(San Antonio Rodeo release)
SAN ANTONIO – Competing at the $1.6 million San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo is supposed to be fun and for Decatur, Texas, resident, Tuf Cooper, it was $7,000 worth of fun.
Cooper, who has won three world titles in the tie-down roping and one gold buckle as the world champion all-around cowboy but has yet to win the championship in San Antonio. He’s hoping that 2020 will be the year that he can take this rodeo off of his bucket list to win.
He made strides in the right direction while competing in Bracket 5 on Saturday and Sunday. He won the first round Saturday night, placed second in the next and won again Sunday night. So far, he has been the most consistent tie-down roper in the field stopping the clock at 7.1 seconds, then 7.3 and 7.2.
Making the victory lap was just as entertaining as the competition. With his signature smile lighting up the arena, he had his phone in hand and was taking video that he shared on Instagram.
“San Antonio is definitely one of those rodeos that everyone wants to win,” Cooper said. “I’ll never get tired of taking victory laps here. I’ve never gotten to make that lap around the arena in the back of the pickup and get the buckle. I’d love to do that too.”
Stetson Wright, the reigning world champion all-around cowboy showed San Antonio fans just what that buckle means to him. Wright, from Milford, Utah, is the only contestant at this year’s rodeo to have qualified in more than one event. He competed in the saddle bronc riding and bull riding in Bracket 5 and is advancing to the Semifinals in both events.
He placed in all three rounds of saddle bronc riding to earn $4,750. The bull riding saw him making a victory lap after round two where he earned $2,500, enough for him to get to ride again. Wright qualified for last year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in bull riding becoming the first of the famed bronc riding family to compete in another event. This year, he is determined to be back in Las Vegas in December competing at rodeo’s championships in both events. After his success in the AT&T Center over the weekend, he has the potential to win championships in both events here which would give him a boost in the world standings in both events.
The first of two rounds of Semifinals 1 will start at 7 p.m. on Monday night. Ten contestants in each event will be counting their earnings as they hope to move into the Championship Finals. Five of them will make the cut after Tuesday night’s second round.
Bracket 5, Round 2 --
Bareback Riding: 1, Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, 87 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Black Leg, $2,500. 2, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., 86, $2,000. 3, Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La., 85.5, $1,250. 4, Cole Reiner, Kaycee, Wyo., 84, $750.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla., 3.8 seconds, $2,500. 2, (tie) Cameron Morman, Glen Ulllin, N.D., and Will Lummus, Byhalia, Miss., 4.0 and $1,625 each. 4, Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas, 4.1, $750.
Team Roping: 1, Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, 4.2 seconds, $2,500. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Reagan Ward, Edmond, Okla., 4.3, $2,000. 3, Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C., and Jake Edwards, Ocala, Fla., 13.9, $1,250. 4, Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 22.1, $750.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 87 points on Powder River Rodeo’s After Party, $2,500. 2, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 85.5, $2,000. 3, Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah, 85, $1,250. 4, (tie) Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah and Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 79.5, $375.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 7.2 seconds, $2,500. 2, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.3, $2,000. 3, Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, 8.5, $1,250. 4, Cody McCartney, Ottawa Lake, Mich., 9.1, $750.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., 13.98 seconds, $2,500. 2, Ivy Saebens, Hudson, Colo., 14.19, $2,000. 3, Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 14.25, $1,250. 4, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, and Amberleigh Moore, Keizer, Ore., 14.43 and $375 each.
Bull Riding: 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 87 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Hitman, $2,500. 2, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, 84.5, $2,000. 3, Parker McCown, Montgomery, Texas, 81.5, $1,250. 4, Riker Carter, Stone, Idaho, 78, $750.
Bracket 5, Round 3 followed by Semifinals qualifiers --
Bareback Riding: 1, Jesse Pope, Marshall, Mo., 86 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Big Dance, $2,500. 2, Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, 81, $2,000. 3, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 80, $1,250. 4, Anthony Thomas, Houston, Texas, 76, $750. (Semifinals qualifiers) 1, Champion, $4,500. 2, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., $4,000. 3, Cole Reiner, Kaycee, Wyo., $3,250. 4, Pope, $2,500.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kan., 3.6 seconds, $2,500. 2, Juan Alcazar JR., Okeechobee, Fla., 4.1, $2,000. 3, Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla., 4.9, $1,250. 4, Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas, 5.3, $750. (Semifinals qualifiers) 1, Brunner, $4,500. 2, Reeves, $4,000. 3, Duvall, $3,750. 4, Alcazar, $2,000.
Team Roping: 1, Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 4.1 seconds, $2,500. 2, Tate Kirchenschlager, Yuma, Colo., and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 4.8, $2,000. 3, Britt and Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., 6.1, $1,250.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 87 points on C5 Rodeo’s Double D, $2,500. 2, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 86, $2,000. 3, Wyatt Casper, Pampa, Texas, 82, $1,250. 4, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 80.5, $750. (Semifinals qualifiers) 1, Stetson Wright, $4,750. 2, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, $4,500. 3, Casper, $3,750. 4, Holman, $2,500.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.2 seconds, $2,500. 2, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 8.3, $2,000. 3, Cody McCartney, Ottowa Lake, Mich., 10.1, $1,250. 4, Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan., 12.5, $750. (Semifinals qualifiers) 1, Cooper, 7.2, $7,000. 2, Douch, $4,500. 3, Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, $2,500. 4, Dane Kissack, Spearfish, S.D., $2,000.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 14.02 seconds, $2,500. 2, Callahan Tryan, Huntley, Mont., 14.22, $2,000. 3, Lacinda Rose, Willard, Mo., 14.32, $1,250. 4, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 14.32, $750. (Semifinals qualifiers) 1, Tonozzi, $5,000. 2, Tryan, $4,000. 3, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, $2,875. 4, Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., $2,500.
Bull Riding: 1, Riker Carter, Stone, Idaho, 85.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Greeley Hat Works Wooster, $2,500. 2, Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, 84.5, $2,000. 3, Tyler Bingham, Honeyville, Utah, 83.5, $1,250. 4, Parker Cole McCown, Montgomery, Texas, 79.5, $750. (Semifinals qualifiers) 1, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, $5,500. 2, Bingham, $4,250. 3, (tie) Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah and Carter, $2,500 each.
