Cooper Cooke Delivers Historic Ride at Dutton Ranch Darby Xtreme Bareback

Cowboys took over Darby, Montana over the weekend to bring some top-of-the-line bareback riding at the Dutton Ranch Darby Xtreme Bareback. These athletes proved that they have what it takes to secure a spot at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) come December.

High Scores in Montana

The bar was set high right out of the gate during Section 1, with Kade Sonnier securing the top spot with an 88-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo Co.'s Queen Scarlett. Despite such a strong start, his next ride in the finals put him one place outside of a check, proving just how high the stakes were heading into the next two sections.

Cooper Cooke started off a bit slower in Section 2. His 86-point ride on J Bar J's Rodeo Jacket landed him on top for that round, but he was going to have to bring his A-game in the finals in order to take home the title.

Section 3 was a bit of a twist for cowboys as three of them (Cole Reiner, Clayton Bigelow, and Cooper Filipek) tied for the first-place spot with a whopping 87-points for each athlete. These high scores are just the start for how things turned out in the finals in Montana, but one cowboy rose to the occasion.

The final section brought the highest scores of the event. While Kashton Ford and Keenan Hayes tied for the second-place spot with an impressive 89.5 points, it was Cooke who was able to land on top with his massive 91-point ride on J Bar J's No Show Reiner.

Cooke Wins Big

This win pocketed him nearly $12,000, a check that will land nicely in his season earnings as we head into the bigger summer rodeos, where every dollar counts. The win propelled Cooke to No. 12 in the world standings and now has him just $3,000 outside of the top 10.

Cooke himself is looking to secure his third qualification to the NFR, and is chasing the world title. At 23 years old, Cooke has had an impressive career. Since joining ProRodeo in 2022, Cooke has only gotten better every season, and this 91-point ride shows he’s just getting started.

After landing at No. 7 last year, Cooke is coming in hot this season. He’s already secured two wins, at the New Year's Eve Buck & Ball and the Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo, and is now potentially on his way to the Thomas & Mack arena for the third straight year.

Hopefully, this win is exactly what the cowboy needed to build momentum ahead of the summer and earn some massive checks when it counts the most.

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