SENTINEL BUTTE, ND – Something familiar and something unknown. In Sentinel Butte, N.D., at the Home on the Range Champions Ride held August 3, 2024, saddle bronc rider Brody Cress got a mix of both – and he made it count each time.
The seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier rode his way to a significant payday at the event, capped by the average title with 176 points on two rides.
In the first-go, Cress drew J Bar J bucking horse Stacked Deck, an animal he previously faced and had success on. The rematch was a solid showing, as he posted an 86 to tie for third in the round and sit a point and a half back of first place.
“I knew he was going to be a really good chance in that round. He always takes that run, but once he does decide to break and set up, he’s always awesome,” Cress said. “So, I just needed to do my job and be prepared to get the most out of him that I could.”
With his spot in the short-go locked up, Cress turned his attention to his next horse, J Bar J’s Straight Moonshine. While Cress had never personally faced the animal, he knew the horse had a strong reputation for being capable of producing big scores but had also bucked off a few high level riders.
The one thing Cress did know – if he was going to come back and win the average, he needed a big ride and he felt like Straight Moonshine had a chance to give it to him.
“I knew she was going to be plenty of horsepower for me to go out there and win that short-round, so I just needed to be able to do my job and it worked out,” Cress said.
The ride resulted in a 90-point score, making the Hillsdale, Wyo., native the only competitor at the event to notch a 90-point effort between the two rounds. The result was one-point ahead of Brody Wells to win the round and helped Cress best Sage Newman in the aggregate race by three points.
It all added up to a big day for the three-time NFR average champion, as his round money and aggregate win totaled out to $13,673 in earnings.
More importantly, the result keeps Cress on track to make his eighth straight NFR appearance this December. Coming into the weekend, he sat ninth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings, and the additional earnings should keep Cress among the top 10.
But with a long way to go before the regular season wraps in September, Cress isn’t slowing down or letting up.
“I try not to look at the standings at all just because I know how much money is out there still and guys are riding good. I’m just trying to focus on taking it one horse at a time,” Cress said. “I’ve lucked out and been able to draw some really good horses this week and I’ve got some really good horses next week too, so I’m just trying to stay focused and make sure to take it one day at a time not put the cart before the horse and think I’ve got stuff won before I go get on bucking horses.”
