Page 28 - Canby Rodeo 2023

28 – CANBY RODEO
Current World Champions
August 15-19, 2023, 65th Annual
Saddle Bronc Riding
ZEKE THURSTON
Career earnings: $1,976,668
2022 world standings place: 1st
2022 Wrangler NFR standings place: 1st 2022 Wrangler NFR earnings: $256,078 2022 earnings: $399,916
Education: Sheridan (Wyo.) College
World titles: 3 (2016, 2019, 2022)
Wrangler NFR qualifications: 8 (2015-2022)
Wrangler NFR average titles: 2 (2016, 2022)
Professional
2023 Highlights
• Won the La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Tucson, Ariz.)
• Won the World Famous Miles City (Mont.) Bucking Horse Sale Matched Xtreme
• Won the Gateway to the North Pro Rodeo Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement (Caslan, Alberta)
• Won the Wildwood (Alberta) Bronc Bustin’
• Won the Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede
• Co-champion at the Casey Tibbs Match of Champions Xtreme Broncs (Fort Pierre, S.D.)
Career Highlights
• 2022: Collected his third saddle bronc world title (2016, 2019) with a saddle bronc-record $399,916 in season earnings. In his eighth appearance at the NFR, he also earned his second average title (2016) while winning the RAMTopGunAward,amassinganNFR-record$256,078 in the 10 nights. He scored 876.5 points on ten head, placing in nine rounds including a go-round victory in Rounds 4 and a split win in Round 10. Won the New Years Eve Buck & Bull (Gillette, Wyo.), the Sundre (Alberta) Pro Rodeo, the Big Sky Pro Rodeo (Great Falls, Mont.), the Home on The Range Champions Ride (Sentinel Butte, N.D.), the Dawson Creek (British Columbia) Stampede, the Fallon County Fair & Rodeo (Baker, Mont.) and the Edmonton (Alberta) Pro Rodeo. Co-champion at the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede
• 2021: Qualified for his seventh NFR and finished fifth in the world standings with $229,329. He earned $129,527 at the NFR. He placed in five rounds and finished third in the NFR average. Won the St. Paul (Oregon) Rodeo and the Cache County Fair and Rodeo (Logan, Utah). Co- champion at the Hard Grass Bronc Match (Pollockville, Alberta)
• 2020: Placed in four rounds at the Wrangler NFR to finish fourth in the average with 741 points on nine head. Won the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo • Won the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo, the Killdeer (N.D.) Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo and the Home on the Range Champions Ride (Sentinel Butte, N.D.). Co-champion at the Mandan (N.D.) Rodeo Days and the Golden Spike Rodeo (Tremonton, Utah)
• 2019: Won his second world championship with $347,056. Won Rounds 1, 7 and 9, and placed in seven rounds to rank fourth in the average with 699.5 points on eight head at the Wrangler NFR, earning $170,064. Won the Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede, the Williams Lake (Alberta) Stampede, Rodeo Corpus Christi (Texas), the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up, the Drayton Valley (Alberta) Pro Rodeo, the Hand Hills Lake Stampede (Craigmyle, Alberta), the Grande Prairie (Alberta) Stompede, the Hard Grass Bronc Match (Pollockville, Alberta) and the Hanna (Alberta) Indoor Pro Rodeo. Co-champion at the Innisfail (Alberta) Pro Rodeo and the Leduc (Alberta) Black Gold Pro Rodeo.
• 2018: Won Round 9 and split the win in Round 6 while placing in eight rounds of the Wrangler NFR with 693.5 points on eight head. Finished third in the world standings with $262,041. Won the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo (Denver), the Wainwright (Alberta) Stampede, the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up, the Lea Park Rodeo (Marwayne, Alberta), the Innisfail (Alberta) Pro Rodeo and the Wildwood (Alberta) Bronc Bustin’. Co-champion at the Fallon County Xtreme Broncs (Baker, Mont.)
• 2017: Placed in two rounds to place 10th in the average with 563 points on seven head at the Wrangler NFR and seventh in the world standings with $199,917. Won the K-Days Rodeo (Edmonton, Alberta), the Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede, Rodeo Austin (Texas), the Redding (Calif.) Rodeo, the IPE and Stampede (Armstrong, British Columbia), the Lewiston (Idaho) Roundup, the Wrangler Champions Challenge presented by Justin Boots (Rapid City, S.D.), the Camrose (Alberta) Spring Rodeo, the Daines Ranch Pro Rodeo (Innisfail, Alberta), the Rocky Pro Rodeo (Rocky Mountain House, Alberta), the Elgin (Ore.) Stampede, the Jasper (Alberta) Heritage Rodeo, the Kitsap Stampede (Bremerton, Wash.), the Golden Spike Rodeo (Tremonton, Utah) and the Iron County Fair and PRCA Rodeo (Parowan, Utah). Co-champion at the World’s Oldest Rodeo (Prescott, Ariz.).