BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo is the third-highest paying rodeo of the year, so naturally, that’s what will take up a majority of this week’s Monday Notebook.
However, there was also a PRCA Playoff Rodeo in Arizona, La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros that spanned two weekends and also paid out more than $400,000.
Oh, and RodeoHouston, with its payday north of $2 million starts on Tuesday. Needless to say, it’s a packed time of year on the ProRodeo calendar.
- Tie-down roper Shad Mayfield is on an unprecedented pace to start 2024. Last year, at this time the World No. 1 in the tie-down roping, Westyn Hughes, had about $33,000. With a $24,750 payday for first place in San Antonio, Mayfield now has more than $93,000. No other tie-down roper even has more than $40,000 on the year. Mayfield, who also won Fort Worth, got the job done in dominating fashion with five runs of 8 flat or faster including a 7.2 in the Finals.
- Bareback rider Rocker Steiner is No. 1 in the World after only competing at Fort Worth and San Antonio. Steiner has only nine outs on the year, but he is averaging a payday of more than $5,000 on each. After winning Fort Worth, his encore in San Antonio featured an 89-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s top notch to claim the second leg of the Texas Swing.
- Breakaway roper Danielle Lowman had three times of 1.6 seconds on her way to the title in San Antonio. The arena record entering the week at the Frost Bank Center? 1.6. That was broken by Shai Schaefer in the Semifinals, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive that Lowman hit that mark three times in five runs including to win the Finals.
- Bull rider Clayton Sellars opened up a big lead in the PRCA World Standings after a perfect performance in San Antonio. Sellars rode all five to claim the No. 1 ranking in the World Standings, which he now leads by about $20,000 over Fort Worth Champion Cody Teel. Sellars saved his best for last by matching the highest marked ride of the rodeo with 90.5 in the Finals.
- Tie-down roper Tuf Cooper moved to No. 4 in the World after winning La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros. Over in Tucson, Tuf Cooper swept the rodeo with an 8.6 in the Long Round and 8.9 in the Short Round to win just over $13,500. It marks his first PRCA Playoff Series win since San Angelo in 2022.
- Saddle bronc rider Statler Wright added another victory at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros to reclaim the World No. 1 spot. In addition to making the Finals in San Antonio, Wright picked up his second PRCA Playoff Series win of the year with 169 points on two to edge Kolby Wanchuk.
- Three events in San Antonio saw the winner come through the Wildcard. Danielle Lowman, Derrick Begay/Colter Todd and Jacob Talley all had to make one extra run to get the job done.
- Bull rider Chase Dougherty won almost $14,000 at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros. Dougherty got some early momentum in his quest to make his first NFR since 2018 by sweeping the event and winning $5,000 in the Short Round alone thanks to ground money. His payday was well deserved as he was 88.5 in the Long Round and 88 in the Finals. The win made him the No. 7 bull rider in the PRCA World Standings.
- Barrel racer Kassie Mowry won San Antonio for the second straight year. Mowry typically judges whether or not the NFR is in her future based on the Texas Swing and it could be in the cards again after she won San Antonio, which was just the third rodeo she entered all year. She was 13.96 in the Finals a year ago and did herself even better in 2024 with a 13.68, the fastest run of the rodeo, in the Finals. Mowry has now won San Antonio, Houston and San Angelo twice each in her career.
- RodeoHouston is the highest paying regular season rodeo of the year. Last year, it was the only one to payout more than $2 million and most crucially, the winners take home at least $50,000. Winning RodeoHouston almost guarantees an NFR berth. It begins Tuesday on The Cowboy Channel and Cowboy Channel+.
