Saddle Bronc Riders Ready For Texas Circuit Finals in Waco

The field is set as the best riders on the Texas circuit head to Waco, Texas, for the Saddle Bronc event at the Texas Circuit Finals.

The Saddle Bronc world will have its eyes on Waco, Texas, as Christopher Fleet returns to defend his crown in the Texas Circuit Finals, which start on Tuesday at the Extraco Events Center.

The four-day event attracted some of the best Saddle Bronc riders on the Texas circuit, with a prominent field that includes some riders that are either on their way to the National Finals Rodeo in December or have made multiple appearances in the NFR.

But it was Fleet, a 23-year-old Axtell, Texas, native that won the Texas Circuit Finals for the 2023 season, which wrapped up last month. He claimed that prize with an 86-point ride and edged out Isaac Diaz, who had an 85.5-point ride. Jacobs Crawley was third at 84 points.

Fleet won two other events during the 2023 season in Nacogdoches, Texas, and Edgewood, Iowa. He posted a third-place finish at Fort Bend last weekend.

The field includes a dozen riders, some of which are among the best in the event.

Diaz is a seven-time NFR qualifier who won the 2009 Tour Finale and just missed qualification for this year’s event in Las Vegas. Diaz recently had a chance to become the second rider to claim the Triple Crown of Rodeo but fell just short last weekend.

Jacobs Crawley is a world champion and a 10-time NFR qualifier who has two Wrangler NFR average titles and two RAM NCFR titles. But he hasn’t qualified for NFR since 2020.

Sterling Crawley has seven NFR qualifications of his own but came up short of a berth in this year’s NFR. He won this event in 2012, a season after being named Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year.

Brandon Lansford is coming off a couple of in-the-money finishes at rodeos in Florida and Texas last weekend. Jarrod Hammons picked up six titles during the 2023 season, including a victory at Rodeo El Paso. Will Pollock has finished in the Top 50 in winnings each of the past two seasons. Logan Cook has finished in the Top 30 in Saddle Bronc winnings each of the past three seasons.

Other riders scheduled to complete include Cale Newman, Darcy Radel, Dean Wadsworth, Lance Gaillard and Blaise Freeman.