RAPID CITY, SD – Unlike many cowboys, Ryder Wright isn’t making a mad dash to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Wright, the 2017 saddle bronc riding world champion, is a lock to make his fifth-consecutive NFR. The 22-year-old is second in the 2020 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $83,776.
Wright, however, isn’t being complacent with just more than a month left in the regular season.
The Beaver, Utah, cowboy won the second annual Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale title in Rapid City, S.D., Thursday night.
“This feels awesome,” Wright said. “This is definitely an event I wanted to win.”
Wright won the two-head average with 177.5 points, edging Brody Cress by a half point. Cress split the 2019 Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale championship a year ago with Wade Sundell.
Wright earned $16,923 for his performance.
“This is an event you want to show up at and show out at because of the money and the guys here,” Wright said. “These are the top guys you’re trying to beat in the standings.”
The win was part of a fruitful two days for Wright. A day earlier, he won the Golden Spike PRCA Bronc Riding Classic in Tremonton, Utah, with a 90.5-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo’s Major Cover, earning $4,089.
“This has been a good couple of days,” Wright said. “I’m hoping I can keep it rolling.”
Wright put his Rapid City win in motion with an 86-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Outlaw Tunes in the first round. The top 12 saddle bronc riders in the world standings and the top 12 in the Xtreme Broncs standings competed in the finale.
“That was an awesome horse,” Wright said. “I’ve seen that horse the past couple of years and wanted to get on him since the first time I saw him. The horse was as good as I imagined. I had a lot of confidence (after winning in Tremonton, Wednesday). It’s important to have confidence in yourself and your equipment.
“I love competing in this (Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale). The stock contractors bring their best horses. It’s like competing at the NFR.”
The top eight advanced to the finals, and Wright topped all comers with his 91.5-point trip on Sutton Rodeos’ South Point, a perennial NFR selection. Wright picked the standout horse’s name from a bucket during the draw before the finals.
“That was the first time I’ve been on that horse,” Wright said. “That horse was super flashy. It’s the type of horse that all bronc riders like. I was happy to draw her and to get on her. She was better than I thought she was going to be. That horse is honest as the day is long. If you do your part, you know you’re going to win some money.”
Wright celebrated his win by getting in the rig for an all-night drive with his younger brother Stetson, the reigning all-around world champion.
“We have a 10-hour drive back to Tremonton because we are up at the rodeo there (Friday),” Ryder said. “Then, we come back to Rapid City because we are up at the rodeo Saturday. I just want to keep things rolling.”
