NFR Day 1: Steer wrestling champ wins, Wright shines in return — PHOTOS
The first of 10 go-round runs at the National Finals Rodeo can be nerve-wracking and pressure packed for any competitor.
Steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack said he felt some nerves, but that didn’t show when he opened his 11th NFR with another opening night go-round win.
Waguespack, a five-time steer wrestling world champion, won his steer wrestling go-round with a time of 4.0 seconds on the first night of the National Finals Rodeo on Thursday at the Thomas &Mack Center. Waguespack opened the 40th edition of NFR in Las Vegas with his fourth opening-round win.
“Anytime you can get started off on a roll here is good,” Waguespack said. “I think the first round and the 10th round are two of the easiest rounds to jump out and go win. The first round, everybody’s got their butterflies going, nobody wants to start off bad, so they’re kind of pacing themselves.
“I told myself a long time ago I can’t keep this (the steer) in the barrier of this building, so I got run at it every time.”
The story of the first night of NFR was the return of five-time all-around champion Stetson Wright, who didn’t miss a beat from his 726-day NFR absence.
After missing last year’s NFR recovering from a hamstring injury that he reaggravated at NFR in 2023, Wright won his go-rounds in saddle bronc riding (90 points) and bull riding (89.75 points).
The wins put Wright in the lead in the bull riding standings with $396,842.61 in earnings over Wacey Schalla ($391,575.62). In the all-around standings, Wright ($485,006.51) extended his lead over Schalla ($423,342.09).
“I’m super excited,” said Wright, who has eight world championships. “This is when you’re visualizing things happening. This is how you visualize it. I’m super glad I’m in this position. This is how I dreamt it up.”
Waguespack gains ground
Waguespack’s win was a great start to his run for a sixth steer wrestling title. He entered NFR eighth in the world standings, less than $60,000 behind leader Will Lummus.
After his win, Waguespack gained $36,668 in earnings and jumped to second in the standings ($182,492.58) and is within striking distance of Lummus ($205,115.71).
But Waguespack was aware that anything can happen over the next nine rounds of NFR with all the money up for grabs.
“Absolutely not,” Waguespack said when asked if the win changes his game plan for the rest of NFR. “It’s still anybody’s ballgame. They’ve had guys go in there and win the world with broken barriers or no time and all that kind of stuff.
“Anybody’s ballgame here with the money they have here in Vegas.”
‘A lot of confidence’
Waguespack, 34, said with the opening night out of the way, he expected the steer wresting times to get faster.
“(Friday) night, you’re going to be seeing several 3-second runs,” Waguespack said. “A lot of guys here, there was rookies over here that had a little bit of mistakes.
“There was veterans over here that didn’t want to push it to the limit right now. Tomorrow night, I think everybody’s going to be straight up hungry and ready to roll.”
Waguespack, a native of Gonzales, Louisiana, has picked up two wins this season. He said he’s found his stride as the year’s gone on with the horse he rode Thursday night, Swamper.
“He’s been making my job super easy, so I got a lot of confidence on him for nine more rounds,” Waguespack said. “I felt like I got a really good start. The horses were working tremendous. I hope that lasts all throughout the week because that makes my job easier. I’m really looking forward to more.”
‘It’s still a job’
Waguespack won his fifth and most recent title in 2023 in dramatic fashion. He entered the final night fourth in the standing, but tied for first for the 10th round go-round win and jumped to the No. 1 spot after earning more money by finishing third in the aggregate (an average of all the competitors run through NFR). That was Waguespack’s third straight title from 2021 to 2023.
Last year, Waguespack suffered a detached left bicep tendon in June and it looked like his 2024 would be over with an expected recovery time of four to five months.
But Waguespack recovered quickly and made it back to NFR. He finished fifth in the aggregate, earned money in five rounds (including a win in the ninth round) and finished ninth in the final standings.
“It’s still a job,” Waguespack said. “It’s great to have this gigantic venue that we’re at right here at the Thomas & Mack. But at the end of the day, this is what we practice for. This is what we worked for since we were little.
“It’s all the hours and hours in the practice pine come real right here.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Cooke steals show in bareback riding Bareback rider Cooper Cooke has appeared to have learn a lot from his first NFR appearance last year to this year. Cooke began his second NFR with an opening-night go-round win in bareback riding with a score of 88.5 points Thursday night in the first night of the 40th NFR in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center. "It's awesome," Cooke said. "When you're a young kid and watching the Tilden Hoopers and Kaycee Feilds, all those guys out there stepping up and doing (their) thing, it just really motivates you to just try your ass off and do whatever it takes and get it done." Cooke, 23 from Victor, Idaho, picked up $36,668 in earnings. He jumped to sixth in the world standings ($189,261.74 total earnings) after entering NFR 10th in the standings. It's a tall task to try and chase leader Rocker Steiner ($313,547.32) for the world title, but Cooke said he isn't thinking that far ahead. "Just growing up, maturing in my ride and everything, it's been awesome," Cooke said. "You just got to take it day by day and do what you got to do." Cooke has won five times this season, including the historic Calgary (Alberta, Canada) Stampede. Last year, Cooke finished 12th in the overall standings. It wasn't the best NFR for Cooke in 2024. He received earnings in just two rounds and finished 13th in the aggregate after picking up 12 event wins during the season. "Last year was actually a really big thing for me because it didn't go to play at all, like nothing went to play that whole week," Cooke said. "When I made it back this year on my drive here, it just felt like all the weight was off my shoulders. I couldn't have done any worse than I did last year. The biggest lesson Cooke said he learned last year was to not take anything for granted. "Don't think everything can be perfect all the time," Cooke said of the lessons he learned. "Be ready for the unthinkable." Other go-round winners Lightning Aguilera, Athens, Texas, and Kaden Profili, Jacksonville, Texas, in team roping (4.o seconds). Stetson Wright, Beaver, Utah, in saddle bronc riding (90 points). Shad Mayfield, Clovis, New Mexico, in tie-down roping (6.8 seconds). Kassie Mowry, Dublin, Texas, in barrel racing (13.66 seconds). Stetson Wright, Beaver, Utah, in bull riding (89.75).
