SALT LAKE CITY (June 26, 2019) – Bull riding fans are in for a real treat at the Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo presented by Zions Bank in Salt Lake City, July 19-24. Seven of the top eight bull riders in the current PBR World Standings have all earned a chance to compete for a share of over $1 million and a gold medal at the Days of ’47 Arena.
2017 PBR Rookie of the Year Jose Vitor Leme leads the pack as the current No. 1 ranked rider in the PBR World Standings. He punched his ticket to the Days of ’47 after winning PBR Unleash the Beast, Ty Murray Invitational, presented by Isleta Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, N.M.
Fan favorite and presently the hottest bull rider in the PBR, Jess Lockwood can also make plans for Salt Lake City. Three straight PBR Touring Pro event wins in as many weeks moved the 2017 PBR World Champion to No. 2 in the world standings as of June 24. Lockwood now joins his fiancé, reigning world champion and two-time gold medal winning barrel racer Hailey Kinsel, on the list of qualifiers. No doubt this rodeo power couple would love to add more gold to their growing collection.
João Ricardo Vieira joined fellow Brazilian Vitor Leme on the list of qualifiers after winning the WCRA Titletown Stampede bull riding in Green Bay, Wis. earlier this month. Ricardo Vieira is currently ranked 3rd in the PBR World Standings.
Chase Outlaw, sitting fourth in the standings at present time, is having his best season yet and will be looking to keep things sizzling this summer when he attempts to finish atop the medal stand at the Days of ’47 Gold Medal Rodeo. Cody Teel, ranked fifth, earned his spot to compete Salt Lake City winning the Trial Event at the PBR Unleash the Beast Billings Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires.
2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis added his name to the list of qualifiers for the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo with his current sixth place ranking on the PBR World Standings. With Vitor Leme, Ricardo Vieira and Teel having already advanced, Davis became the third and final bull rider pulled from the PBR World Standings.
Joining these top 6 bull riders will be eighth ranked Derek Kolbaba. The 26-year-old Walla Walla, Wash. cowboy will be looking to defend his Days of ’47 title after picking up his first gold medal in 2018.
A total of 288 competitors will get the chance to compete during the five day event in July. The rodeo will feature 32 competitors in each event (bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing, women’s breakaway roping and bull riding) with eight competitors per performance starting on Friday, July 19. The top two from each performance, along with two via the Wild Card category, will advance to the Gold Medal Round on July 24 where ten competitors in each event will compete in a sudden-death format with the winner collecting a Gold Medal and $50,000 cash.
Only a few qualification spots remain for contestants to earn their spot– either via the Days of ’47 Qualification events or the WCRA path.
The Days of ’47 qualification routes still available:
– 2019 Priefert Patriot Days of ’47 Challenge *timed event only
The WCRA remaining qualifications will consist of the following:
– Top 20 (12 in bull riding, 28 in the breakaway roping and 21 in team roping) in WCRA Virtual Qualifier points as of July 8, 2019
Bull riders will need to have a PBR card and be registered on the WRCA App to compete while all others must be registered with the WCRA to compete.
The Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo presented by Zions Bank, July 19-20 and 22-24, will take place at the $17.5 million state-of-the-art Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark, custom designed and built for rodeo. The venue—an outdoor arena located in the heart of Salt Lake City—features over 10,000 stadium-style seats.
For only the fifth time in the history of rodeo, riders will have an opportunity to compete for Gold, Silver or Bronze Medals. The first two times were in conjunction with the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary (1988) and Salt Lake City (2002), when rodeo was part of the Cultural Olympiad and the other two times being the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo in 2017 and 2018. The medals that will be awarded at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo will be produced by OC Tanner, the same company that made the Olympic medals for the champions of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Tickets are currently on sale at smithstix.com. For more information on the event visit www.daysof47cowboygames.com.
The Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo will broadcast live every night exclusively on PBR’s RidePass via RidePass.com or the RidePass mobile app. Additionally fans can catch preshow and post shows on CBS Sports Network with the final Gold Medal Round airing on CBS at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 28. For a complete list of broadcast times and dates visit www.daysof47cowboygames.com.
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Current list of athletes who have earned qualification for 2019 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo
Bareback Riding
Richmond Champion – 2018 Calgary Stampede
Wyatt Denny – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
*JR Vezain – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo (will be unable to compete due to injury)
Ty Breuer – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Tristan Hansen– 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo (replacing JR Vezain)
Kaycee Feild – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Shane O’Connell – 2019 DO47 Lewis Feild Bulls & Broncs Event
Tilden Hooper – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Will Lowe – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Tanner Aus – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Austin Foss – 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Seth Hardwick – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Chance Ames – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Steer Wrestling
Matt Reeves – 2018 Calgary Stampede
Justin Shaffer – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
*Rowdy Parrott – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo (will be unable to compete due to injury)
Hunter Cure – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo (replacing Rowdy Parrott)
Bridger Anderson – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Tyler Pearson – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Josh Garner –2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Mason Carter – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Jon Laine Herl – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Blake Knowles – 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Stockton Graves – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Tyler West – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Team Roping – Headers
Kellan Johnson – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Matt Sherwood – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Riley Minor – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Garrett Tonozzi – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Ty Blasingame – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Justin Thigpen – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Tanner Tomlinson – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Lane Santos Karney– 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Luke Brown – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Dalton Titsworth – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Team Roping – Heelers
Carson Johnson – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Will Woodfin – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Brady Minor – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Joe Mattern – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Kyle Lockett – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Kyle Crick – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Ty Arnold – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Taylor Winters – 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Paul Eaves – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Kolton White – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Saddle Bronc Riding
Zeke Thurston – 2018 Calgary Stampede
Cody DeMoss – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Wyatt Casper – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Isaac Diaz – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Colt Gordon – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Ross Griffin – 2019 DO47 Lewis Feild Bulls & Broncs Event
Jesse Wright – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Travis Gardner – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Spencer Wright – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Lefty Holman – 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Shorty Garrett – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Riggin Smith – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Tie-Down Roping
Tuf Cooper – 2018 Calgary Stampede
Cory Solomon – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
JC Malone – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Caleb Smidt – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Shane Hanchey – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Michael Otero – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
John Douch – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Seth Cooke – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Taylor Santos – 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Tanner Green – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Haven Meged – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Barrel Racing
Hailey Kinsel – 2018 Calgary Stampede
Lisa Lockhart – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Chani Graves – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Cheyenne Wimberley – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Nellie Williams-Miller – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Shali Lord – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-Star
Dona Kay Rule – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Kathy Petska – 2019 Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
Michelle Darling – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Ashtyn Carlson – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Women’s Breakaway Roping
Jackie Crawford – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Shelby Boisjoli – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Taylor Munsell – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Bull Riding
Marcos Gloria – 2018 Calgary Stampede
Derek Kolbaba – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Alisson De Souza – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Garrett Smith – 2018 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
Chandler Bownds – 2019 WCRA Windy City Roundup, Chicago
Coleman Entze – 2019 DO47 Lewis Feild Bulls & Broncs Event
Trevor Kastner – 2019 RODEOHOUSTONÒ Super Series
Marco Antonio Eguchi – 2019 PBR Fresno, CA Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Event
Keyshawn Whitehorse – 2019 PBR Casper, WY Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Event
Koal Livingston – 2019 PBR Bakersfield, CA Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Event
Preston Louis – 2019 Denver Rodeo All-star
Cody Teel – 2019 PBR Billings, MT Unleash the Beast Tour Event
Garrett Tribble – 2019 Rodeo Corpus Christi
Jose Vitor Leme – 2019 Albuquerque, NM Unleash the Beast Tour Event
Boudreaux Campbell – Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo
João Ricardo Vieira – 2019 WCRA Titletown Stampede, Green Bay
Daylon Swearingen – 2019 College National Finals Rodeo
Jess Lockwood – PBR World Standings
Chase Outlaw – PBR World Standings
Cooper Davis – PBR World Standings
NOTE: The above is strictly a list of who has qualified. A final list of competitors will be released after entries close on July 10.
Remaining schedule
– 2019 WCRA VRQ Standings (20 athletes all events except bull riding, breakaway and team roping; 12 athletes for bull riding; 28 for breakaway roping; 21 for team roping) July 8
– 2019 Priefert Patriot Days of ’47 Last Chance Qualifier *timed event only – July 20-21
About Days of ‘47
The Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo presented by Zions Bank, takes place at the $17.5 million, state-of-the-art Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark each July. The venue—an outdoor arena located in the heart of Salt Lake City—features over 10,000 stadium-style seats. The Days of ’47 Rodeo is one of Utah’s longest-standing traditions – celebrating Utah’s heritage since 1847. The rodeo, and other Days of ’47 events, commemorate the day – July 24, 1847 – when a determined company of Mormon pioneers realized their dreams upon entering the Great Salt Lake Valley. The Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo is a private, non-profit, volunteer, charitable organization. Our mission is to honor Utah’s pioneer heritage and educate Utah’s kids. Please visit daysof47cowboygames.com for more information.
