July 17-26, 2026
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
July 17-26, 2026
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
With the conclusion of Semi Finals 2 at the 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD), the field is set for Championship Sunday. The last contestants for this year’s final round were determined on the National Day of the Cowboy at Frontier Park.
Three-time CFD champion Brody Cress, who is from nearby Hillsdale and graduated from high school in Cheyenne, earned the chance to try to become the first saddle bronc rider since 1887 to win four championships at the “Daddy of ‘em All.” Cress scored 89.5 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s horse named Devils Advocate to win the semifinals. He bested another Brody from Wyoming, Brody Wells from Powell, by just half a point.
The highest score in bareback riding at Frontier Park this year went to world standings leader Rocker Steiner. Steiner, who lives in Weatherford, Texas, rode Dakota Rodeo’s horse called Native Lights for 92 points, just one point shy of the record set back in 1974 by three-time CFD champion Joe Alexander. Neither Steiner’s grandfather and father managed to win a championship here in their specialties (bull riding and steer wrestling, respectively), so he could accomplish a first for his storied rodeo family should he win on Sunday.
Former world champion tie-down roper Tyson Durfey stepped away from full-time rodeo a few years ago to concentrate on his coaching business. He qualified for his 14th National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2020, and five years later, it looks like he hasn’t missed a step. He roped his calf in 9.6 seconds to win Semi Final 2 and match the fastest time of this year’s rodeo set by Nebraska’s Riley Pruitt in the qualifying round. Pruitt won Semi Final 1 and will be among tomorrow’s ropers along with Durfey.
Jordi Edens-Mitchell, daughter of NFR team roper Tommy Edens, qualified for the National Finals Breakaway Roping in 2022. Since then, she married a team roper, changed her name and had a baby. Her breakaway roping time of 4.9 seconds won the semifinals and advanced her to Sunday’s championship round.
Four former CFD champions compete in the team roping on Saturday, and all four advanced to the championship round. Billy Bob Brown, who won the heading title in 2016, tied for first in Semi Final 2 roping with fellow Texan Blaine Vick. Their time of 10.6 was matched by a pair of Oklahomans, Ryon Boatright and Jett Hillman. Another pair of Oklahomans, Bubba Buckaloo and 2018 CFD heeling champion Joseph Harrison finished third. South Carolina’s Luke Brown, 2015 champion header, and his partner Trey Yates, 2019 champion heeler, finished fourth.
Garrett Oates of Huntsville, Texas, notched the biggest win so far of his rookie season in pro rodeo by winning Semi Final 2 in steer wrestling with a time of 6.0 seconds. He is currently second in the rookie standings, but a strong finish on Sunday could help him reach number one.
Michelle Alley of Madisonville, Texas, bested three former CFD champions to win the barrel racing with a time of 17.09 seconds riding Lipstick N Stillettos, a mare she trained. Two of those former champions, 18-time NFR qualifier Lisa Lockhart and three-time world champion Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, also advanced.
Bull rider Gavin Mitchell of Graford, Texas, earned $5,200 when he rode Dakota Rodeo’s bull named The Judge for 88.5 points to win the semifinals.
The rookie saddle bronc riding, a tradition at the “Daddy of ‘em All” since 1911, concluded Saturday, and Josue Molina became the first Mexican cowboy to win a championship in Frontier Park. The 22-year-old from Juarez in Chihuahua scored a total of 159 on two horses to win the event.
For the 129th time Cheyenne Frontier Days will crown champions on Sunday with the championship performance beginning at 12:45 p.m.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 26, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Semi Finals (seventh performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Saturday, July 25. The top six in each event advance to Championship Sunday.
Bareback Riding: 1, Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 92 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Native Lights, $3,441. 2, Kade Berry, Stephenville, Texas, 88, $2,606. 3, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 87, $1,877. 4, (tie) Jayco Roper, Oktaha, Okla., and Quintonn Lunsford, McCune, Kan., 86.5, $991 each. 6, (tie) Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., and Waylon Bourgeois, Church Point, La. 86, $261 each.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas, 9.3 seconds, $5,200. 2, Ty Moser, Volga, S.D., 10.7, $4,300. 3, (tie) Kyan Wilhite, Clovis, N.M., and Pecos Tatum, La Plata, N.M., 11.0, $ 2,950 each. 5, Tripp Brown, Kenansville, Fla., 12.2, $1,600. 6, Jarvis Demery, Beggs, Okla., 12.3, $900.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Jordi Edens-Mitchell, Stephenville, Texas, 4.9 seconds, $6,510. 2, Shy-Anne Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 5.4, $4,932. 3, Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Ariz., 5.8, $3,551. 4, Brooke Bruner, Parker, Colo., 5.9, $2,367. 5, Sequin Brewer, Union City, Okla., 6.6, $1,381. 6, Maddy Dearman, Hope, N.M., 6.8, $986.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 89.5 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s Devils Advocate, $3,416. 2, Brody Wells, Powell, Wyo., 89, $2,588. 3, (tie) Waitley Sharon, Ordway, Colo., and Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 87, $1,553 each. 6, Statler Wright, Beaver, Utah, 85.5, $518.
Team Roping: (five times) 1, (tie) Billy Bob Brown, Carbon, Texas, and Blaine Vick, Breckenridge, Texas; and Ryon Boatright, Mulhall, Okla., and Jett Hillman, Perry, Okla., 10.6 seconds, $4,930 each. 3, Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla., and Joseph Harrison, Marietta, Okla., 11.9, $3,580 each. 4, Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo, 12.1, $2,680 each. 5, Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz., and Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, Canada, 15.6, $1,780 each. (Kyle Polich, Cortez, Colo., and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., also advance from Semi Final 1.)
Steer Wrestling: 1, Garrett Oates, Huntsville, Texas, 6.0, $4,060. 2, Trisyn Kalawaia, Hilo, Hawaii, 6.2, $3,360. 3, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 6.3, $2,660. 4, Joe Nelson, Watford City, N.D., 6.5, $1,960. 5, Jacob Edler, Alva, Okla., 6.6, $1,260. 6, (tie) Colten Leech, Chico, Texas, and Nathan Duvall, Hitchita, Okla., 7.7, $350 each. (Leech advances on tiebreaker.)
Barrel Racing: 1, Michelle Alley, Madisonville, Texas, 17.09 seconds, $5,410. 2, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 17.21, $4,477. 3, Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 17.33, $3,544. 4, Bristan McCarley, Happy, Texas, 17.35, $2,611. 5, Tayla Moeykens, Three Forks, Mont., 17.55, $1,679. 6, Hadley Tidwell, La Luz, N.M., 17.62, $933.
Bull Riding: 1, Gavin Mitchell, Graford, Texas, 88.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s The Judge, $5,200. 2, Robbie Taylor, Chinle, Ariz., 87, $4,300. 3, Ernie Courson, Jr., Okeechobee, Fla., 86, $3,400. 4, Qynn Anderson, Koumala, Queensland, Australia, 85.5, $2,500. 5, Jesse Petri, Dublin, Texas, 83.5. $1,600. 6, Mason Spain, Forney, Texas, 82.5, $900.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding: (second round winners) 1, Ty Brenna, Keene, N.D., 82 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s 180, $1,242. 2, Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico,, 80, $941. 3, (tie) Tayson Jones, Howes, S.D., and Mitchell Story, Bayfield, Colo., 79, $564 each. 5, Jase Stout, Bayfield, Colo., 77, $263. 6, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 76.5, $188.
(overall winners) 1, Molina, 159, $1,242. 2, (tie) Story, 157, $941. 3, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., and Moses, 153.5, $564 each. 5, Izaah Bartels, New Underwood, S.D., 153, $263. 6, (tie) Jasper Frost, Browns Valley, Calif., and Stout, 152. $94 each.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Crazy Horse, $600. 2, /M Ranch, $450. 3, Gotta Go, $300. 4, Young Gunz, $150.
Steer Roping: (first round winners) 1, Thomas Smith, Barnsdall, Okla., 13.1, $6,941. 2, Blake Deckard, Eufaula, Okla., 14.0, $6,036. 3, Tuff Hardman, Atoka, Okla., 14.7, $5,131. 4, Kelton McMillen, Weatherford, Okla., 15.0, $4,225. 5, Brodie Poppino, Big Cabin, Okla., 15.3, $3,320. 6, (tie) Billy Good, Wynnewood, Okla.; Jesse Stipes, Salina, Okla., and Cash Fretwell, Pleasanton, Texas, 16.1, $1,056 each.
(second round winners) 1, Riley O’Rourke, Skiatook, Okla., 12.0 seconds, $6,941. 2, Troy Tillard, Douglas, Wyo.,12.2, $6,036. 3, Cash Myers, Kaufman, Texas, 12.4, $5,131. 4, Clay Long, Stephenville, Texas, 12.5, $4,225. 5, Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla.,13.3, $3,320. 6, (tie) Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla.; Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas; and Ryan Rochitz, Pine Bluffs, Wyo., 13.4, $1,509 each.
(finals qualifiers) 1, Deckard. 2, Clay Long, Stephenville, Texas. 3, Poppino. 4, Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., 5, Roger Nonella, Redmond, Ore., 6, Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 7, Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, 8, Ty Williams, Sulphur, Okla., 9, Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kansas. 10, Tuff Hardman. 11, Dalton Walker, Clyde, Texas. 12, Chris Pearson, Broken Bow, Neb.’
Local favorite Brody Cress of nearby Hillsdale won Semi Final 2 of saddle bronc riding at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) with 89.5 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s horse Devils Advocate. He will be aiming for the CFD record books on Championship Sunday when he tries to become the only cowboy since CFD began in 1897 to win four saddle bronc riding titles. CFD photo by Laura Storey
Semi Finals 1 of the 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) ended Friday with half of the roster for Championship Sunday filled.
Wyoming bull rider Hayden Welsh of Gillette made the crowd cheer the loudest when he rode Korkow Rodeos’ bull named Salinas for 90.5 points. The 19-year-old son of seven-time National Finals Rodeo (NFR) bull rider Bobby Welsh bested 17 other cowboys to win Semi Finals 1. He has a chance on Sunday to leave Frontier Park with the Welsh family’s first CFD championship.
Welsh wasn’t the only 19-year-old to rack up 90 points on Friday. Oklahoma’s Wacey Schalla dominated the bareback riding with his own 90-point ride on Penthouse Pro Rodeo’s horse named Brazos.
Schalla, who is second in the world in both the all-around and bull riding standings, is 29th in the bareback riding world rankings. He would love to qualify for his second NFR in both events after debuting in the bull riding last year. He added $3,500 to his earnings Friday and a win on Sunday would give an even bigger boost to that goal.
Jordan Jo Hollabaugh is the “OG” of breakaway roping at Cheyenne Frontier Days since she won the championship the first time the event was held at Frontier Park in 2019. Then she was Jordan Jo Fabrizio and was wearing her now-husband Raymond Hollabaugh’s CFD champion buckle when she won her own. The next-to-last to rope in the semifinals, she took first with a time of 4.9 seconds.
Reigning world champion team ropers Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp were also next-to-last to rope and topped the field with a 9.3-second run. Wade won the championship here in 2019, roping with Dakota Kirchenschlager, but Thorp is trying to rope his first CFD title.
Riley Pruitt of Gering, Nebraska, won more than $5,000 in the qualifying round for CFD last week. While he didn’t match his qualifier time of 9.6 seconds, his 10.7 was the fastest since the rodeo performances started last Saturday and earned him another $5,200.
Pruitt, son of 1990 world champion Troy Pruitt, last qualified for the NFR in 2019. He boosted his chances to make a fourth trip to Las Vegas when he won the NFR Open in Colorado Springs last month and has continued to rope well since.
Three athletes who have had success at Frontier Park, but never broken through to the winners’ circle, won the semifinals in their specialties. Four-time world champion Zeke Thurston rode Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ horse named Kay’s Big Bay for 87.5 points to take the saddle bronc riding.
Justin Shaffer of Hallsville, Texas, qualified for his first NFR last year in steer wrestling and is ranked 17th now. He won the semifinal with a 5.9-second run. Emily Beisel of Weatherford, Oklahoma, has been to the NFR six times and has a stable of standout horses. This year at CFD she has ridden Vanilla Gorilla, an eight-year-old palomino that she calls Trigger. The horse that she raised is getting his first major rodeo experience at CFD this year. The duo won their quarter final with a 17.24 last Sunday and notched the win today with a 17.27.
Saturday’s Semi Final 2 features quarterfinal winners who did not compete on Friday and begins at 12:45 p.m. when the rest of the field for Championship Sunday will be decided. The end of competition and the crowning of the champion in Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding also happens on Saturday in Frontier Park.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 25, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Semi Finals (seventh performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Friday, July 25. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, Wacey Schalla, Arapaho, Okla., 90 points on Penthouse Pro Rodeo’s Brazos, $3,518. 2, Jess Pope, Waverly, Kan., 88.5, $2,665. 3, (tie) Mason Stuller, Veneta, Ore.; Sam Petersen, Helena, Mont.; and Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb.; 87, $1,279 each. 6, Kade Sonnier, Carencro, La., 86.5, $533.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb., 10.7 seconds, $5,200. 2, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 11.7, $4,300. 3, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 12.4, $3,400. 4, Cole Clemons, Okeechobee, Fla., 12.6, $2,500. 5, Tom Simpson, Malad, Idaho, 12.7, $1,600. 6, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 15.0, $900.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Jordan Hollabaugh, Pueblo, Colo., 4.9 seconds, $6,510. 2, Hannah Giger, Wilburton, Okla., 5.1, $4,932. 3, Jacee Currin, Heppner, Ore., 5.2, $3,551. 4, Bailey Bates, Tohatchi, N.M., 5.5, $2,367. 5, Rylee George, Oakdale, Calif., 5.6, $1,381. 6, Shawnee Sherwood, Coolidge, Ariz., 6.0, $986.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 87.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Kay’s Big Boy, $3,416. 2, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 86.5, $2,588. 3, Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont., 84.5, $1,242. 5, Weston Patterson, Waverly, Kan., 83.4, $725. 6, Q McWhorter, Petrolia, Calif., and Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, Canada, 82, $259 each.
Team Roping: 1, Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Wesley Thorp, Stephenville, Texas, 9.3 seconds, $5,200 each. 2, (tie) Devon Johnson, Red Oak, Texas, and Zane Pratt, Congress, Ariz.; and Blaine Turner, Batesville, Ark., and Ethan Cory, Hico, Texas, 9.8, $3,850 each. 4, Justin Young, Phoenix, Ariz., and Talon Salazar, Gill, Colo., 10.2, $2,500 each. 5, Nelson Wyatt, Clanton, Ala., and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 10.3, $1,500 each. 6, Kash Bonnett, Ponoka, Alberta, Canada, and Logan Cullen, Courtenay, B.C., Canada, 10.4, $900.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, 5.9, $4,060. 2, Mason Couch, Bronaugh, Mo., 6.6, $3,360. 3, Tyke Kipp, Lordsburg, N.M., 7.5, $2,660. 4, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 7.7, $1,960. 5, Paul Melvin, Paradise, Texas, 7.8, $1,260. 6, Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, 8.0, $700.
Barrel Racing: 1, Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 17.27 seconds, $5,410. 2, Bryanna Haluptzok, Ardmore, Okla., 17.32, $4,477. 3, Summer Kosel, Glenham, S.D., 17.33, $3,544. 4, Carlee Otero, Perrin, Texas, 17.35, $2,611. 5, Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, 17.43, $1,679. 6, Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas, 17.44, $933.
Bull Riding: 1, Hayden Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 90.5 points on Korkow Rodeos’ Salinas, $3,441. 2, Colton Fritzlan, Rifle, Colo., 88.5, $2,607. 3, Hayes Weight, Goshen, Utah, 87, $1,877. 4, (tie) Jestyn Woodward, Custer, S.D., and Dakota Warnken, Wakarusa, Ind., 84, $991 each. 6, Andy Guzman, Oakdale, Calif., 83, $521.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round winners): 1, Jasper Frost, Browns Valley, Calif, 83 points on Smith Pro Rodeos A30, $1,242. 2, Izaah Bartels, New Underwood, S.D., 81, $941. 3, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5, $677. 4, (tie) Rope Roghair, Isabel, S.D., and Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79, $359 each. 5, Mitchell Story, Bayfield, Colo., 77.5, $188. (second round leaders) 1, Molina, 80 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s 158. 2, Tayson Jones, Howes, S.D., 79. 3, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 76.5. 4, Eastan West, New Underwood, S.D., 76. 5, Devin Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 75. 6, Nunn, 74. (overall leaders) 1, Molina, 159. 2, (tie) Nunn and Moses, 153.5 each. 4, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 150.5, 5, Easton West, New Underwood, S.D., 149. 6, Roghair, 146.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Young Gunz, $600. 2, Gotta Go, $450. 3, Buntin Pump, $300. 4, Turquoise Rose, $150.
Hayden Welsh, a 19-year-old from Gillette, Wyoming, is quickly becoming a crowd favorite at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Welsh, whose father qualified for the National Finals Rodeo seven times, scored 90.5 points on Korkow Rodeos’ Salinas to win Semi Finals 1 and advance to Sunday’s championship. CFD photo by Click Thompson
With the conclusion of Quarter Final 6 on Thursday afternoon, the field for Thursday’s and Friday’s Semi Finals of the 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) is set.
Reigning CFD champion tie-down roper Shad Mayfield of Clovis, N.M., was the final roper of the quarterfinals. His 12.1-second time was fast enough to win Quarter Final 6 and advance him to the Semi Finals.
Mayfield, the reigning world champion all-around cowboy, currently leads the world championship standings in his signature event and has a chance to make CFD history if he continues to win in Frontier Park. Since the event began at CFD in 1920, nine ropers have won the championship here two or more times, but none of them have managed back-to-back titles. If Mayfield advances to Championship Sunday and wins, he will be the first to do so.
Summer Kosel and her horse Apollo, registered as Firewaterfrenchfame, must love to compete in Frontier Park. The South Dakota barrel racer and her main mount have set the arena record twice at Cheyenne Frontier Days – first in 2022 with a time 17.02. They broke their own record in 2023 with 16.97, only to have 2023 CFD champion Sue Smith clock a 16.89 two runs later.
On Thursday Kosel and Apollo tied the fastest time of this year’s rodeo – 17.00 – to win Quarter Final 6. Kosel qualified for the NFR in 2023 and is ranked 23rd this season, so continued success here could give her a major boost in the standings.
Team ropers Nelson Wyatt of Clanton, Alabama, and Jonathan Torres of Ocala, Florida, roped their steer in 9.4 seconds to win Quarter Final 6. Wyatt has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) twice and Torres three times. This season Torres is ranked fifth and Wyatt is 15th. The duo will appear on ESPN’s SportsCenter tonight as part of the iconic daily sports news program’s 50 states in 50 days feature.
Four-time world champion saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston has won almost every major rodeo in North American, including winning his fourth Calgary Stampede title earlier this month, but the Canadian cowboy has yet to win the CFD championship. He started his quest for the elusive prize package with a 90.5 score on Dakota Rodeo’s Cover Girl to win Quarter Final 6.
Friday’s Semi Final 1 features winners from Quarter Finals 4-6 and begins at 12:45 p.m. Those who advanced from Quarter Finals 1-3 will compete on Saturday afternoon.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 24, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (sixth performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Wednesday, July 23. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, Myles Carlson, Evanston, Wyo., 88 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Broadway Boots, $2,722. 2, Jacek Frost, Browns Valley, Calif., 87.5, $2,042. 3, Kade Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 85.5, $1,361. 4, Mason Stuller, Veneta, Ore., 85, $681.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Bailey Bates, Tohatchi, N.M., 5.0 seconds, $3,157. 2, Amanda Terrell, LaSalle, Colo., 5.2, $2,367. 3, Samantha Fulton, Miller, S.D., 5.4, $1,578. 4, (tie) Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Ariz., and Shawnee Sherwood, Coolidge, Ariz., 6.1, $395 each.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 12.1 seconds, $2,000. 2, Bo Pickett, Caldwell, Idaho, 13.2, $1,500. 3, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alberta, Canada, 13.4, $1,000. 4, Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb., 13.5, $500.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 90.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Cover Girl, $2,643. 2, Zac Dallas, Las Cruces, N.M., 88.5, $1,982. 3, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, Canada, 88, $1,321. 4, Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah, 86, $661.
Team Roping: 1, Nelson Wyatt, Clanton, Ala., and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 9.4 seconds, $2,000 each. 2, Skeeter Hill, Stephenville, Texas, and Tommy Zuniga, Yoakum, Texas, 9.7, $1,500 each. 3, Devon Johnson, Red Oak, Texas, and Zane Pratt, Congress, Ariz.,10.1, $1,000 each. 4, Kash Bonnett, Ponoka, Alberta, Canada, and Logan Cullen, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, 10.2, $500 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Tyke Kipp, Lordsburg, N.M., 6.7 seconds, $2,000. 2, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 7.1 seconds, $1,500. 3, Paul Melvin, Paradise, Texas., 7.2, $1,000. 4, Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, 8.1, $500.
Barrel Racing: 1, Summer Kosel, Glenham, S.D., 17.00 seconds, $2,487. 2, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 17.42, $1,865. 3, Anita Ellis, Blackfoot, Idaho, 17.47, $1,244. 4, Piper Cordes, Wall, S.D., 17.56, $622.
Bull Riding: 1, (tie) Luke Mast, Hutchinson, Kansas, on Dakota Rodeo’s Born to Sin, and Cimarron Rucker, Liberty Hill, Texas, on Dakota Rodeo’s Whatever, 87 points, $2,163 each. 3, Elijah Mora, Wiggins, Colo., 86, $1,664. 4, Andy Guzman, Oakdale, Calif., 85.5, $666.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round leaders): 1, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s 419. 2, (tie) Rope Roghair, Isabel, S.D., and Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79. 4, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 77.5. 4, (second round leaders) 1, Molina, 80 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s 158. 2, Tayson Jones, Howes, S.D., 79. 3, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 76.5. 4, Eastan West, New Underwood, S.D., 76. (overall leaders) 1, Molina, 159. 2, Roghair, 146. 3, (tie) Nunn and Moses, 143.5 each.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Turquoise Rose, $600. 2, Young Gunz, $450. 3, Crazy Horse, $300. 4, Buntin Pump, $150. (Fifth performance-July 23) 1, Turquoise Rose, $600. 2, Gotta Go, $450. 3, Billy Scharton, $300. 4, TeamAgin.com, $150.
Summer Kosel of Glenham, S.D., and her horse Firewaterfrenchfame (nicknamed Apollo) tied the fastest time of this year’s Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo to win Quarter Final 6. The duo stopped the clock in 17.00 seconds, two-hundredths of a second faster than the first time they set the arena record here in 2022. They broke that record in 2023 with a 16.97 which held for two runs until 2023 CFD champ, who still holds the record, ran a 16.87. CFD photo by Tonya Hamner.
Damian Brennan, the 2024 reserve world champion saddle bronc rider from Australia, took first place in Quarter Final 5 at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) on Wednesday. Brennan, who is currently third in the 2025 standings, scored 90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s horse named Black Mesa. He edged Wyoming’s Brody Wells by 1.5 points. Both Brennan and Wells advance to the Semi Finals later this week, along with two other bronc riders.
His score matched the best of the rodeo so far, set in Quarter Final 2 by Coleman Shallbetter. Brennan was excited to get the win. Although he has had some success at the “Daddy of ‘em All”, this was the first time he has won a round. His score matched the highest of this year’s CFD.
Rodeo is in Thayne Elshere’s DNA. The second-oldest son of National Finals Rodeo (NFR) veteran saddle bronc rider JJ Elshere of Hereford, South Dakota, Thayne competes in that event, but like his cousin Cole Elshere (another NFR veteran), Thayne also competes in bull riding, and that’s where he was successful on Wednesday.
Elshere scored 90.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s bull named Macho Man to win Quarter Final 5. That was the highest score so far this year at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. He was 1.5 points higher than Cheyenne’s Brenson Bartlett.
California bareback rider R.C. Landingham bested the field on Wednesday. His 89-point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s horse named Hillbilly matched the high bareback riding score of the week in Frontier Park set on Tuesday by Kade Sonnier.
Landingham currently sits 13th in the standings and is aiming for his sixth NFR.
Not to be outdone by the rough stock riders, breakaway roper Sidney Peters of Hot Springs, South Dakota, caught her calf in 3.6 seconds, the fastest time of the Quarter Finals so far. She will return for the Semi Finals.
Taylor Baize of San Angelo, Texas, is hoping to carry on a family tradition with a win in Frontier Park. Her father Casey Baize was CFD champion bull rider in 2003. She rode her 18-year-old veteran horse MRT Easy on the Pepr (nicknamed Bo) for a time of 17.44 seconds to win the Quarter Final.
Thursday is Give Cancer the Boot Day at CFD. The last Quarter Final of the 2025 rodeo begins at 12:45 p.m. where a new group of rodeo athletes in every event but bull riding will make their bids to advance in the tournament-style format.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 23, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (fifth performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Wednesday, July 23. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, R.C. Landingham, Hat Creek, Calif., 89 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Hillbilly, $2,722. 2, (tie) Weston Timberman, Columbus, Mont., and Sam Petersen, Helena, Mont., $ 1,701 each. 4, (tie) Jess Pope, Waverly, Kan., and Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 86.5, $ each.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Sidney Peters, Hot Springs, S.D., 3.6 seconds, $3,157. 2, Jacee Currin. Heppner, Ore., 4.3, $2,367. 3, Hope Thompson, Abilene, Texas, 5.2, $1,578. 4, Sierra Spratt, San Tan Valley, Ariz., 5.2, $340 each.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Cole Clemons, Okeechobee, Fla., 12.0 seconds, $2,000. 2, Myles Kenzy, Iona, S.D., 12.9, $1,500. 3, Jarvis Demery, Beggs, Okla., 14.4, $1,000. 4, Cole Eiguren, Fruitland, Idaho, 15.9, $500.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Damian Brennan, Injune, Queensland, Australia, 90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Black Mesa, $2,643. 2, Body Wells, Powell, Wyo., 88.5, $1,982. 3, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 86, $1,321. 4, Weston Patterson, Waverly, Kan., 86, $661.
Team Roping: 1, (tie) Blaine Turner, Batesville, Ark., and Ethan Cory, Hico, Texas; and Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 9.6, $1,750 each. 3, Mason Appleton, Chelsea, Okla., and Rance Doyal, Kenefic, Okla.,10.0, $1,000 each. 4, Rooster Yazzie, Coyote Canyon, N.M., and Shawn Murphy, Tohatchi, N.M., 10.7, $500 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, (tie) Wyatt Schaack, Wall, S.D., and Kyler Dick, Oakley, Utah, 6.1 seconds, $1,750 each. 3, Jace Mayfield, Midwest, Wyo., 7.0, $1,000. 4, Rooster Yazzie, Coyote Canyon, N.M., 6.8, $500.
Barrel Racing: 1, Taylor Baize, San Angelo, Texas, 17. 44 seconds, $2,487. 2, Tayla Moeykens, Three Forks, Mont., 17.51, $1,865. 3, Avery Ledesma, Las Cruces, N.M., 17.60, $1,244. 4, McKinlee Paschal, Nome, Texas, 17.71 $622.
Bull Riding: 1, Thayne Elshere, Hereford, S.D., 90.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Macho Man, $2,662. 2, Brenson Bartlett, Cheyenne, Wyo., 88.5, $1,785. 3, (tie) Cade Griego, Stanley, N.M.; Andy Guzman, Oakdale, Calif., and Tyce Willis, Alvord, Texas, 87.5, $595 each.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round leaders): 1, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s 419. 2, (tie) Rope Roghair, Isabel, S.D., and Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79. 4, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 77.5. 4, (second round leaders) 1, Molina, 80 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s 158. 2, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 76.5. 3, Eastan West, New Underwood, S.D., 76. 4, Nunn, 74. 5, Lyons 73. (overall leaders) 1, Molina, 159. 2, (tie) Nunn and Moses, 143.5 each. 4, Lyons 140.5.
Wild Horse Race: Results not available.
Australian Damian Brennan scored 90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s horse named Black Mesa to win Quarter Final 5 at Cheyenne Frontier Days on Wednesday. Brennan is now advancing and hoping to leave here with a championship on Sunday. CFD photo by Laura Storey
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 22, 2025) — A pair of 2023 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) champions began strong bids for a second title on Tuesday. Kade Sonnier of Carencro, La., was one of three co-winners in the bareback riding two years ago and would love to be the solo winner this year.
Sonnier first competed on Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Kate, but the horse fell during the ride. Sonnier made the most of his reride, winning Quarter Final 4. His score of 89 points on Brookman Rodeo’s horse SOS was the highest of the 2025 CFD so far.
The former college baseball star qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2023 and is ranked 12th in the world championship standings, after an injury-plagued season kept him from making last year’s NFR. Continued success in Frontier Park could help keep him among the top 15 who qualify for rodeo’s biggest stage.
Ryder Sanford, who shared the CFD champions’ stage with Sonnier in 2023, holds the record for the highest saddle bronc riding score at CFD – 92.5 points. While he didn’t match that record mark on Tuesday, his 87-point effort on Smith Pro Rodeo’s horse named Stormy won Quarter Final 4 and advanced him to the Semi Finals.
Sanford also qualified for his first NFR in 2023 and finished the 2024 season 16th, one spot out of the NFR field. This year’s he is 20th and a win at Frontier Park could be the boost he needs for another trip to Las Vegas.
Another 2023 CFD champion, barrel racer Sue Smith of Blackfoot, Idaho, also advanced to the Semi Finals on Tuesday. Smith tied for third in Quarter Finals 4 with a time of 17.60. The winner was Alyssa Urbanek-Wade of Stephenville, Texas, who was three-tenths of a second faster than any of her competitors at 17.26.
The only 90-point ride of the day came during the bull riding when Tristan Hutchings of Monteview, Idaho, rode Korkow Rodeos’ bull named Nap Time to win the day. The three-time NFR cowboy is currently third in the world championship standings and seeking his first world title.
Wednesday is Cheyenne Day at CFD with Quarter Final 5 beginning at 12:45 p.m. where a new group of rodeo athletes will make their bids to advance in the tournament-style format.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 22, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (fourth performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Tuesday, July 22. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, Kade Sonnier, Carencro, La., 89 points on Brookman Rodeo’s SOS, $2,722. 2, Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, 87, $2,042. 3, Cooper Bennett, Roosevelt, Utah, 84.5, $1,361. 4, Briar Dittmer, Van Meter Iowa, 81, $681.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Hannah Giger, Wilburton, Okla., 4.6 seconds, $3,157. 2, Madison Richmann, Keenesburg, Colo., 5.2, $2,367. 3, Kendal Pierson, Wardlow, Alberta, Canada, 5.6, $1,578. 4, Brooke Bruner, Parker, Colo., 6.1, $789.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Denton Oestmann, Auburn, Neb., 13.7 seconds, $2,000. 2, Bodie Mattson, Sturgis, S.D., 14.3, $1,500. 3, Tom Simpson, Malad, Idaho, 14.5, $1,000. 4, Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas, 15.9, $500.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Ryder Sandford, Sulphur, La., 87 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Stormy, $2,643. 2, (tie) Q Taylor, Nanton, Alberta, Canada, and Q McWhorter, Petrolia, Calif., 85.5, $1,652 each. 4, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 83, $661.
Team Roping: 1, Kyle Polich, Cortez, Colo., and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., 9.0 seconds, $2,000 each. 2, Justin Pruitt, Greenbrier, Ark., and Travis Holland, Bee Branch, Ark., 9.2, $1,500 each. 3, (tie) Justin Young, Phoenix, Ariz., and Talon Salaza, Gill, Colo.; and Ryon Boatright, Mulhall, Okla., and Jett Hillman, Perry, Okla., 10.3, $750 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Cody Devers, Perryton, Texas, 6.5 seconds, $2,000. 2, Colten Leach, Chico, Texas, 6.8, $1,500. 3, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 7.0, $1,000. 4, Cinch Painter, Springview, Neb., 7.1, $500.
Barrel Racing: 1, Alyssa Urbanek-Wade, Stephenville, Texas, 17. 26 seconds, $2,487. 2, BryAnna Haluptzok, Ardmore, Okla., 17.57, $1,865. 3, Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, and Taylor Langdon, Ardmore, Okla., $622 each.
Bull Riding: 1, Tristan Hutchings, Monteview, Idaho, 90 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Candy Cane, $2,662. 2, Jate Frost, Randlett, Utah, 86.5. 3, Ethan Skogquist, Elk River, Minn, 86, $1,664 each. 4, Jesse Petri, Dublin, Texas, 85.5, $666.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round leaders): 1, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s 419. 2, Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79. 3, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 77.5. 4, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 77. (second round leaders) 1, Molina, 80 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s 158. 2, Moses, 76.5. 3, Eastan West, New Underwood, S.D., 76. 4, Nunn, 74. 5, Lyons 73. (overall leaders) 1, Molina, 159. 2, (tie) Nunn and Moses, 143.5 each. 4, Lyons 140.5.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Team Manus, $600. 2, Graves Team, $450. 3, Wild & Vintage, $300. 4, Team Skomkic, $150.
Louisiana’s Kade Sonnier started his bid for a second Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo championship with an 89-point ride to win the bareback riding in Quarter Final 4 and advance to the Semi Finals. Sonnier made the most of a reride on Brookman Rodeos’ SOS after his first horse fell. PRCA photo by Click Thompson.
The bull riders came to Monday’s Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) primed for action, and they delivered. Twelve of the 18 riders who climbed on a bull stayed for the full eight seconds.
Hayes Weight of Goshen, Utah, topped the field with an 87-point ride on Dakota Rodeo’s Time Bomb. The 2024 reserve world champion is currently ranked fourth in the standings and poised to qualify for his third National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He punched his ticket to the CFD Semi Finals with today’s win.
Weight was a point and a half ahead of 2023 world champion Ky Hamilton of Australia and South Dakotan Jestyn Woodward who each scored 85.5 on Dakota Rodeo’s Pontotoc and Melanie’s Dream, respectively.
Breakaway roper Rylee George has been on a hot streak. In June she won the college national championship for East Texas State University at Commerce. On Saturday, she won the biggest rodeo in her home state, the California Rodeo in Salinas. George was the final roper at Frontier Park on Monday, and her time of 4.3 seconds gave her the Quarter Final 3 win and advanced her to the Semi Finals.
Team ropers Jeff Flenniken of Caldwell, Idaho, and Buddy Hawkins III from Stephenville, Texas, turned in the fastest time thus far in the Quarter Finals to take first with a time of 8.8 seconds. The NFR veterans began roping together this season. They are ranked in the top 30, but will need big wins at CFD and other rodeos to return to Las Vegas in December. They will be back in the Semi Finals.
Rodeo insiders expected high scores to rule the day in bareback riding. A pair of former CFD champions – Canada’s Orin Larsen and Montana’s Richmond Champion—tied with two-time National High School champion Tuker Carricato for first with 88 points. Three others scored 85.5 to also qualify for the Semi Finals.
Quarter Final 4 begins Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. at Frontier Park where a new group of rodeo athletes in every event except bull riding will make their bids to advance in the tournament-style format. The PRCA Extreme Bulls tour stop concludes with round two beginning at 8 p.m.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 21, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (second performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Monday, July 21. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, (tie) Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., on Brookman Rodeo’s 3 Ten to Yuma; Tucker Carricato, Saratoga, Wyo., on Brookman Rodeo’s Lonely Smile; and Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, Canada, on United Pro Rodeo’s Marie Leveau, 88 points, $2,042 each. 4, (tie) Waylon Bourgeois, Church Point, La.; Wacey Schalla, Arapaho, Okla., and Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 85.5, $227 each.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Rylee George, Oakdale, Calif., 4.3 seconds, $3,157. 2, Quincy Sullivan, Peralta, N.M., and Sequin Brewer, Union City, Okla., 4.6, $1,973 each. 4, Jordan Jo Hollabaugh, Pueblo, Colo., 5.4, $789.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 12.3 seconds, $2,000. 2, Bryce Derrer, Portales, N.M., 12.6, $1,500. 3, Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas, 12.8, $1,000. 4, Cody Stewart, Janesville, Calif., 13.1, $500.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont., 88.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Satisfaction, $2,643. 2, Statler Wright, Beaver, Utah, 86.5, $1,982. 3, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 85, $1,321. 4, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 83, $661.
Team Roping: 1, Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho, and Buddy Hawkins III, Stephenville, Texas, 8.8 seconds, $2,000 each. 2, Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 9.4, $1,500 each. 3, Brayden Schmidt, Benton City, Wash., and Jaydon Warner, Tropic, Utah, 10.3, $1,000 each. 4, (tie) Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Wesley Thorp, Stephenville, Texas; and Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz., and Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, Canada, 10.9, $250 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Garrett Oates, Huntsville, Texas, 5.8 seconds, $2,000. 2, Kyle Irwin, Westville, Fla., 6.6, $1,500. 3, Gary Gilbert, Paradise, Texas, 6.8, $1,000. 4, Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, 7.3, $500.
Barrel Racing: 1, Kimmie Wall, Roosevelt, Utah, 17.42 seconds, $2,487. 2, Michelle Alley, Madisonville, Texas, 17.44, $1,865. 3, Carlee Otero, Perrin, Texas, 17.47 $1,244. 4, Hadley Tidwell, La Luz, N.M., 17.55, $622.
Bull Riding: 1, Hayes Weight, Goshen, Utah, 87 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Time Bomb, $2,662. 2, (tie) Jestyn Woodward, Custer, S.D., and Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 85.5, $1,664 each. 4, Clayton Sellars, Fruitland Park, Fla., 85, $666.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round leaders): 1, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s 419. 2, Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79. 3, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 77.5. 4, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 77. (second round leaders) 1, Molina, 80 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s 158. 2, Moses, 76.5. 3, Nunn, 74. 4, Lyons 73. (overall leaders) 1, Molina, 159. 2, (tie) Nunn and Moses, 143.5 each. 4, Lyons 140.5.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Team Skomkic, $600. 2, Kicked in the Belly, $450. 3, Graves Team, $300. 4, Plan C, $150.
Hayes Weight led the field in Quarter Final 3 at the 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo with this 87-point ride on Dakota Rodeo’s Time Bomb. The 2024 reserve world champion advanced to the Semi Finals with the win. PRCA photo by Laura Storey.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 20, 2025) — Former college rodeo standout Mason Couch of Bronaugh, Missouri, wrestled his steer in 8.5 seconds for the win. Riley Duvall of Checotah, Oklahoma, hazed for Couch, then won second with a 9.1.
Duvall traveled from Oklahoma following his grandfather Bill’s funeral service on Friday. Bill Duvall, 85, hazed steers for decades at CFD, the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and nearly every other rodeo large and small. On Sunday, Riley continued his family legacy as he also hazed for his cousin Nathan Duvall, who finished fourth. All three cowboys, plus third-place finisher Cash Robb of Utah, advanced to the Semi Final.
Robb is currently 10th and Riley Duvall 15th in the steer wrestling world rankings, so everything earned at CFD can help them finish the season in the Top 15.
The first 90-point ride of this year’s “Daddy of ‘em All” came in the saddle bronc riding. Coleman Shallbetter of Gunnison, Colorado, and Smith Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse Charlies Angel earned that score to win Quarter Final 2. Shallbetter, who leads the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s 2025 permit standings with over $96,000, advanced to the Semi Finals.
His ride was one point better than eight-time world champion Stetson Wright whose second-place finish put him in the Semi Finals as well.
Tristan Mize of Bryan, Texas, bested the field of bull riders on Sunday when he rode Dakota Rodeo’s bull Maximus for 81.5 points. The Texas circuit champion is currently ranked 26th in the bull riding world championship standings, so every dollar won is crucial if he is to qualify for the NFR.
Quarter Final 3 begins Monday at 12:45 p.m. at Frontier Park where a new group of rodeo athletes will make their bids to advance in the tournament-style format. Military Monday at Cheyenne Frontier Days will also feature the PRCA Extreme Bulls tour stop Monday evening at 8 p.m. The Extreme Bulls will also be held on Tuesday night.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 20, 2025)- The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (second performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Sunday, July 20. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, Clay Jorgenson, 86.5 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Neurotic Toddy, $2,722. 2, Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 83, $2,042. 3, Ben Kramer, Max, N.D., 82.5, $1,361, 4, (tie) Kooper Heimburg, Marshall, Mo., and Quinton Lunsford, McCune, Kan., 78, $340 each.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Brooke Ladner, Poplarville, Miss., 4.7 seconds, $3,157. 2, (tie) Jordi Edens-Mitchell, Stephenville, Texas, and Rickie Fanning, Martin, S.D., 5.0, $1,973 each. 4, Shy-Anne Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 5.8, $789.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Kyan Wilhite, Clovis, N.M., 11.6 seconds, $2,000. 2, Tyler Boxleitner, Loveland, Colo., 11.9, $1,500. 3, Tripp Brown, Kenansville, Fla., 12.4, $1,000. 4, Ty Moser, Volga, S.D., 13.0, $500h.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Coleman Shallbetter, Gunnison, Colo., 90 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Charlies Angel, $2,643. 2, Stetson Wright, Beaver, Utah, 89, $1,982. 3, Warwick Southern, Weengallon, Queensland, Australia, 84, $1,321. 4, Walker Rezzonico, Florence, Colo., 83, $661.
Team Roping: 1, David Temple, New Plymouth, Idaho, and Dillon Bahem, Parma, Idaho, 10.3 seconds, $2,000 each. 2, Cody Carter and Blake Bentley, Stephenville, Texas, 10.7, $1,500 each. 3, Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla., and Joseph Harrison, Marietta, Okla., 10.9, $1,000 each. 4, Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and J.W. Borrego, Phoenix, Ariz., 12.1, $500 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Mason Couch, Bronaugh, Mo, 8.5 seconds, $2,000. 2, Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla., 9.1, $1,500. 3, Cash Robb, Altamont, Utah, 10.2, $1,000. 4, Nathan Duvall, Hitchita, Okla., 12.0, $500.
Barrel Racing: 1, Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 17.24 seconds, $2,487. 2, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 17.41, $1,865. 3, Emilee Pauley, Wall, S.D., 17.59, $1,244. 4, Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., 17.61, $622.
Bull Riding: 1, Tristan Mize, Bryan, Texas, 81.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Maximus, $2,662. 2, Caelan Reynolds, Marana, Ariz., 80, $1,997. 3, Robbie Taylor, Chinle, Ariz., 78, $1,331. 4, Wade Tuni, Rock Point, Ariz., 77, $666.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round leaders): 1, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s 419. 2, Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79. 3, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 77.5. 4, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 77. (second round leaders) 1, Molina, 80 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s 158. 2, Moses, 76.5. 3, Nunn, 74. 4, Lyons 73. (overall leaders)
Wild Horse Race: 1, Plan C, $650. 2, Graves Team, $500. 3, Team Allen, $350.
Tristan Mize of Bryan, Texas, scored 81.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s bull named Maximus to win Quarter Final 2 at the 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo and advance to the Semi Finals. PRCA photo by Tanya Hamner
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (June 19, 2025) — The first rodeo performance of Cheyenne Frontier Days was action-packed and full of thrills as the Quarter Final action began.
One of the biggest moments of the afternoon came when local favorite Brody Cress from Hillsdale, Wyo., rode in the saddle bronc riding. Cress, who attended high school in Cheyenne, won the championship here three consecutive years starting in 2017. Only Earl Thode, who competed here in the 1920s and 1930s, has won the bronc riding title at the “Daddy of ‘em All” four times, and Cress would love to match that feat.
Cress, who is currently ranked eighth in the world championship standings, scored 88 points to win the saddle bronc riding on Saturday and qualified for the Semi Finals, which are held Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27. A solid ride then would send him to Championship Sunday and a possible fourth championship.
Another highlight came when Cheyenne Rumble and his rider Bristan McCarley of Happy, Texas, started the barrel racing with a time of 17.00 seconds. McCarley calls her palomino Louie and the duo finished 46th among the more than 200 competitors in the qualifying round on Wednesday with a time of 17.98. They improved their time by almost a full second (an eternity in barrel racing where hundredths of a second decide winners) and posted the fastest time of the rodeo so far.
The closest any of the other 11 cowgirls could get to McCarley’s time was a 17.01 by four-time world champion Hailey Kinsel. McCarley earned $2,487 for her Quarter Final win, which doubled her 2025 season earnings in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, and she and the horse she calls Louie advanced to the Semi Finals.
Jayco Roper experienced the full range of the downs and ups of rodeo Saturday. The former National Finals Rodeo (NFR) bareback rider from Oktaha, Oklahoma, was part of a highly anticipated match-up with Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ horse Sozo. Roper started a great ride, but was thought to have disqualified himself before the full eight seconds elapsed.
When a correction was announced a few minutes later, the disappointment of not capitalizing on a match-up with a six-time NFR bucking horse turned to the thrill of learning he had actually scored 88 points to win the Quarter Finals and advance to next week’s Semi Finals.
Roper, a third-generation rodeo competitor, is ranked 13th in the standings and continued success in Cheyenne could help him return to Las Vegas for his second NFR.
Quarter Finals 2 begins on Sunday at 12:45 p.m. where new contestants in every event but bull riding will be vying for their spots in the Semi Finals. The ladies ranch bronc riding will again be a special attraction.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 19, 2025) – The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (first performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Saturday, July 19. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, Jayco Roper, Oktaha, Okla., 88 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Sozo, $2,722. 2, Dean Thompson, Altamont, Utah, 87.5, $2,042. 3, Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 85.5, $1,361, 4, Jacob Lees, Caldwell, Idaho, 84.5, $681.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Rylie Smith, Whitsett, Texas, 4.4 seconds, $3,157. 2, Kelsie Domer, Dublin, Texas, 4.6, $2,367. 3, Taylor Munsell, Alva, Okla., 4.7, $1,578. 4, Maddy Dearman, Hope, N.M., 4.9, $789.
Tie Down Roping: 1, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 12.6 seconds, $2,000. 2, Pecos Tatum, La Plata, N.M., 14.4, $1,500. 3, (tie) Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, and Riley Webb, Denton, Texas, 14.7, $750 each.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Colo., 85 points on United Pro Rodeo’s High Flyer, $2,64.3. 2, Waitley Sharon, Ordway, Colo. 82.5, $1,982. 3, Ian McGivney, Kaycee, Wyo., 80, $1,321. 4, Jake Barnes, Stephenville, Texas, 77, $661.
Team Roping: 1, Wyatt Murray, Neola, Utah and Rhett Nebeker, Roosevelt, Utah, 9.0 seconds, $2,000 each. 2, Billy Bob Brown, Carbon, Texas, and Blaine Vick, Breckenridge, Texas, 10.6, $1,500 each. 3, Kolby Krieger, Fredericktown, Mo., and Michael Fortenberry, Beaumont, Texas, 10.7, $1,000 each. 4, Gunner Plenty, Garryowen, Mont., and Mason Trollinger, Lodge Grass, Wyo., 11.9, $500 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Trisyn Kalawaia, Hilo, Hawaii, 7.0 seconds, $2,000. 2, Joe Nelson, Watford, N.D., 7.5, $1,500. 3, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 8.3, $1,000. 4, Jacob Elder, Alva, Okla., 8.5, $500.
Barrel Racing: 1, Bristan McCarley, Happy, Texas, 17.00 seconds, $2,487. 2, Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas, 17.01, $1,865. 3, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 17.53, $1,244. 4, Ashley Day, Volberg, Mont., 17.56, $622.
Bull Riding: 1, Mason Spain, Forney, Texas, 84.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo Co.’s Home Boy, $2,662. 2, Ernie Courson, Okeechobee, Fla., 83, $1,997. 3, Gavin Mitchell, Graford, Texas, 81.5, $1,331. 4, Cutter Kaylor, Jasper, Texas, 77, $666.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding (first round leaders): 1, Logan Nunn, Lovell, Wyo., 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s 419. 2, Josue Molina, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 79. 3, Regan Lyons, Snyder, Texas, 77.5. 4, Tag Moses, Keenesburg, Colo., 77.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Team Allen, $600. 2, Kicked in the Belly, $450. 3, Wild & Vintage, $300. 4, Team Skomkic, $150
Three-time Cheyenne Frontier Days saddle bronc riding champion, Brody Cress, from Hillsdale, Wyo., is looking for number four. He had the high-marked ride in Quarter Finals 1 and will be riding in the Semi Finals. Cress rode United Pro Rodeo’s horse named High Flyer for 85 points. CFD photo by Tanya Hamner.
CHEYENNE, Wyo., July 28, 2024 — The Championship Sunday crowd at the 128th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) saw a mix of world champions facing adversity and unheralded cowboys ride away with 2024 championships at the Daddy of ‘em All.
The top 12 contestants from the previous rounds of competition compete on Championship Sunday where everyone starts with a clean slate. The first competition of the day was steer roping. Tuff Hardman of Atoka, Oklahoma, who came into Championship Sunday in tenth place, but clocked a time of 14.5 seconds as the third man to rope. The closest any of the rest of the field could get was a 14.6 by another Oklahoman, Chet Herren. Hardman has his sights on qualifying for the National Finals Steer Roping and the nearly $11,000 he won on Sunday will help the father of three reach that goal.
Next up was bareback riding where seven of the 12 finalists were veterans of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR). North Dakota cowboy Clay Jorgenson marked the highest score of the 2024 rodeo with 90 points Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail. This is the biggest win to date for the 28-year-old cowboy and is one he’ll remember for a lifetime.
“To get my name up there with a bunch of great guys who’ve won this rodeo before, it hasn’t really processed yet,” Jorgenson remarked. “It’s an unbelievable feeling and I’m so blessed.”
In tie-down roping, world standings leader Shad Mayfield continued his successful season, clocking a time of 9.8 to win by nearly 3 seconds. Mayfield has been battling hip injuries all season and credited being able to stay in Cheyenne through the week with helping his performance. He will take a few weeks off for rest and rehabilitation to stave off surgery until after the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December.
Mayfield, who won the world title in 2020, grew up coming to Frontier Days with his father. He has a photo of himself as a young child swinging a rope under the grandstands.
Reigning breakaway roping world champion Shelby Boisjoli-Meged was emotional on the winner’s platform after winning her event with the fastest time of this year’s rodeo – 3.7 seconds. She admitted that she had been having a rough time winning this summer.
She had to be one of the top breakaway ropers in the wild card round after she missed the cut in the qualification round.
“I missed my calf in the wild card and had to fish my rope around the neck,” she said. “I credit that “cowgirl try” with getting me to today’s finals. Today I thought I had broken the barrier for a couple of strides until I heard my husband yell.”
To see your name drawn next to Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ THE Black Tie is a bronc rider’s dream. The 2023 Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year is known for giving cowboys a good chance to mark 90 points or more. Logan Cook of Alto, Texas, took advantage of that opportunity with a score of 90 to win the championship.
“I’ve kind of been nervous since yesterday afternoon about 4 o’clock just because you know you’ve got the one to win it on as long as you do your job,” Cook explained.
“Everybody in the world watches the Daddy of ‘Em All. You grow up as a little kid watching it and it’s just great to come here and come out on top,” he said.
Winning Cheyenne Frontier Days is an accomplishment that has eluded team ropers Hayes Smith and Justin Davis for years, until now.
“This is one of the ones you grow up practicing to win and I’ve never even made the short round here,” Smith said, while Davis added “I’ve made the short round five or six times, but I’ve never won it.”
The field was stacked with past CFD champions along with numerous NFR qualifiers, but Smith and Davis bested them all with an 8.3 second run to win.
“This is as good as it gets. It’s a lifelong dream to win this rodeo. I’ve been here probably 16 times, and I’ve never won it, so it’s pretty special,” Davis acknowledged.
Denton Good, a 20-year-old steer wrestler from Long Valley, South Dakota, earned his first championship at Frontier Park. Rodeo is a family affair for Good. His father Allen was his hazer, riding his grandfather’s hazing horse. Denton rode his brother’s horse while his brother was at another rodeo riding Denton’s horse.
Good opened a fencing business after he graduated from high school. His foreman made the 4.5-hour drive to watch the final round while the rest of his crew worked a fencing job.
In barrel racing 2022 World Champion Jordon Briggs and her horse Famous Lil Jet that she calls Rollo took the win in Frontier Park, a place where her mother Kristie Peterson won four championships in the 1990s. Champions here get a prize package that includes a trophy buckle and trophy saddle. Peterson also took home a trophy bit from the 100th anniversary of this rodeo. Briggs received a special three-foot tall replica of Frontier Park’s new How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls statue as did Boisjoli-Meged.
Briggs took most of the rodeo season off as Rollo recovered from an injury to a suspensory ligament and had won no money in Women’s Professional Rodeo Association competition as of June 1. Since then, she and Rollo have been taking home paychecks and the $17,000 they earned here is an important boost in her quest to return to the NFR or at least end the season in the top 30 to qualify for the big winter rodeos.
T.J. Gray, a 23-year-old bull rider from Dairy, Oregon, matched up with Dakota Rodeo’s bull No Dose for a score of 90 points.
“I’ve never been 90 before so when they said that I was, I was pretty stoked,” Gray, who is ranked seventh in the world, admitted.
“Cheyenne’s the biggest rodeo I’ve ever won,” Gray said. “There were a lot of good bull riders out today and a lot of good bulls, but I knew 90 was going to be a high mark to beat.”
The all-around race was a veteran versus rookie; timed event versus rough stock battle between two Oklahomans – roper Coleman Proctor and bareback and bull rider Wacey Schalla.
Proctor, the 2022 CFD All-Around Champion, posted a time of 24.0 seconds in steer roping which put him eighth and earned him $2,200. Schalla was the final cowboy to ride in the bareback riding. He knew he needed a big score since North Dakota’s Jorgenson had set the bar at 90 points. Schalla scored 89 points to split second and third and add $5,500 to his earnings.
In team roping Proctor and his partner Logan Medlin of New Mexico won $8,000 each for second place with a time of 10 seconds. For the second time in three years, Proctor found himself avidly watching the bull riding with an all-around title on the line.
Schalla was matched with Dakota Rodeo’s unridden bull Big Time. The rookie cowboy brought a roar from the crowd as he scored 83 points to place third for another $4,500, but that wasn’t enough to overtake Proctor who joked his 2022 buckle was getting worn and needed an update.
The 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo will be held in Frontier Park July 19-27, 2025.
# # #
2024 Cheyenne Frontier Days Champions
Bareback Riding – Clay Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D., $11,729
Steer Roping – Tuff Hardman, Atoka, Okla., 30.8, $10,972
Breakaway Roping – Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, Miles City, Mont., $16,280
Tie-Down Roping – Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., $16,400
Saddle Bronc Riding – Logan Cook, Alto, Texas, $10,728
Team Roping – Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif.,
$11,925 each
Steer Wrestling, Denton Good, Long Valley, S.D., $12,710
Barrel Racing – Jordon Briggs, Tolar, Texas, $17,053
Bull Riding – T.J. Gray, Dairy, Ore., $10,627
All-Around – Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., $28,351
Rookie Bronc Riding – Clint Read, Wildwood, Alberta, $1,543
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 28, 2024)- The following are unofficial results from Championship Sunday at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Sunday, July 28.
Bareback Riding: 1, Clay Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D., 90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail, $8,455. 2, (tie) Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, Canada, and Wacey Schalla, Arapaho, Okla., 89, $5,508 each. 4, Waylon Bourgeois, Church Point, La., 88, $3,074. 5, (tie) R.C. Landingham, Hat Creek, Calif.; Lane McGehee, Victoria, Texas, and Jacob Lees, Caldwell, Idaho, 84, $769 each.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Shelby, Boisjoli-Meged, Miles City, Mont., 3.7 seconds, $12,210. 2, Shelby Whiting, Paola, Kan., 4.9, $9,250. 3, Kinlie Brennise, Craig, Colo., 5.0, $6,600. 4, Jordan Jo Hollabaugh, 5.4, $4,440. 5, Chenoa VandeStouwe, Weatherford, Okla., 5.6, $2,590. 6, Jordyn McNamee, Laramie, Wyo., 6.7, $1,850.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 9.8 seconds, $9,200. 2, Chet Weitz, London, Texas, 12.5, $8,000. 3, Dontae Pacheco, Blanco, N.M., 12.9, $6.800. 4, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 13.0, $5,600. 5, Brayden Roe, Wendell, Idaho, 13.1, $4,400. 6, Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 13.4, $3,200. 7, Britt Bedke, Oakley, Idaho, 13.8, $2,000. 8, Dylan Hancock, San Angelo, Texas, 14.4, $800.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Logan Cook, Alto, Texas, 90 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ The Black Tie, $8,135. 2, Wyatt Casper, Miami, Texas, 89, $6,163. 3, (tie) Gus Gaillard, Morse, Texas, and Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, 88.5, $3,698 each. 6, (tie) Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., and Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 87.5, $1,479 each.
Team Roping: 1, Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., 8.3 seconds, $9,200 each. 2, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M., 10.0, $8,000 each. 3, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil, 10.8, $6,800 each. 4, Cole Thomas, Meadville, Miss., and Dylin Ahlstrom, Hooper, Utah, 13.2, $5,600 each. 5, Riley and Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 13.6 seconds, $4,400 each. 6, Billy Bob Brown, Carbon, Texas, and Josh Patton, Shallowater, Texas, 14.3, $3,200 each. 7, Dawson and Dillon Graham, Wainwright, Alberta, Canada, 15.1, $2,000 each. 8, Clayton Van Aken, Yoder, Wyo., and Cullen Teller, Ault, Colo., 17.9, $800 each.
Steer Wrestling: (seven times) 1, Denton Good, Long Valley, S.D., 6.5 seconds, $6,900. 2, Caden Camp, Belgrade, Mont., 6.6, $6,000. 3, Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev., 6.8, $5,100. 4, Jacob Wang, Laramie, Wyo., 7.2, $4,200. 5, Trisyn Kalawaia, Hilo, Hawaii, 8.1, $3,300. 6, Jayce Doan, Hazelton, N.D., 11.9, $2,400. 7, Walt Arnold, Coleman, Texas, 15.9, $1,500. 8, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., No Time, $600 (based on performance in previous rounds.)
Barrel Racing: 1, Jordon Briggs, Tolar, Texas, 17.06 seconds, $10,751. 2, LaTricia Duke, Zephyr, Texas, 17.08, $8,897. 3, Wenda Johnson, Pawhuska, Okla., 17.24, $7,044 . 4, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 17.40, $5,190. 5, Tayla Moeykens, Three Forks, Mont., 17.42, $3.336. 6, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 17.54, $1,854.
Bull Riding: (five rides) 1, T.J. Gray, Dairy, Ore., 90 points on Dakota Rodeo’s No Dose, $8,247. 2, Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 88, $6,258. 3, Wacey Schalla, Arapaho, Okla., 83, $4,498. 4, Cooper James, Erda, Utah, 78, $2,999. 5, Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont., 77, $1,749. 6, Jace Trosclair, Chauvin, La., 0, $1,250 (based on performance in previous rounds.)
Steer Roping: (eight times) 1, Tuff Hardman, Atoka, Okla., 14.5 seconds, $10,972. 2, Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla., 14.6, $9,326. 3, Trenton Johnson, Blue Mound, Kan., 16.2, $7,681. 4, Tyler Hargrave, Canyon, Texas, 16.5, $6,583. 5, (tie) Blake Deckard, Eufaula, Okla., and Jase Johnson, Jacksboro, Texas, 16.9, $4,663 each. 7, Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 17.9, $2,743 . 8, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., 24.0, $2,194. 9, Cole Patterson, Pawnee, Okla., No Time, $1,920. 10, Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, No Time, $1,646. 11, Vin Fisher, Jr., Andrews, Texas, No Time, $1,372. 12, Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., No Time, $1,097. (places 9-12 based on performance in previous rounds.)
Wild Horse Race: 1, Team Meanus, $4,860. 2, Graves Team, $3,645. 3, Kenny Electric, $2,430. 4, Billy Scharton, $1,215.
