Wright wins saddle bronc championship

By Ed Godfrey

Published: September 25, 2006

Three times was a charm Sunday for Utah saddle bronc rider Cody Wright.

After being awarded two re-rides Sunday afternoon, Wright used the final ride of this year's State Fair Rodeo to win the saddle bronc title at the State Fair Arena.

Wright scored an 87 on "Jack Knife," a horse of the Bennie Beutler & Son Rodeo Co., of Elk City, to win $2,616.

On Saturday night, Wright won more than $3,000 by finishing second in a rodeo in Albuquerque, N.M.. The weekend earnings might vault him into the top three in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings.

"Usually, you don't get two re-rides," Wright said of his unusual day at the State Fair Rodeo. "The second horse that I got on, he was good enough that I probably wouldn't have gotten a re-ride on him had the flank not broke."

Judges awarded Wright a re-ride after his first ride Sunday when the bronc did not buck to their satisfaction.

"Bennie, he's got enough good horses that you usually don't get a re-ride," he said. "That's their (the judges) call. Luckily, it worked out in my favor. Sometimes the best horses are in the re-ride pen."

"Jack Knife" was in the re-ride pen because the bronc had been drawn by a cowboy who decided to skip Oklahoma City and compete instead in a rodeo in El Paso, Texas, Wright said.

"He will hear about this and be sad he didn't come." Wright said of the no-show cowboy. "Sometimes you'll enter rodeos and they will put you in two rodeos on the same day.

"He probably looked at the scores there (El Paso) and looked at the scores here and both horses and probably thought he had a better shot to win more money over there."

Wright, 29, has qualified three consecutive years for the National Finals Rodeo. He was fifth in the season standings entering this weekend's action with more than $88,000 in earnings.

On Saturday night, Wright finished second in the rodeo at Albuquerque, before making the drive to Oklahoma City for Sunday afternoon's competition in the State Fair Rodeo.

"Saturday night, I didn't get much sleep, but I'm not complaining," he said. "It's been a good weekend."

Wright is practically a lock to make his fourth straight National Finals Rodeo, and some think this might be the year he becomes a world champion.

"That's one of my biggest goals," he said. "I want to win it (world championship) more than once. I would like to win it a half-dozen times, but just winning it once would be awesome."