Who To Watch at The American Rodeo Semifinals: Preview and Predictions

The American Rodeo Semifinals are about to go down and Rodeo On SI tried our hand at predicting who will advance.

Kade Bruno and Exotic Warrior | Courtesy of Teton Ridge

The American Rodeo Championship weekend has arrived and there is more than $3 million on the line.

To get a chance at that life-changing money, the qualifiers have one more clean-slate round, and everyone enters with the same chance. To advance to Saturday, they must be in the top five after Friday evening.

Here are the qualifiers and our predictions on who will advance. Every single one of these athletes is capable, and in the world of rodeo, anything is possible, so these predictions are all in fun.

Bareback Riding

1. Tilden Hooper
2. Tanner Aus
3. Richmond Champion
4. Chett Deitz
5. Bodee Lammers
6. Ty Pope
7. Leighton Berry
8. R.C. Landingham
9. Jacob Lees
10. Kade Berry
11. Keenan Hayes
12. Weston Timberman
13. Daxtyn Field
14. Mason Stuller
15. Orin Larsen
16. Jayco Roper

The top five in the world are going to have their hands full when this group advances. Keenan Hayes, who is currently No. 8 in the world, along with Leighton Berry and R.C. Landingham, are all in the top 10 in the world. Jacob Lees is arguably the most dangerous of this group.

Richmond Champion was the very first millionaire made by The American, so it would sure be fun to see him advance out of this group.

Predicted to advance: Jacob Lees, Keenan Hayes, Leighton Berry, R.C. Landingham and Tilden Hooper.

Saddle Bronc Riding

Sage Newman | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. Ryder Sanford
2. Dawson Hay
3. Ben Anderson
4. Layton Green
5. Kole Ashbacher
6. Shorty Garrett
7. Wyatt Casper
8. Kade Bruno
9. Ethan Cart
10. Will Pollock
11. Allen Boore
12. Sage Newman
13. Logan Hay
14. Mitch Pollock

Sage Newman is coming off a hot week in the PRCA, where he won the most money of all the top 15. It is hard to believe Kade Bruno is in this category, but here we are. Wyatt Casper is sitting at No. 6 in the World and has been riding great. This will be a fun event to watch.

Predicted to advance: Sage Newman, Kade Bruno, Wyatt Casper, Ryder Sanford and Shorty Garrett.

Bull Riding

1. Jayden Roy
2. Jeremy Maisonneuve
3. Jesse Petri
4. Daniel Caetano Feitosa
5. Shane Scott
6. Matt Palmer
7. Kase Hitt
8. Kaiden Loud
9. Luciano de Castro

The bull riding is the most unpredictable event. On any given day, any given bull can be ridden, and the opposite is also true. The very best in the world can and will have an off day and buck off a bull they should have ridden, so predictions here are almost impossible.

Jayden Roy had the most success at the regional level to advance to the semi-finals. Kase Hitt was impressive at the West Regional when he scored an 87.25.

Predicted to advance: We are taking an easier route here; four of these will ride and advance to the big stage, we just don’t know which ones.

Steer Wrestling

Justin Shaffer | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. Tristan Martin
2. Gavin Soileau
3. Bridger Anderson
4. Shane Frey
5. Clayton Culligan
6. Riley Duvall
7. Travis Munro
8. Bray Armes
9. Don Payne
10. Riley Barber
11. Kaden Greenfield
12. Justin Shaffer
13. Dalton Massey
14. JD Struxness
15. Rooster Yazzie

Just a quick look shows you every one of these guys has a chance, and it may come down to who draws the best steers to advance. Having a leg stick, or just not falling immediately will change the standings, and with this group, this is going to be close.

Gavin Soileau is a strong pick here. He is currently No. 10 in the World and should be rolling on momentum. Bridger Anderson is a veteran with a lot of experience on the big stage. JD Struxness is not a guy you want to bet against.

Predicted to advance: Gavin Soileau, Bridger Anderson, JD Struxness, Tristan Martin and Dalton Massey.

Tie-Down Roping

Dylan Hancock | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. Bryce Derrer
2. Cason Kingsbury
3. Andrew Burks
4. Cole Clemmons
5. Zack Jongbloed
6. Chizm Kuykendall
7. Ty Harris
8. Trevor Hale
9. Ryan Thibodeaux
10. Bobby Abernathy
11. Cory Solomon
12. K.C. Miller
13. Tuf Cooper
14. Dylan Hancock
15. Lane Webb

The biggest stages in the world have all been home to Ty Harris, and we don’t see this changing. If he is aboard Peso, he is hard to beat. Then you have familiar names like Tuf Cooper, Cory Solomon, Dylan Hancock, and Cole Clemmons. There could be some dark horses in this event as well, because when the truth is told, anyone in this group is capable; they have already proven that.

Cason Kingsbury has been spending a lot of time with World Champion Haven Meged and may be ready to take on this level of talent. This is an event that is guaranteed to be fast and furious.

Predicted to advance: Ty Harris, Dylan Hancock, Cory Solomon, Cole Clemmons and Tuf Cooper.

Team Roping

Coleman Proctor | Fernando Sam-Sin

1. Luke Brown / Buddy Hawkins
2. Owen Gillespie / Cole Walker
3. Clay Smith / Coleby Payne
4. Coy Rahlmann / Logan Medlin
5. Cory Kidd / Carson Johnson
6. Coleman Proctor / Travis Graves
7. Billy Bob Brown / Blaine Vick
8. Conley Kleinhans / Kyler Kanady
9. Chad Masters / Jace Helton
10. JC Yeahquo / Logan Moore
11. Pedro Egurrola / Michael Calmelat Jr
12. Dustin Egusquiza / JC Flake
13. James Arviso / Levi Lord
14. Trevor Brazile / Treston Brazile
15. Kellan Johnson / Trae Smith

The King of Cowboys will be backing in the box with his up-and-coming son to take on the world of rodeo yet again. If anyone is willing to bet against Trevor Brazile, well, they just don’t know rodeo. This man knows how to perform under pressure, and there’s no doubt he has passed that on to Treston.

Seeing names like Coleman Proctor and Travis Graves in the qualifier list is also surprising, and the field will need to pay attention here because they could easily become rodeo’s next millionaires.

Predicted to advance: Trevor Brazile/Treston Brazile, Dustin Egusquiza/JC Flake, Coleman Proctor/Travis Graves, Pedro Egurrola/Michael Calmelat Jr, and Clay Smith/Coleby Payne.

Barrel Racing

Dusky Lynn Hall | The American Rodeo

1. Dusky Lynn Hall
2. Randee Prindle
3. Missy Jean Etheridge
4. Tabitha Dyal
5. Bayleigh Choate
6. Heidi Gunderson
7. Katelyn Scott
8. Samantha Willoughby
9. Hadlee Landers
10. Mindy Holloway
11. Hailey Krahenbuhl
12. Taylor Armenta
13. Tayla Moeykens
14. Blake Molle
15. Autumn Snyder

There are some serious contenders here, and it should come down to the hundredth of a second. With NFR qualifiers and youth competitors alike, the horsepower here is astounding.

The semifinals round will advance those whose horses are just having their best day, because this round will take the run of a lifetime to advance from.

Dusky Lynn Hall might be young, but she has been a winner at every level she is eligible to compete. Her string of horses is bar none, holding arena records at nearly every stop. Katelyn Scott will likely be seen riding her outstanding palomino “Peanut Seed”, and they are hard to beat in any setup.

Randee Prindle has been a name to watch for years now and she will have all eyes on her when she runs down the alley for good reason. She is hard to beat.

Predicted to advance: Dusky Lynn Hall, Tayla Moeykens, Katelyn Scott, Tabitha Dyal, and Randee Prindle.

Breakaway Roping

Jackie Crawford | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

1. Emmry Edwards
2. Rickie Fanning
3. Lydia Townson
4. Kelsie Domer
5. Beau Peterson
6. Timber Allenbrand
7. Kali Jo Bannister
8. Macy Hancock
9. Jackie Crawford
10. ShyAnne Jarrett
11. Hadley Thompson
12. Madison Outhier
13. Fallon Ruffoni
14. Maddy Jacobs
15. Sutton Mang

The fastest event in rodeo will remain that way on this stage. Once again, there are veterans matched up against young guns, and trust us, this will be a fast set of gun slingers.

Beau Peterson is a consistent roper who has proven to be fast in every arena. She will use her head with the barrier and give these women something to shoot at.

Jackie Crawford may have slowed down on the rodeo trail, but she hasn’t stopped winning. She should be feared when she backs in the box. Rickie Fanning and Timber Allenbrand were tough at their region finals and have a resume to prove it.

Hadley Thompson is well-known around the pro rodeo circuit, and the bottom line is the girl can rope. She is strong and usually finds her way right to the winner’s circle.

There isn’t a person in the Western world who wouldn’t tear up a bit if Kelsie Domer were crowned the champ and awarded that $2 million prize. There’s no way we could bet against her, just rope the neck.

Predicted to advance: Kelsie Domer, Hadley Thompson, Beau Peterson, Rickie Fanning and Timber Allenbrand.