Stampede! Thurston shines at Cody Stampede’s July 4 rodeo

Posted 7/7/20

On America’s Independence Day, one of the top performers at the Cody Stampede Rodeo hailed from north of the border.

Alberta native Zeke Thurston finished second overall in the saddle bronc …

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Stampede! Thurston shines at Cody Stampede’s July 4 rodeo

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On America’s Independence Day, one of the top performers at the Cody Stampede Rodeo hailed from north of the border.

Alberta native Zeke Thurston finished second overall in the saddle bronc riding competition at the PRCA-sanctioned event, which featured nightly rodeos from July 1-4. Riding on Saturday, July 4, Thurston logged a score of 89.5 points, the highest of the day.

“The horse really bucked, and she tried hard,” he said. “She had me hustling the whole time, but I was kind of scrambling my way through it.”

That score placed Thurston just two points behind Rusty Wright, who scored 91.5 on Friday.

Thurston knew 91.5 was the score to beat heading into his run. And after an arduous trial, he thought he might have won it.

“I knew I was going to be up there. I could tell she was bucking hard,” Thurston said. “I could have rode her better, but the difficulty factor was there, so I thought I had a chance.”

Despite not winning, Thurston was pleased with his performance. The second-place finish won him $4,281 in prize money, and Thurston now sits in 11th place in the PRCA saddle bronc standings.

And while Thurston isn’t originally from the United States, shining on such a patriotic evening was special for the 25-year-old rider.

“It’s awesome to do well on the Fourth of July at a big rodeo like this,” Thurston said. “You can’t beat it; it’s beautiful weather, and we had fun.”

The Cody Stampede Rodeo had a total payout of $297,350, with another $18,659 for breakaway roping. Among the many contestants at the rodeo was former Northwest College bull rider Shane Proctor, who took seventh place and won $782.

  

Top results:

Bareback riding: 1. Chad Rutherford, 90.5 points; 2. Tim O’Connell, 87.5; 3. Jake Brown, 87.

Steer wrestling: 1. Ben Kilburg, 3.6 seconds; 2. Jesse Brown, 3.7; 3. Will Lummus, 3.9.

Team roping: 1. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 4.8 seconds; 2. Chase Massengill/Lane Siggins, 4.9; 3. (tie) Clay Tryan/Jake Long, Nelson Wyatt/Levi Lord and Cory Kidd V/Clay Futrell, 5.1.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Rusty Wright, 91.5 points; 2. Zeke Thurston, 89.5; 3. Isaac Diaz, 87.5.

Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) West Smith and Tuf Cooper, 8.0 seconds; 3. Ryan Jarrett, 8.2.

Barrel racing: 1. Paige Jones, 17.10 seconds; 2. Jill Wilson, 17.20; 3. Mary Walker, 17.26.

Steer roping (averages): 1. Garrett Hale, 20.2 seconds; 2. Thomas Smith, 21.1; 3. J. Tom Fisher, 21.3.

Bull riding: 1. Roscoe Jarboe, 90 points; 2. (tie) Sage Kimzey and Stetson Wright, 88.5.

All-around cowboy: Tuf Cooper (tie-down roping and steer roping)

Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Katie Mundorf and Tanegai Zilverberg, 2.10 seconds; 3. Kirby Eppert, 2.20.

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