan was as happy as any first-time winner after winning his event by a tenth of a second with a 12.7, taking home his second CFD championship after 16 years.

Danielle Lowman of Gilbert, Arizona, became the first woman from the Navajo Nation to win a CFD title. The talented breakaway roper who has competed three times at the National Finals Breakaway Roping made a 4.3-second run on her new horse Gucci to win the championship and more than $19,500. She was the biggest money winner of the rodeo.

Tyson Durfey, the former world champion tie-down roper, stepped away from fulltime rodeo after the 2020 season, staying home with his growing family, fighting a serious illness that kept him from riding a horse for a year and a half, and building his coaching business. Durfey’s professional career has included 14 trips to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and more than 20 trips to Frontier Park, but he had never been successful in Cheyenne.

“I made the short round in 2021, had the best calf and messed up due to nerves,” he said. “I never thought I’d get the chance again to win here.” He turned in a 10.9-second time he described as “not the picture-perfect run that I wanted,” but it was enough to win the championship that had eluded him.

Team ropers Aaron Tsinigine of Tuba City, Arizona, and Jeremy Buhler of Arrowwood, Alberta, each have world championships, but had never won at Cheyenne. They took home the coveted winner’s package after taking first in their event with a time of 9.3 seconds. Tsinigine said he had been trying to win in Frontier Park for 20 years, a title on his bucket list. Buhler said they are both at the point in their careers where “you aren’t sure how many more chances you’ll have to win here.”

The most demonstrative winner was steer wrestler Tyke Kipp. The 32-year-old cowboy was fired up after his 5.5-second run gave him the walk-off win. An all-around hand in high school and college (he was successful in bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling and team roping), Kipp lives on a New Mexico ranch near Lordsburg that has been in his family for 147 years.

For the second time in five years, an Australian won the CFD championship in bull riding. Rookie Qynn Anderson of Koumala, Queensland, scored 90 points on Dakota Rodeo’s bull named Hunter. Anderson now leads the bull riding rookie of the year standings and is 12th in the bull riding world championship standings.

Several individuals were in contention for the CFD all-around championship, but when the rodeo was over the honor went to Jake Clay of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Clay, who has come close to making the NFR in team roping the past few years, competed in team roping and steer roping and won almost $7,000.

2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Champions

All Around – Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, $6,880 in steer and team roping

Steer Roping – Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 12.7, $12,072

Bareback Riding – Kade Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 93.5 points, $13,399

Tie-Down Roping – Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas, 10.9 seconds, $17,700

Breakaway Roping – Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Arizona, 4.3 seconds, $19,537

Saddle Bronc Riding – Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyoming, 91 points, $15,216

Team Roping – Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Arizona and

Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, 9.3 seconds, $13,530

Steer Wrestling – Tyke Kipp, Lordsburg, New Mexico, 5.5 seconds, $16,614

Barrel Racing – Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, South Dakota, 17.03, $22,010

Bull Riding – Qynn Andersen, 90 points, $12,563

The following are unofficial results from the Championship Finals at the 129th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, Sunday, July 27.

Steer Roping: 1, Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 12.7 seconds, $12,072. 2, Brodie Poppino, Big Cabin, Okla., 12.8, $10,261. 3, Roger Noella, Redmond, Ore., 15.0, $8,450. 4, Blake Deckard, Eufaula, Okla., 15.7, $7,243. 5, Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., and Clay Long, Stephenville, Texas, 16.2 and $5,131 each. 7, Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, 16.7, $3,018. 8, Ty Williams, Sulphur, Okla., 17.2, $2,414.

Bareback Riding: 1, Kade Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 93.5 points, on Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven, $9,432. 2, Jess Pope, Waverly, Kan., 91.5, $7,145. 3, Wacey Schalla, Arapaho, Okla., 90, $5,145. 4, Sam Petersen, Helena, Mont., 89, $3,430. 5, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 88.5, $2,001. 6, Kade Sonnier, Carencro, La., 88, $1,429.

Tie Down Roping: 1, Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas, 10.9 seconds, $11,500. 2, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 11.8, $10,000. 3, Tom Simpson, Malad, Idaho, 12.3, $8,500. 4, Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb., 12.5, $7,000. 5, Cole Clemons, Okeechobee, Fla., 14.1, $5,500. 6, Kyan Wilhite, Clovis, N.M., 15.0, $4,000. 7, (tie) Tripp Brown, Kenansville, Fla., and Pecos Tatum, La Plata, N.M., 15.7 and $1,750 each.

Breakaway Roping: 1, Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Ariz., 4.3 seconds, $13,021. 2, Rylee George, Oakdale, Calif., 4.9, $9,864. 3, Bailey Bates, Tohatchi, N.M., 5.9, $7,102. 4, Jacee Currin, Heppner, Ore., 6.2, $4,735. 5, Shy-Anne Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 6.3, $2,762. 6, Shawnee Sherwood, Coolidge, Ariz., 6.4, $1,973.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 91 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics The Black Tie, $9,157. 2, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley Alberta, 90, $6,937. 3, Waitley Sharon, Ordway, Colo., 89.5, $4,166. 4, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 89.5, $4,163. 5, (tie) Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., and Brody Wells, Powell, Wyo., 88.5, $1,665 each.

Team Roping: 1, Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz., and Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, 9.3 seconds, $11,500. 2, (tie) Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo.; and Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Wesley Thorp, Stephenville, Texas, 9.5 and $9,250 each. 4, Ryon Boatright, Mulhall, Okla., and Jett Hillman, Perry, Okla., 9.7, $7,000. 5, Kyle Polich, Cortez, Colo., and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., 10.0, $5,500. 6, Devon Johnson, Red Oak, Texas, and Zane Pratt, Congress, Ariz., 10.8, $4,000. 7, Billy Bob Brown, Carbon, Texas, and Blaine Vick, Breckenridge, Texas, 16.0, $2,500. 8, Kash Bonnett, Ponoka, Alberta and Logan Cullen, Courtenay, British Columbia, 16.3, $1,000.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Tyke Kipp, Lordsburg, N.M., 5.5 seconds, $9,200. 2, Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, 5.8, $8,000. 3, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., and Trisyn Kalawaia, Hilo, Hawaii, 6.1 & $6,200 each. 5, Mason Couch, Bronaugh, Mo., 6.8, $4,400. 6, Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, 6.9, $3,200. 7, Colten Leech, Chico, Texas, 7.1, $2,000. 8, Paul Melvin, Paradise, Texas, 7.2, $800.

Barrel Racing: 1, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 17.03 seconds, $10,819. 2, Tayla Moeykens, Three Fordk, Mont., 17.19, $8,954. 3, Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas, 17.23, $7,088. 4, Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 17.31, $5,223. 5, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.39, $3,358. 6, Carlee Otero, Perrin, Texas, 17.40, $1,865.

Bull Riding: (four rides) 1, Qynn Andersen, Koumala, Queensland, 90 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hunter, $10,063. 2, Colten Fritzlan, Rifle, Colo., 87.5, $7,827. 3, Jesse Petri, Dublin, Texas, 86.5, $5,870. 4, Dakota Warnken, Wakarusa, Ind., 86, $4,193.

Wild Horse Race: (Sunday) 1, Gotta Go, $960. 2, Young Gunz, $720. 3, Team Meanus, $480. 4, Graves Team, $240. (total money) 1, Gotta Go, $6,000. 2, Young Gunz, $4,800. 3, Graves Team, $3,360. 4, Turquoise Rose, $2,310.

Wyoming’s Brody Cress stands alone in the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) record book after becoming the first man since the event began in 1897 to win the saddle bronc riding championship four times. Cress scored 91 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ bucking horse named THE Black Tie. The horse has carried cowboys to the CFD title for the past three years, including Ryder Sanford’s record-setting win in 2023. CFD photo by Laura Storey

The longest-standing arena record at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) fell after 51 years when Kade Berry of Weatherford, Texas, scored 93.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven to win the bareback riding on Sunday. Berry broke the record set by three-time CFD champion and hall of fame cowboy Joe Alexander in 1974 by half a point. CFD photo by Tonya Hamner

Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, South Dakota, was all smiles after winning the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo’s barrel racing championship with a time of 17.03 seconds. Lockhart won her second championship in Frontier Park a decade after her first win in 2015. CFD photo by Click Thompson