Finals Set For Pendleton Round-Up Bareback Riding

Dean Thompson remained in the lead and will ride last in Saturday’s final performance of bareback riding at the Pendleton Round-Up.

Saturday’s action is set to start at 1:15 p.m. pacific time in Pendleton, Ore.

Thompson posted an 87-point ride on Great Nation of Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics on Thursday, a ride good enough to upend the leader after Wednesday’s action, which was Jacek Frost, who claimed the lead with an 84-point ride.

With that, Thompson took home $6,074 in go-round money entering Saturday’s finals.

Thompson now has a new closest pursuer entering Saturday’s action, as Keenan Hayes had the top ride on Friday. He finished with an 85-point ride on Bigtimin Houston and took home $4,657.

Hayes, who is just 20 and joined PRCA in 2022, is the No. 1 bareback rider in the world right now, with 14 individual championships and one shared title this season.

That ride moved Hayes into second place and dropped Austin Foss and Jayco Roper from a tie for second place to a tie for third place. Each snagged $2,835 from the go-round.

Roper is ranked No. 9 in the event this season and seeking a seventh individual title. Foss, a former four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, has won two titles this year and is unranked in the event.

That dropped Frost into fifth place, as he received $1,417 for his Wednesday ride.

Jess Pope, who had an 83 during his ride on Thursday, is now tied for sixth with Ben Kramer, who also rode to an 83 on Friday. Each received $911.

Kramer entered Pendleton No. 34 in the world in bareback riding and seeking his fourth victory of the season. His last win came at the Watertown Rodeo in August.

Cooper Cooke, who rode on Friday, had an 82.5-point ride and came away with $607 from the go-round. Cooke won the title at the Iron County Fair and PRCA Rodeo in Parowan, Utah, earlier this month.

The day sheet for Saturday’s matinee is set, with 12 riders prepared to wrap up action. That list, in order, includes Jacob Lees, Kody Lamb, Shane O’Connell, Samuel Petersen, Cooke, Kramer, Jesse Pope, Frost, Roper, Foss, Hayes and Thompson.