Brody Cress' Past Experience Aids Win At Basin City, Starting Big July 4th Run

The veteran saddle bronc competitor capped the holiday schedule with a trio of victories and more than $19,000 in earnings.

Brody Cress' third matchup with Corey & Lange bucking horse Monster at the Basin City Freedom Rodeo over the weekend produced another winning-effort of 87.5 points, just like this ride at the 2023 NFR. / Hailey Rae/For PRCA

Familiar horse. Familiar result. And for saddle bronc rider Brody Cress that was the perfect formula to get things rolling over the Fourth of July schedule. 

Heading into the Basin City (Wash.) Freedom Rodeo, the Hillsdale, Wyo., cowboy knew his opponent, Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Monster, would give him a quality ride. It was on Cress to make it count. 

“That’s a horse that I’ve actually got to get on a few times before. I won Ellensburg on him a couple years ago and last year at NFR I tied for the Round 8 win on him,” Cress said. "I knew he was going to give me every opportunity to be able to go win that rodeo and I just needed to show up, have fun and do my job.”

The third matchup between the rider and horse produced the same result as previous meetings, with Cress posting a third straight 87.5-point effort, this time taking the top spot in Basin City to secure $4,935 in earnings. 

From there, the rest of Cowboy Christmas snowballed as Cress followed up his Basin City victory with wins at the 89th Annual Independence Day Rodeo in Oakley City, Utah, and the Western Stampede in West Jordan, Utah. 

89.5 to lead Oakley City on Night 1, Brody Cress is making his newborn son proud! pic.twitter.com/FFMIirMZ7c

— The Cowboy Channel (@Cowboy_Channel) July 4, 2024

Coupled with checks at the Eugene (Ore.) Pro Rodeo and the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Ariz., the three-time average champion at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo earned $19,506 during rodeo’s busiest stretch. 

Coming into the week, Cress was sitting 10th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings with a little more than $80,000 won. The latest batch of earnings puts him one step closer to an eighth straight trip to the NFR this December. 

For Cress, there’s no stopping to savor the success. He still has work to better his position in the standings and guarantee himself another appearance in Las Vegas.

His focus for the next few weeks is to keep using the same process that has led him to this point. That routine of showing up and mentally preparing for each ride in the same fashion continues to be a winning pattern.  

“We’re finally getting one of those times where I’m getting on enough bucking horse and stuffs just going the right way, where you can just kind of show up to the rodeo and work through the same process that I always do with warming up and getting everything ready so I know that I’m confident ready for whatever those horses are going to throw at us,” Cress said. “It’s always a lot more fun when you are riding good because you just get to show up to the rodeos, do your job and just have fun.”

Other results from the Basin City Freedom Rodeo

Mason Stuller’s 85.5-point effort on Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Buckaroo was good enough to win the bareback riding and secure $4,724. He edged Colton Clemens who finished with a score of 85. 

Steer wrestler Tristan Martin was a tenth of a second better than competitor Jesse Brown to earn the title. Martin finished his run in 4.4 seconds to earn $3,955. 

The team roping duo of Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith won the event with a time of 3.9 seconds to each take home $5,034. 

Ty Harris won the tie-down roping title with a run of 7.9 seconds, earning him $4,954. 

Barrel racer Abby Phillips edged past Tayla Moeykens for the win to secure $5,515. Phillips won with a time of 16.83 while Moeykens took runner-up at 16.84. 

Lane Vaughan rode Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Entitled Little for 88 points to capture the bull riding title and $4,692 in prize money.