Brody Cress walked away the 2024 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo Champion marking a 91-point ride to win it all.
Kelly Lynch | January 23, 2024
Brody Cress and R Watson’s Ed Bishop in the short round at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo | Photo by Greg Westfall courtesy of NWSS Facebook
The curtain has closed on the first big winter rodeo of the year as the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo crowned their 2024 champions. In the saddle bronc riding, it was Brody Cress and Cervi Championship Rodeo’s R Watson’s Ed Bishop who walked away victorious by marking an impressive 91-point ride.
With eight brackets, three semi-final rounds, and one short go, competing at Denver can be daunting to most, but having the right horse and finding success can pay off big in the end.
“When they have these bracket formats and have rodeos that are so long, it can dang sure be a drawing contest,” Cress stated. “Some of the rounds you might luck out and have great horses and the next you could have terrible ones, so it’s nice they do it as a bracket format where you’re just riding against the guys that day and it gives you a little bit more of a chance. At the end of the day though, you just have to come here and take care of business no matter what you’re getting on.”
The list of high-marking broncs in the final round was top tier but seeing your name next to a bucking horse like Ed Bishop is something all cowboys hope for.
“He gives you every chance to go out there and win,” Cress shared. “He was really cool today when he got over by the fence and instead of taking off, he just stacked up and got better — you can’t ask for a better horse than that.”
In the past, winning the bronc riding at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo is something Cress has gotten close to doing but up until this year, he hadn’t achieved yet.
“Rusty [Wright] and I tied one year, and he won the tiebreaker, so I’ve been really close but this year I was truly blessed to have great horses all the way through but especially having Ed Bishop in the short round,” Cress remarked.
Winning at the early winter rodeos can set you up well for the rest of the season as Cress is now sitting number one in the PRCA world standings in the bronc riding.
“It’s still early on but being able to come out and win some in the winter, it sets you up qualification-wise to get into bigger rodeos later on in the year and to get the ball rolling.”
