At this point, it’s almost a given that the bareback riding in Darby, Montana, produces a few 90-point rides. When you pair Jess Pope’s win there with standout performances from Stetson Wright and Sage Newman elsewhere, you get a star-studded roughstock weekend that delivers plenty of headlines.

Bareback rider Jess Pope makes big ride in Darby to win $12,000. The best bareback riders in the World all gathered in Montana over the weekend and the 2022 PRCA World Champion had his best stuff, riding Uncapped for 91.5 points to win the title. It was his first Short Round appearance in Darby since 2022 and his second 90+ point ride in his last four outs. Pope was No. 8 entering the weekend, but will likely jump to No. 6 once the money is officially tallied.

Staying in the bareback riding, World No. 7 Nick Pelke rode for 90.5 points of his own for second in Darby. Pope could have risen even higher if it weren’t for Pelke, who didn’t cede much ground by making his second 90+ point ride of the season to take second overall and win $9,175. Pelke rode Pickett’s Boot Barn’s Night Crawler, who has carried the cowboy to 88.5 points or better all three times he’s bucked in 2025. Pelke’s rider score was a whopping 48 points on Sunday.

Stetson Wright won his second saddle bronc riding title in as many weekends with a record-breaking ride in Elizabeth, Colorado. Wright’s 90 points on Charizard won him the rodeo by 3.5 points and he has now finished first or second in the saddle bronc riding in three of four rodeos since May 29. If it wasn’t clear after last weekend the All-Around World Title race still goes through Stetson, he also tied for first in the bull riding in Elizabeth with 84 points.

Steer wrestler Mike McGinn won the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show by 2.3 seconds. McGinn has only competed at two rodeos  since May 17 and turned in runs of 4.2 second and 4.7 seconds to win about $3,000 combined. The latter came in Oregon, where no one else was faster than 7 flat. While it may not seem like much, he has moved up from No. 20 to No. 18 in the World Standings during a quiet time for timed event athletes. McGinn has finished in the Top 50 every year since 2019, but never better than 20th.

No. 5 saddle bronc rider Sage Newman took second in both rounds of the Casey Tibbs Xtreme Broncs to win over $7,000. Newman carried the momentum from his $8,000+ win in Nashville into South Dakota, where he posted rides of 84.5 and 87.5 points. He’s only been on six broncs since April 19, but he’s made them count, earning more than $24,000 in that span.

Grayson Cole rode for 91 points to win the Gladewater Round-Up Xtreme Bulls. Cole primarily competes in the PBR, but his victory in Texas was the highest marked ride of his ProRodeo career and second time he has cleared 90 in PRCA competition. It was the highest marked ride in Gladewater since 2019.

No. 5 bareback rider Cole Franks has made six straight rides of 84 points or better since May 2. Franks has been rock solid since the start of May, and he’s been paid well for it. He’s earned at least $1,875 on five of his last six rides, each coming from a finish of fourth place or better. Franks has made the most of every horse all season, climbing into the Top 5 with just 30 outs total.