By Susan Kanode for the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo with contributions from Blanche Schaefer of Barrel Horse News
Fort Worth, Texas — February 7, 2020 — It’s taken 15 rodeo performances and countless runs and rides to be among the first qualifiers for the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo ProRodeo Tournament Championship Finals.
Action started in the new Dickies Arena on January 24 with the first of seven brackets. The top four money winners in each event advanced from the brackets to the semifinals or the Wild Card Round on February 6. That set the field for two semifinals rounds. The top four in the first semifinal claimed their spot in Saturday night’s final round.
The barrel racing offered slim margins, as the four qualifiers were just more than one-tenth of a second apart. Springer, Oklahoma, resident Ivy Hurst and her 13-year-old gelding Top Of The Roc (Sticks An Stones x Top Bug Cash x Cash Not Credit) won the Wildcard Round on Wednesday night and then stopped the clock in 16.47 seconds to win Semifinal A the following evening. Following close behind her, Montgomery, Texas, resident Ashley Castleberry posted a 16.48 on 2011 gelding Calfee Stormy Dash (Captain Perk x Double Dog Dash x Some Dasher). The 2018 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Rookie of the Year Jimmie Smith of McDade, Texas, had a 16.49 to finish third for $2,000 aboard Lena On The Rocks (Firewaterontherocks x Tourlena x Smart Cash Cutter). 2016 Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo champion Ivy Conrado Saebens of Hudson, Colorado, and KN Fabs Gift Of Fame (Frenchmans Fabulous x Mistys Dash Of Fame x Dash Ta Fame) clocked a 16.58 for fourth and $1,000.
SEMIFINAL A BARREL RACING RESULTS
1. Ivy Hurst 16.47—$4,000
2. Ashley Castleberry 16.48—$3,000
3. Jimmie Smith 16.49—$2,000
4. Ivy Conrado Saebens 16.58—$1,000
5. Cheyenne Allan 16.63
6. Jill Wilson 16.63
7. Carly Taylor 16.71
8. Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi 16.92
DRAW – SEMIFINAL B, FEBRUARY 7
Hailey Kinsel Lockwood, Cotulla, Texas; Lacinda Rose, Willard, Missouri; Brittney Barnett, Joliet, Montana; Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, South Dakota; Megan Champion, Ukiah, California; Amberleigh Moore, Keizer, Oregon; Amanda Harris, Spearfish, South Dakota; Callahan Crossley Tryan, Huntley, Montana
There were some empty loops in breakaway roping, as contestants were going for broke. The fast time from Montanan-turned-Texan Cadee Williams stopped the clock in 2.5 seconds. Jordan Jo Fabrizio of Canyon, Texas, made history when she won the title at Cheyenne Frontier Days in July 2019. She finished second on Thursday in Fort Worth. Rounding out the field is Martha Angelone from Aledo, Texas, and Tanegai Zilverberg from Holabird, South Dakota.
Cole Reiner of Kaycee, Wyoming, and Wyatt Bloom of Belgrade, Montana, each scored 87 points, tied for first place in the bareback riding and won $3,500. Both these men have come through the ranks of high school and college rodeo. Reiner, a standout at Casper (Wyoming) College, rode Witless Margie from the Calgary Stampede bucking horse string. Bloom, originally from Oregon, went to Montana State University and fulfilled a promise to his grandfather that he would get his bachelor’s degree before becoming a full-time bareback rider. He rode Championship Pro Rodeo’s Lizard Back. Also advancing in the bareback riding is Tim O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa, and Jesse Pope of Marshall, Missouri, who each won $1,500 for their 86-point rides.
In the steer wrestling, Matt Reeves of Cross Plains, Texas, had the fast time of the night. Reeves, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, earned $4,000. He won the title in the historic Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in 2016 and showed livestock here as a youth. Reeves will be joined in the finals by world champions Hunter Cure of Holliday, Texas, and Ty Erickson of Helena, Montana, along with South Dakotan Jace Melvin.
Two members of the famed saddle bronc riding Wright family advanced, but the crowd cheered loudest for Erath County, Texas, native Sterling Crawley. Crawley rode Calgary Stampede’s Arriving Kamloops for 87 points and the semifinals win. If he does that again Saturday night, he will have back-to-back titles at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo. Ryder Wright and his uncle Jesse Wright of Milford, Utah, and Allen Boore of Axtell, Utah, also advanced.
The reigning National High School Rodeo Association tie-down roping champion had the time to beat in the semis. Shad Mayfield of Clovis, New Mexico, roped and tied his calf in 8.4 seconds and is on track to win his first Fort Worth title. Ryle Smith, the 2016 FWSSR champion tie-down roper from Oakdale, California, along with Cory Solomon of Prairie View, Texas, and Matt Shiozawa of Chubbock, Idaho, are moving on. Shiozawa won at Fort Worth in 2011.
Three bull riders made it to the eight-second mark. At the top of the list is Ky Hamilton of Mackay, Australia, with an 89-point ride on Stock Yards Pro Rodeo’s Soy El Feugo. He earned $4,333. Brady Portenier of Caldwell, Idaho, finished second and Tanner Justin Willis of Kearny, Arizona, was third. The fourth contestant will not be determined until after Semifinal B is completed.
Semifinal B will showcase eight more contestants in each event competing Friday night February 7 at 7:30 p.m. CST. Once again, the top four will advance to Saturday night’s Championship Finals.
THURSDAY RESULTS
FORT WORTH, TEXAS —The following are unofficial results from Semifinal A of the FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, Thursday, February 6, 2020. The top four from this round advance to the finals on Saturday, February 8.
Barrel Racing: 1, Ivy Hurst, Springer, Okla., 16.47 seconds, $4,000. 2, Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas, 16.48, $3,000. 3, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 16.49, $2,000. 4, Ivy Conrado-Saebens, Hudson, Colo., 16.58, $1,000.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Cadee Williams, Weatherford, Texas, 2.5 seconds, $4,000. 2, Jordan Jo Fabrizio, 3.1, $3,000. 3, Martha Angelone, Aledo, Texas, 3.9, $2,000. 4, Tanegai Zilverberg, Holabird, S.D., $1,000.
Bareback riding: 1, (tie) Cole Reiner, Kaycee, Wyo., on Calgary Stampede’s Witless Margie, and Wyatt Bloom, Belgrade, Mont., on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Twin Cherry, 87 points, $3,500 each. 3, (tie) Jesse Pope, Marshall, Mo., and Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 86, $1,500 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas, 3.9 seconds, $4,000. 2, Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho, 4.2, $3,000. 3, Hunter Cure, Holliday, Texas, 4.6, $2,000. 4, Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont., 4.7, $1,000. .
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Sterling Crawley, Huntsville, Texas, 87 points on Calgary Stampede’s Arriving Kamloops, $4,000. 2, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 86.5, $3,000. 3, Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah, 86, $2,000. 4, (tie) * Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, and Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 85.5, $500 each.
Tie-down Roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 8.4 seconds, $4,000. 2, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 8.9, $3,000. 3, Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif., 9.2, $2,000. 4, Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, 10.9, $1,000.
Team Roping: 1, Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, 4.6 seconds, $4,000 each. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Reagan Ward, Edmond, Okla., 5.7, $3,000 each. 3, Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., and Jade Corkhill, Fallon, Nev., 6.0, $2,000 each. 4, Clay Ullery, Valleyview, Alberta, and Jake Edwards, Ocala, Fla., 6.3, $1,000 each.
Bull Riding: (three rides) 1, Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 89 points on Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s Soy El Fuego, $4,333.33. 2, Maverick Potter, Waxahatchie, Texas, 84.5, $3,333.33. 3, Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho, 83, $2,333.33.
*advances on tie-breaker rules
