Ky Hamilton Tops Round 1 of 2023 NFR Bull Riding

Australian cowboy Ky Hamilton captured the win on Cervi Brothers' Vitalix Theodore on the opening night of the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Laura Motley Lambert | Dec 9, 2023

Ky Hamilton Tops Round 1 of 2023 NFR Bull Riding /

Cervi Brothers' bull Vitalix Theodore came out of the chute showing the No. 2 ranked bull rider, Ky Hamilton all he had. He made several spins to the right before doing a quick switch up left at the buzzer, but the Australian cowboy was unphased. When the 8-second ride concluded, Hamilton took top honors on the leaderboard with an 86.5 score.

Vitalix Theodore is a top performer for the Cervi Brothers and is certainly no stranger to the winner’s circle. The efforts of the animal tonight helped earn Hamilton the coveted $30,706 check.

Josh Frost gathered the second-place position riding OLS Tubs Ugly Wish from Macza Pro Rodeo. Frost donned his money-colored green fringe and put on a show while spinning to the left. Just one point behind Hamilton, Frost finished the round with a solid 85.5. The Randlett, Utah cowboy will add $24,267 to her earnings total.

Ranked at No. 6 and looking to make some moves, Creek Young from Rogersville, Mo.'s rode Frontier Rodeo’s County Jail for 84.5 points and a third-place check totaling $18,324.

This kept Young solid at his spot in the world standings but opened the door for an average check later in the week.

With a tough nine rounds left ahead, Stetson Wright limped out of the arena tonight after taking a no score in both the saddle bronc and the bull riding. Fans should be eager to check the injury reports tomorrow to see if the Beaver, Utah cowboy is at 100%. Wright came in with a nice lead and the All-Around Cowboy title wrapped up, but certainly needs to cover some stock over the next eight days to earn event championships.

NFR Round 1 Bull Riding Results

1. Ky Hamilton, 86.5 points, $30,706
2. Josh Frost, 85.5 points, $24,268
3. Creek Young, 84.5 points, $18,325
4. Cody Teel, 84 points, $12,877
5. Trey Holston, 83.5 points, $7,924
6/7. Trey Kimzey and Sage Kimzey, 82.5 points, $2,476 each.

Published Dec 9, 2023

LAURA MOTLEY LAMBERT

Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. With her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, PGA and LPGA. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com