Fort Worth Rodeo Bracket 4 Delivers Dominant Wins and Historic Performances

The fourth bracket comes to a close in Fort Worth at the rodeo, and the top competitors are headed to the semifinals.

Carlee Otero | James Phifer

As we near the halfway-point of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, the action and competitors are heating up. Carlee Otero swept the barrel racing in Bracket 4 in thrilling fashion.

After winning Round 1 with a time of 16.26 seconds, Otero came back in the second round and tied the FWSSR arena record at 16.08 seconds. It was a tough bracket for barrel racing, as Makenna Shook came in right on Otero's heels in Round 1 with a 16.35-second run.

Shook, a Texas cowgirl in her sophomore season in the WPRA, will join Otero in the semifinals. She rode her 6-year-old gelding XV Mario in Fort Worth, who, just last season, helped her set the all-time WPRA record on a standard pattern.

Heading to the wild card round in the barrel racing is fellow Texan, Acey Pinkston.

The 2022 World Champion from Waverly, Kan., was the No. 1 man in the bareback riding in Bracket 4. Jess Pope won the second round with an 85.5-point ride on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Indecent Exposure. He paired that win a 3rd-place finish from the first round to qualify for the semifinals.

Joining Pope in the semifinals is Tristan Hansen. Hansen stayed consistent through the bracket with two 2nd-place finishes to move him forward in the competition. With a big check from a win in Round 1, Nick Pelke won just enough to advance him to the wild-card round.

Rusty Wright Clean Sweeps Fort Worth

In the second sweep of the bracket, Rusty Wright claimed two dominating round wins in the saddle bronc riding. He spurred Championship Pro Rodeo’s Rebel Yell for 91 points on night one, then the blue shirt cowboy climbed aboard Blue Chip of Calgary Stampede for 88 points and another round win.

Joining Wright in the semifinals is Chase Brooks. Brooks came into the second round chasing Sage Newman, but a rough buckoff for Newman in Round 2 let Brooks move on to the semifinals. Leon Fountain held on for an 83-point ride in Round 2, which will send him to the wild card round.

Rusty Wright celebrating his win. | FWSSR photo by James Phifer

James Arviso and Rance Doyal took a commanding lead in an otherwise rough bracket of team roping. The pair won Round 1 with a 3.9-second run, and followed that up with a time of 6.3 in Round 2. Joining them in the semifinals is Cash Duty and Calgary Smith.

Jake Orman and Caleb Green mounted a massive comeback to clinch a spot in the wild-card round. The pair missed in Round 1, but when the top teams missed their steers in Round 2, it opened the door for Orman and Green to move on. As the last team to go, they stopped the clock at 6.0 seconds on a wiry steer to win the round and send them to the wild card.

In the breakaway roping, Cadee Williams and Kinlie Brennise will both move on to the semifinals after a neck-and-neck finish. Samantha Fulton stepped up big in Round 2 with a smoking 2.0-second run that helped her clutch a spot in the wild card round.

Only four cowboys stayed hooked for the 8-second whistle in the bull riding in Bracket 4, and Luke "Colorado Kid" Mackey did it twice. Mackey won the first round with an 88-point ride aboard Pickett Pro Rodeo's Tickle My Fancy. He followed that up with a 2nd-place finish behind Patterson Starcher in Round 2.

Joining Mackey in the semifinals will be Dustin Boquet, and Tristan Mize will head to the wild card.

Cory Solomon | Roseanna Sales/For PRCA

Michael Otero and Haven Meged stayed locked in a dead heat throughout the bracket, but Cory Solomon came out on top. Otero and Meged tied for the win in Round 1, but the young Riley Istre played spoiler and kept them both out of bigger checks in Round 2.

Solomon will advance to the semifinals in the top position, and Meged will join him through a tie-breaker. Otero will move on to battle it out in the wild card round.

Bridger Anderson and Justin Shaffer will both advance to the semifinals after a stellar performance from both cowboys. Anderson took the win in Round 1 with a 3.6-second run, and Shaffer took Round 2 with a time of 3.9 seconds. Kyle Irwin will head to the wild card round.

With three brackets still to be decided and the wild card round looming, the road to the semifinals promises no shortage of excitement as competitors continue to fight for a coveted spot.

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