Emily Beisel Dominates Bracket 1 at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

The legendary rodeo has started in Fort Worth, Texas and the first set of semi-finals contestants have been named.

Barrel racer Emily Beisel of Weatherford, Oklahoma, at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament. | FWSSR photo by James Phifer

Every year, fans and contestants alike look forward to swarming to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. With more than $1.2 million in added money, this is certainly an event people don’t want to miss.

A championship at Fort Worth is both coveted and earned. When contestants roll out of Texas as the champion of this rodeo, they have set a standard for their season and likely are on their way to the National Finals Rodeo.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

The first set of the professional rodeo brackets finished on Saturday evening, January 24. Of the eight contestants in each set, only two will find themselves advancing on to the semi-finals. Fort Worth works a little different than the most recent bracket rodeo in Denver, Colo.

The top two money earners from each set will automatically advance, while the third-place finishers will have to work their way through the wild card round. Everyone else in the bracket is put into a pool, and if they happen to be the highest money winner in that pool, they can also earn another run in the wild card.

Yes, it is a little bit confusing, but as the rodeo goes on, it will get a bit easier to understand.

The cowboys and cowgirls entered have the rules sorted out, and those in Bracket No. 1 have already determined who is moving on and who will have to wait it out.

Rough Stock Standouts in Fort Worth Bracket No. 1

In the bareback riding, Leighton Berry took the win in the first round with a score of 86.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Ruffie’s Rage. For that performance, Berry will get to add $2,500 to his world standings pool.

In Round No. 2, Jacob Lees stayed aboard Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven to earn 89.5 points and the win.

The top money winners moving on will be Jacob Lees with $4,400 and Leighton Berry at $4,000. Orin Larsen who won $3,400, will have to head to the wild card.

In the saddle bronc riding, there was a tie for the first and second place spots. Zachary Dallas and Jake Finlay both scored 85 points to be at the top of the leaderboard. They each earned $2,200.

Round No. 2 belonged to Darcy Radel who scored 87.5 points on Korkow Rodeos’ Me Mojo. Taking the win all by himself amounted to $2,500 in earnings.

The top three money earners were:

• Darcy Radel $3,375
• Allen Boore $2,375
• Traylin Martin $2,025 (wildcard)

The bull riders had a rough time in the first round where only two stayed on top for the full eight seconds. Trevor Reiste was the better with 85 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Darth Vader. He picked up $4,000 for the round win.

The second round was even tougher where only one man heard the buzzer. Braxton Whitesell was good enough to stay for eight seconds on Rafter G Rodeo’s Peaky Blinders. An incredible $7,400 will be deposited in his account for that ride.

The only bull riders to stay on will advance. Whitesell and Reiste will go on to the semi-finals while Thayne Elsher will go to the wild card.

Top Timed Event Contestants

John Douch | Nathan Meyer Photography

In the steer wrestling, there were several different money earners in each round, which reduced the amount required to move on to the semis. Joe Nelson showed up in the first round with his 4.0-second run to be the best and earn the $2,500 check.

In Round No. 2, it was Jacob Daniell who stopped the clock at 4.3 seconds to take the win. With his first round performance of 4.7 seconds and a $1,500 check, his $4,000 was enough to make him the top man advancing. Joining him will be Tyler Scheevel with $2,025. In the third spot, Colin Fox will go to the wild card.

The tie-down roping was filled with top cowboys from across the country. None was better than John Douch, though. The Huntsville, Texas, cowboy put together two runs that earned him $4,000 and enough for the top spot to move on. Joining him will be Cash Enderli who pocketed $2,500 in the two gos.

The team roping was a little bit surprising, where a team that roped a leg in the first round ended up advancing. Moving forward in the top money-earning spot was a team that stopped the clock clean in both rounds.

Dawson Graham and brother Dillon were 5.3 in the first round and then came back to be 5.6 in Round No. 2. Those runs were just perfect to gather $4,000 and the advancement.

Cody Snow and Hunter Koch roped a leg in the first round when they posted a total time of 10.8 seconds. That run still placed fourth in the round and paid $1,000. Pairing that with their smoking fast clean run in Round No. 2 of 4.0 seconds and the duo found themselves listed as semi-finals qualifiers.

The “riding red-head” absolutely dominated the barrel racing in the first bracket. Emily Beisel rode a different horse each round and still took home the championship each night. On night one, Beisel turned three barrels in 16.47 seconds for the $2,500 paycheck. She came back in night two and got even faster at 16.39 seconds and another $2,500 check.

Beisel clearly was the top cowgirl, but she will be joined by none other than the winningest cowgirl in WPRA history. Lisa Lockhart also earned a spot in the semi-finals after picking up $3,400 for her first two runs.

Rodeo action continues in Fort Worth over the next two weeks with thousands of dollars up for grabs for the lucky contestants. Rodeo On SI is your trusted source for all of the upcoming bracket coverage.

---