$1 Million Awarded to Champions at Hondo Rodeo Fest NOLA

It is rare in the world of rodeo to be able to compete for $1 million, but that is exactly what just happened in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome.

The Hondo Rodeo Fest opened up more opportunities for rodeo athletes in 2024 when the inaugural Hondo Rodeo Fest happened in Phoenix, Arizona. Now, the Hondo has expanded to New Orleans and announced that it will be headed to Florida in 2027.

It is time to celebrate the champions of the inaugural Hondo Rodeo Fest NOLA.

Hondo Rodeo Fest NOLA Champions Crowned

After three full nights of competition, the best of the best have proven themselves to earn the title of Hondo Champion. Night three mattered the most as the average titles were on the line. The winner of the average earned $20,000 while second-place received $12,500.

As you read through, keep in mind that the Hondo instituted a scoring system that went to the tenth of a point.

Bareback Riding

In the bareback riding, Bradlee Miller just can’t be stopped right now. By .8 of a point, Miller won the average. The bareback riders as a group put on quite a show. The eighth place in round three was 87.4, while the winner scored 89.2. That’s close.

Jacob Lees earned the round win with his 89.2 ride. Jess Pope was right on his heels with 89.1 points. Miller won third in the round at 88.6 which was just enough to win the average and the title.

Steer Wrestling

Tyler Waguespack of Gonzales, LA | Richard Bednarski/Reno Gazette Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Hondo has been good to Louisiana contestants, and the final night treated Tyler Waguespack well. His 3.75-second run earned $12,000 while reigning World Champion Tucker Allen picked up second with a 3.81.

Allen controlled the average race with his 12.63 seconds on three head. That was just a little more than one second ahead of Dakota Eldridge, who won second with 13.76.

Team Roping

World Champions Andrew Ward and Jake Long won their second round of the competition with their 5.39-second run. In a round where only two teams were clean, this was worth $12,000.

The final day was tough on the team ropers in general. Only four teams got a qualified time, and of those, only two were clean. When it came down to it, it was Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp who earned the average title.

After a recent announcement that they were not going to rope together any more, this may be the last time fans get to see them in the arena as a team for a while, at least.

Saddle Bronc Riding

It was a battle in the saddle bronc riding right down to the last horse that bucked. From first through sixth in the round, there was only a 2.3 point difference.

Sage Newman won the second round with an electric 90.2 ride. He must have loved that feeling because he repeated it exactly on night number three. Putting up another 90.2 earned the win and also catapulted him to the average title as well.

Tie-Down Roping

Truly, there just isn’t a shock factor here anymore. The proof happens every time the Denton, Texas man backs in the box. Riley Webb leaves New Orleans as the champion of the Hondo, but John Douch put some heat on him.

Douch had trouble in round one and then came back to gather up as much money as he possibly could. Douch won both the second and third rounds with runs that clocked in the six-second range. He was 6.68 to win the final round with Webb right behind him at 6.79. These men are phenomenal to watch.

Breakaway Roping

Coming into the final round, it was a battle between Josie Conner and Cheyanne McCartney. The two cowgirls had gone one-two in the first two rounds.

Ultimately, McCartney would come out on top. She roped her calf in 2.03, which was good for third in the final round. When Conner missed her calf, it left McCartney as the only cowgirl who roped all three calves and earned the championship. Due to this, Conner would still win second in the average.

Barrel Racing

After struggling in the first two rounds, Emily Beisel came to win the final round, and she did just that. She posted the fastest time of the entire rodeo with her 13.506 to get out of town with $12,000.

Makenzie Mayes just kept the heat on the entire field. The youngest of the group, Mayes, made a statement. She won the first two rounds and earned the second-place check in the final round. This also made her the average champion ahead of three-time World Champion Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi.

Bull Riding

Bull rider on a tan bull — Bull rider | Click Thompson for Hondo Rodeo

Round three of the bull riding brought four successful rides. The bulls were rank but couldn’t get the best of Tristan Mize in round three. A 90-point ride earned him the win and $12,000.

Talking about the bulls being rank - not a single cowboy covered all three bulls. Only three men rode two. It was Luke Mackey who would come out on top and get the $20,000 check, but it was a close call. Mackey had a total of 175.9, while Braxton Whitesell was 175.7. I’m not really even sure how you judge that close!

The world of rodeo has been reshaped by rodeos like The Hondo Rodeo Fest. The money that is available to contestants is life-changing at this point, and the more these expand, the better rodeo becomes. Congratulations to the champions.