Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:

The second day of semifinals is shaping up to be even more exciting than the first with several world champions and former Cheyenne Frontier Days title holders in the field. While those veterans are hoping to win again, a rookie is taking the rodeo world by storm and hoping to win for the first time.

Stetson Wright will be competing in the saddle bronc riding and bull riding today making him a favorite for Cheyenne’s all-around cowboy championship. Wright is the youngest of the famed rodeo family from Utah. His father, Cody, is a two-time world champion. His uncles Spencer and Jesse have each won gold buckles as well as his older brother Ryder.

While there have been Wrights at the top of the leaderboard at most major rodeos, there has never been one to collect a buckle at the “Daddy of ‘em All.” Cody joined the PRCA in 1998 and there has been at least one member of the family competing here since then. Two decades without a title is unheard of for them and now it is the youngest who could bring it home to Utah.

Stetson will turn 20 on July 30^th. He leads the world standings in the all-around category, is 18^th in the saddle bronc riding and second in the bull riding. He needs to move into the top 15 in the saddle bronc riding and stay there until October 1^st to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in two events. A win here would certainly help him do that.

Cody DeMoss will be among today’s saddle bronc riders and is hoping for his fourth buckle from Cheyenne Frontier Days. If he moves on to the finals and has the high score, he will join the history books as the second man to win four titles in that event. Earl Thode did that from 1927 – 34.

A star-studded field will compete in bareback riding today. Former CFD champs Richmond Champion, Tanner Aus, Orin Larsen and Tim O’Connell will be hoping for a chance to win a second buckle from the “Daddy.” O’Connell is a three-time world champion as well. They will be joined by Kaycee Feild, who has four gold buckles but has yet to win a title at Frontier Park.

Brothers Tim and Tyler Bingham have both qualified for the NFR, but not in the same year. When they have the opportunity to share rodeo memories with future generations, the 2019 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo could be a big highlight. They will be riding in the semifinals today and hoping for a score and a reason to stay here until Sunday. There is nothing that the brothers would like better than to be riding against each other for Cheyenne’s championship buckle.

Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:

In breakaway roping a pair of sisters had success yesterday and will be looking to add to their winnings today. Jordan Jo Fabrizio of Canyon, Texas, was first yesterday with a 4.15-second run and her sister Rylea Fabrizio, who lives in Stephenville, Texas, placed third. The duo would love to compete in the first breakaway championship round at the Daddy.

Lari Dee Guy has won nine Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) roping and all-around world championships. She finished second yesterday and is in good position to qualify for the finals. Jackie Crawford, who has earned 14 WPRA all-around and roping world titles, finished fourth yesterday and will need to rope well today to move on to Championship Sunday.

Nebraska native Austin Hurlburt is no stranger to Cheyenne. He competed on the Laramie County Community College Rodeo Team and will move to the University of Wyoming this fall. Before becoming a Wyoming Cowboy, he has a chance to become a CFD champion. He won yesterday’s tie-down roping and is in good shape to advance to the Sunday’s Finals.

Last year’s CFD team roping champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison roped themselves into a tie for second place yesterday. Should they qualify for Championship Sunday, Masters will have the opportunity to become the first three-time CFD champion in the team roping since the event began here in 2001.  Kellan and Carson Johnson, a pair of brothers from Casper, will have to finish among the top two today to make the finals. They are the sons of 2011 world champion heeler Jhett Johnson.

Two former CFD champions compete in today’s barrel racing semifinals. Brittany Pozzi-Tonnozzi (2007) and Stevi Hillman (2017) are both ranked in the WPRA top 10 and would love to come back Sunday to make their bids for a second CFD title. The highest-ranked barrel racing in the current standings is Shali Lord of Lamar, Colorado, who is fourth. She will compete first today and have the advantage of running on the “top” of the ground. She and her horse, Can Man, are likely headed to Las Vegas next December. Lord qualified for the first time in 2005 aboard a small bay gelding named Slider. She and Slider either got money or hit a barrel. He was one of the most dynamic and exciting horses to watch in any arena. Can Man has a totally different style and now while he is carrying Shali around the barrels at rodeos, Slider is at home in Lamar where Shali and Phy Lord’s son Slade has taken the reins.

Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:

Six of todays contestants in the bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding will get a chance to ride for a championship from the 123rd “Daddy of ‘em All.” Among the bareback riders is Will Lowe who finished fourth yesterday to advance. Lowe has three world titles to his credit and three titles from Frontier Park.

His third title came last year so he will be hoping to be among the six that are here on Sunday to defend his title. Ty Breuer and Steven Dent are also in the field. They travel together and are ranked sixth and ninth respectively. Breuer is having the best regular season of his career and credits part of that to his traveling partners. Tanner Aus is also in their group and while he didn’t advance to the semifinals, Aus will be hoping one of them gets to leave here with the buckle. Aus won this rodeo in 2015 and Dent was the all-around cowboy here in 2010.

Wyoming loves their cowboys and will get to cheer for two of their own in the bareback riding, Cole Reiner from Kaycee and Seth Hardwick from Ranchester. Those Wyoming fans will also be making a lot of noise in the saddle bronc riding when local favorite Brody Cress rides. He has won the “Daddy” the past two years. If he hangs on to win a third buckle here, he will go down in history as the only saddle bronc rider to win three consecutive titles.

Last year’s bull riding champion, Rugar Piva, is ready to defend his title as well. Piva rode yesterday to an 82.5-point score to advance to the semifinals. Four-time world champion J.W. Harris is on today’s roster and while he has won nearly every title available in rodeo, he has yet to get the coveted buckle that is given to Cheyenne Frontier Day’s best.

Foster McCraw had the biggest win of his career last February at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. He had one of the highest-marked rides here in the quarter finals and has momentum and confidence on his side. If he advances to Sunday’s rodeo and has the highest score there, he will win two of the biggest, oldest and most legendary rodeos in the same year.

Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:

The final group of steer wrestlers, team, tie-down and breakaway ropers will be working to advance to Sunday’s finals today. The barrel racers are competing in the semifinals and six of them from today’s performance will advance.

In the barrel racing watch for Kelly Kennedy-Joseph. She was tied for 70th to advance from the qualifying rounds into the rodeo performances. She went from being one of the slowest to the one of the fastest. The Colorado native lives just over an hour south of Cheyenne and has a huge fan club.

A couple of years ago, she was involved in a horse accident that had her taking a helicopter ride to the hospital. Doctors didn’t know how she would recover, and she still has headaches from the TBI she incurred. She set a goal to be back competing in 2018 and while it took longer than she would have liked, hse is back. She is riding a mare she calls “Jammer,” that her husband started and she trained. She needs to be among the six fastest times today to advance to Sunday’s Championship Finals. Defending champion Nellie Miller will also compete today.

Two legendary breakaway ropers are on today’s roster. Jackie Crawford is a many time world champion. Lari Dee Guy is also and accomplished roper that has a reputation for roping. Both of these women have had big influences in the roping world by teaching other women how to rope.

Brothers Kellan and Carson Johnson from Casper will be the first team ropers to ride in the arena today. They are hoping to earn enough money to advance to the finals. If they would win the title here, they would add something to their resume that their world champion father, Jhett Johnson has never won. There are several world champions in today’s team roping so expect the competition to be tough. Also watch for defending champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison to have a solid performance.

Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:

Our past two bareback riding champions will be competing against each other today. Tim O’Connell won here in 2017 and went on to win his second world championship. He is the reigning world champion, but that title came with a price. In the 10^th and final round last December, he had to make a ride. He did just that, but when he came off, he ended up underneath the horse with his hand still in the rigging. A torn rotator cuff and he was looking at a vacation. He started back mid-June and is now 23^rd in the world standings.

A win here could make the difference in O’Connell’s sixth trip to Las Vegas to compete for another gold buckle. That is the position that Will Lowe found himself in a year ago. Then he won Cheyenne for the third time and went on to qualify for the NFR for the 15^th time. Lowe is 33^rd in the world standings and if he wins Cheyenne again, he will need to make a decision about the remainder of the season.

Brody Cress will be here defending his past two CFD championships in saddle bronc riding. Cress who grew up here used his past two wins at Frontier Park to qualify for his first two NFRs. Just days after winning here last year, he decided to jump off of a horse after the ride and broke his ankle. He was high enough in the standings to qualify for the NFR, so he had surgery and took the rest of the season off. He got on his first bucking horse in Las Vegas. He would have liked to have more time, but that wasn’t an option and getting back to his old riding form has been a challenge. He is          29^th in the world and another win here could make a huge difference in his 2019 season.

Also watch for Wyoming’s own smiling Chet Johnson who has yet to get a title here. Johnson is a native of the Cowboy State and nothing would make him happier than winning at the “Daddy.”

Roscoe Jarboe used a win here in 2016 to qualify for his first of three NFRs. He is 25^th in the standings and all he has between him and a trip to Las Vegas is a few eight-second rides. He is joined by other NFR qualifiers Chase Dougherty, Elliot Jacoby and Boudreaux Campbell. Also, Ruger Piva, last year’s champion will be here to defend his title.

If Dougherty rides, it might be due to his balance. While in college at Montana State University, he could be seen riding a unicycle around campus because he thought it helped improve his balance and bull riding skills.

Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:

Yesterday, we watched Wyatt Lindsay stop the clock in 5.4 seconds in the steer wrestling and he will be looking for another fast time today. Lindsay was just three-tenths of a second off of the 5.1-second arena record. Lindsay is a former student at New Mexico State University where he qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo twice. He tried all of the events growing up but loves steer wrestling because of the speed involved.

That speed will come into play today as he makes his second run at this year’s rodeo. Cattle typically run faster the second time through and often get farther down the pen before they are caught. Cheyenne’s 30-foot head start makes this event especially challenging.

Marcos Costa has been coming to Cheyenne Frontier Days nearly every year since he made the trip to the U.S. from Brazil. Costa joined the PRCA in 2014 and could barely speak any English. He taught himself the language, took every opportunity to learn about tie-down roping from anyone he could and became the first man from Brazil to earn an individual world championship in 2017. He watched his friend Junior Nogueira win the all-around championship in 2017 for their native country. Nogueira was the reserve world champion in team roping that year and also won enough money in the tie-down roping to win the gold all-around cowboy buckle.

Costa qualified for the finals here in 2014 and finished fifth. He placed fourth yesterday and will need to add to that today to have any chance at being at the Championship Finals on Sunday.

Hannah Lee, a native of Nesbit, Mississippi, who won high school state championships in Tennessee, has likely punched her ticket to the finals in breakaway roping. She won yesterday’s round and earned more than $2,600 for her efforts. Even if she fails place in today’s round, odds are good she’ll be one of the top four in this set. Louisiana’s Chloe Frey is in a similar position after winning second yesterday and earning more than $2,000.

A pair of WNFR team ropers – Kelsey Parchman of Tennessee and Matt Kasner of Nebraska – are in the driver’s seat in today’s set of team roping after winning yesterday’s round. They have a great chance to return on Sunday and finishing in the money today would cement their place in the finals. Reigning CFD champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison need a fast run today to win enough to advance, after clocking 20.8 yesterday. They are currently ranked 8^th in the heading and heeling world standings, respectively.

Another former CFD champion, heeler Cesar de la Cruz and his partner Lane Ivy will be looking for a quick time today after failing to connect for a qualified run yesterday. He won the championship here in 2010.

Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:

While Cheyenne Frontier Days has been hosting rookie bronc riding since 1911, today’s competition could very easily have a big impact on the rookie of the year race in the bareback riding. The top three positions in the standings are held by Jesse Pope, Leighton Berry and Garrett Shadbolt respectively. There is less than $8,000 separating them, a deficit that could be made up here.

Those three men will be competing alongside some seasoned veterans including Tilden Hooper who is 5^th in the world standings and Steven Peebles, the 2015 world champion who is 17^th in the world.

Brothers Jacobs and Sterling Crawley will be competing in the saddle bronc riding. Jacobs is the 2015 world champion and the 2016 champion here. Jacobs joined the PRCA in 2006. Four years later, Sterling did the same. They both competed in college where Jacobs won a national championship. Sterling has followed in Jacobs’ footsteps for most of his life. This year, for perhaps the first time in their lives, Sterling is ahead of Jacobs in the race for a championship.

Sterling is third in the world standings. Jacobs is in seventh place. Jacobs has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo eight times. He has made the trip to Las Vegas on five of those occasions with Sterling. Jacobs is also the chairman of the PRCA’s board, so while his focus in the arena is on riding, he is busy with those responsibilities outside of the competition.

Also watch for Shane Proctor in today’s saddle bronc riding. Proctor won the bull riding here in 2011, the same year he got the gold buckle in that event. Fans might not realize that he is an all-around hand that has competed in nearly every rodeo event. He only entered the saddle bronc riding here this year so will be putting all of his energy into one event.

Taos Muncy needs another Cheyenne Frontier Days championship and some big money, or he will be going back to his family’s ranch and going to work. He won here in 2007, the same year he won his first gold buckle. Dawson Hay is the next generation of saddle bronc riders and has learned from the greats. He is 12^th in the world standings and if he wins a buckle here, it will be the second one for his family. His father, Rod Hay was the champion here in 2000.

Today’s bull riding will again feature some great riders including Trey Benton III, who is 10^th in the world standings. Benton has qualified for the NFR on five occasions, has won nearly $1 million in his career and will be looking for his first buckle from the “Daddy.” Benton is a rodeo fan and another guy that has competed in multiple events. If he wasn’t riding bulls, he would probably be roping, so look for him to be spending time watching what is happening on the other end of the arena.

Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:

Last Saturday, Shad Mayfield was roping at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs. He beat the rest of the field by over 2 seconds and earned the championship. He

Mayfield stopped the clock in 12.6 seconds which tied for second yesterday. Another top four finish will see him back here for Championship Sunday.  Ahead of Mayfield yesterday was Clint Cooper of the famed Cooper roping family. Clint had a time of 12.4 seconds and the money he won yesterday will be enough to advance him to Championship Sunday no matter what he does today. Of course, he wants to add as much as he can to his checking account. He joined the PRCA in 2001, has qualified for the NFR five times and was the Cheyenne Frontier Days Champion in 2004.

The team ropers that had the best time yesterday really need to win. Brenten Hall who has yet to qualify for the NFR and Chase Tryan, who has been there twice are in 16^th place in the world. They had a time of 8.8 seconds and won just over $2,200 each. They need to keep winning, move into the top 15 and stay there through the end of the regular season on Sept. 30^th to be in Las Vegas in December.

Terryn Sippel has a chance to be Cheyenne’s first breakaway roping champion if she continues to rope like she did yesterday. She stopped the clock in 4.13 seconds, the fastest time clocked during the rodeo so far. There were some faster times in the qualifying competition, but not with all the pressure of the rodeo going on.

Sippel will rope again today and hope to add to her winnings before Sunday’s Championship Finals. She is a former College National Finals Rodeo qualifier who also competes in team roping. There are several former college champion breakaway ropers who came through the qualifier to compete at the rodeo here. They include Kimberlyn Fitch who was the champion in 2013. She finished fourth yesterday and will need to add to that to have any hope of winning here.

Former Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo champion and world champion Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi is having another stellar year. She won the title here in 2007 aboard her great gelding Stitch. She has several horses she is riding now and they all are winners. The two-time world champion has been to the NFR 12 times and is likely headed there again. She is currently ranked seventh. Many things have changed for her since she won here previously. She is married to team roper Garrett Tonozzi and they have a daughter, Tinlee who keeps them on their toes.

Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding
The notion that winners surround themselves with other winners is evident in today’s bareback riding. Rodeo contestants travel in buddy groups to share expenses, have companionship and maybe most importantly critique each other’s rides, help each other at the event and keep them on top of their mental game.

Four of today’s bareback riders have done just that and all but one of them is ranked in the top 10 in the PRCA world standings. Leader of the pack is second generation world champion Kaycee Feild. He has won four world titles in the bareback riding following in his father Lewis Feild’s footsteps. Lewis was the world all-around champion from 1985 – 1987 who passed his love of riding bucking horses on to Kaycee. While Kaycee specializes in bareback riding, Lewis also rode saddle bronc horses and earned the all-around title in Cheyenne in 1982.

Kaycee is leading the world standings right now and is looking for his fifth gold buckle. If he accomplishes that he will tie the record for bareback world championships with Joe Alexander. Kaycee is traveling with the newlywed (June 3) Richmond Champion who was the champion here in 2014 and Caleb Bennett. Champion is fourth in the world and Bennett is close behind at 7th. The fourth member of their crew is two-time NFR qualifier Mason Clements.

There are plenty of opportunities for today’s bull riders. With only three qualified rides in the first two performances, if more than six ride in any of the remaining performances, they will fill up the empty spots. Clayton Sellars rode here last year for the first time and narrowly missed qualifying for his first NFR. He’s not going to miss it this year. He is currently fifth in the world standings. Another rider that is working hard towards his first trip to Las Vegas is Lon Danley who is 14th. While Danley’s focus is on bull riding, he has also competed in tie-down roping and is a rodeo fan. He doesn’t have to haul and care for a horse and only has to pack a rigging bag instead of a trailer full of equipment.

Steve Woolsey’s bull riding career started in 2005. In 2008, he won the Cheyenne Frontier Days championship and now the veteran is mentoring the rookies. He has been traveling with Sellars and two-time NFR qualifier Boudreaux Campbell. If Woolsey is healthy, he is a tough guy to get on the ground. With bulls from Stace Smith and Harper Morgan Rodeo Companies, expect to see some great rides and big scores.

Our entertainer, Rider Kiesner, is going to want to take a break from his trick roping, gun slinging, whip-cracking show during the saddle bronc riding. His younger brother Roper Kiesner, who has helped Rider here, will be competing in the saddle bronc riding. These guys have a lot of fans across the country that will be hoping to see Rider advance to the semifinals.

Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing

Adding breakaway roping to the contest list has given another college champion an opportunity to compete here that she wouldn’t have imagined when she won her first national title. Kimberlyn Fitch won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association championship in 2013 while rodeoing for Idaho State University.

That has been one of her favorite rodeo moments for a long time. A win here would certainly be among her favorites as well.

Tie-down roper Shad Mayfield is competing at Cheyenne for the first time as an 18-year-old. His father Sylvester Mayfield competed here on numerous occasions. Sylvester was always known for his horsemanship and the great horses that he rode. Those are things that he has passed on to Shad is 27th in the world standings and it is just a matter of time before he is in the top 15 that make the trip to Las Vegas to compete for world titles.

Trey Yates is another contestant that grew up watching his dad, J.D., rope and train horses. J.D. Yates has won the steer roping and the all-around championship here. This year Trey is hoping it is his turn. He will be heeling for Dustin Bird. Trey’s aunt, Kelly Yates is competing in the barrel racing today also. She is riding a young mare that is a sister to Firewater Fiesta, the great barrel racing horse that took Kelly to several NFR qualifications.

Caden Camp has already secured a spot in CFD’s Championship Finals in the steer wrestling after his success in that event during the first two performances. Today, he will be heading for Wyoming’s Jayden Johnson making Camp eligible for the prestigious all-around award here.

He hasn’t always called Wyoming home, but Beau Clark found his way here and is quickly making the Cowboy State his own. He and his family moved to Cheyenne so he could coach the rodeo team at Laramie County Community College here in Cheyenne. Then when he got the opportunity, he moved to Laramie to take the same position for the University of Wyoming.

Clark will be putting his coaching to work on his own behalf today as he hopes to earn money and have a chance to add the CFD champions package to his trophy case.