The National Finals Rodeo lost its star attraction Monday, but he will leave Las Vegas with his fifth straight all-around title.
Stetson Wright will miss the rest of the NFR because of a lingering right hamstring injury that was going to require surgery after the 10-day event.
But his lead in the all-around standings is so large that he has already clinched the world title. After Monday’s competition at the Thomas & Mack Center, Wright leads by more than $284,000 over second-place Nelson Wyatt.
Wright, of Beaver, Utah, fell during his saddle bronc run Saturday and didn’t compete in bull riding that night or Sunday. The 24-year-old also fell off during his saddle bronc run Friday and missed his bull riding run.
“(Wright) said he’s out for the remainder of the rodeo,” Justin Sportsmedicine Medical Director Dr. Tandy Freeman told the ProRodeo Sports News. “We filled out a doctor’s release for the remaining eight rounds. He’s not going to try and come back in two rounds or five rounds.”
Along with winning the past four all-around titles, Wright is a two-time champion in bull riding (2020, 2022) and the 2021 world champion in saddle bronc.
Wright has been overtaken by Australian Ky Hamilton in bull riding after Hamilton picked up his fourth go-round win Monday with a score of 89 and $30,706 in earnings. His earnings in bull riding are at $402,013, and he leads Wright by more than $23,000. Josh Frost is more than $135,000 behind Hamilton in third.
Hamilton, who said he is close with Wright, said “it’s a shame” that Wright won’t be able to compete for the bull riding title.
“That’s what I was looking forward to come here and do,” Hamilton said of competing against Wright. “That’s what can happen in this sport at any time, and it just so happened that it wasn’t at a really good time. But (Wright is) back there telling me to go win, so it’s cool.”
Hamilton was one of two riders to post a score in Monday’s bull riding go-round.
“The confidence is there, but that’s what I prepared to come here to do,” he said. “I’m just having fun riding bulls. There was a whole lot of excitement and a lot of fun.”
In saddle bronc riding, Wright, who entered the NFR with a lead of about $4,000, has fallen to fourth place. Sage Newman is first with a lead of more than $15,000 over Zeke Thurston. Damian Brennan won Monday’s saddle bronc go-round with a score of 89 and $30,706.
”It’s anybody’s game,” Newman said after his go-round win Sunday. “It all comes down to what happens and how the horse does and how you ride.”
Wyatt and Jonathan Torres finished fifth in team roping Monday with a time of 4.8 seconds. They each picked up $7,924 in earnings.
Wright has racked up 19 all-around wins this season. He’s won 15 saddle bronc events and was a co-champion in four others, and 16 bull riding events with one co-championship.
Wright is on the verge of becoming the fifth competitor to win five or more consecutive all-around titles since the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association was founded in 1929.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Mayfield bounced back in tie-down roping
Tie-down roper Shad Mayfield admitted he let his result of no time during Sunday's go-round bother him.
But taking time to himself after the run and all day before his next run Monday night paid off for the Clovis, New Mexico, native.
Mayfield won his tie-down roping go-round on the fourth night of the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center with a time of 6.9 seconds. He won $30,706.
"It got to me a little bit (Sunday) night after taking that no time, but it's about how you bounce back," Mayfield said. "I took the night, took the day off to myself today, just getting back to myself and making it fun again. It's got to be fun, you can't take it too seriously today, and that's what I did."
Mayfield admitted that his run Monday wasn't the cleanest, but said he had to "keep moving" to finish the run.
"My calf was really good, and the horse felt awesome," Mayfield said. "It felt really good to rope like that again, to rope like myself. Hopefully, we can get a couple more go-round wins."
Mayfield, who finished second in the overall standings last year, entered the NFR second in the standings after picking up nine wins and a co-championship. After not placing in his first three runs, Mayfield has fallen to third and trails leader Riley Webb by more than $104,000.
While Mayfield will need to secure more go-round wins, erasing the deficit isn't impossible with all the money on the line in the remaining six rounds.
"You can't think about it too much," he said. "You have to take it one day at a time. During the day, I have to learn to let loose and have fun and at night take care of business."
Other go-round winners:
— Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas, in bareback riding (87.5);
— Bridger Anderson, Carrington, North Dakota, in steer wrestling (3.5 seconds);
— Clint Summers, Lake City, Florida, and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kansas, in team roping (3.7 seconds);
— Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia, in saddle bronc riding (89);
— Sissy Winn, Chapman, Texas, in barrel racing (13.5 seconds);
— Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Australia, in bull riding (89).
Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal
