SALT LAKE CITY – Don’t mind Kade Sonnier if he’s a little greedy.

It comes with men who make rodeo their business. It’s expensive to travel across North America competing in a sport based on history, but it’s more than that. In rodeo, dollars equal championship points, so every cent is more valuable.

Only the top 15 on the money list in each event qualify to compete at the National Finals Rodeo, where the season’s top earners in each event are crowned world champions. Titlists have been crowed by less than $100 over the runners-up, so cowboys take full advantage of every opportunity to cash in.

“I secured my spot at the (National) Finals probably a couple weeks ago, but the reality is – and I don’t mean to sound greedy – but I’m not trying to be in the middle of the pack when I get there,” said Sonnier, 26, the seventh-ranked bareback rider in the world standings with just 23 days left in the regular season. “I’m trying to be at the top. There’s a long way between me and the No. 1 spot.

“If I keep stepping away and knocking off dollars here and there trying to gain a little ground when I can, it makes it a lot easier when we get to the finals.”

He chipped off some of the rough edges with an 89-point ride Monday night on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Pillowfight to win the bareback riding title at Utah’s Own Rodeo, adding $3,983 to his season earnings. He’s made almost $160,000 this year riding bucking horses, and his ride in Salt Lake City put a solid exclamation mark on his big season.

“I cracked out a new riggin’ today, and that was my primary reason for coming here,” he said. “That horse I had was a judge’s draw, so I found out my draw when I got here.”

The match-ups are made by a random, computerized draw, but the circumstances didn’t match for Sonnier’s horse. He found some history on Pillowfight, then took advantage of the situation.

He will close out the final weeks of the 2025 campaign, then prepare for his second trip to the NFR – he missed the 10-day finale last year after injuries forced his hand and left him 22nd in the final standings. That’s where the business of rodeo takes over, because it offers the largest prize pool in the sport. Last December, go-round winners pocketed nearly $34,000.

“When it pays $30-something-thousand a round, you know you want to be part of that,” Sonnier said.

The final night of Utah’s Own Rodeo featured many of the top hands in rodeo, and it showed. Of the seven events, five had champions crowned Monday. Sonnier was joined in the winner’s circle by barrel racer McKenna Coronado, who tied Caitlyn White for the win, making it three years in a row Coronado has won in Salt Lake City; breakaway roper Suzanne Williams; tie-down ropers Haven Meged and Tanner Green; and saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman, who had the highest-scoring ride of the week with a 90-point ride on Vold’s Talkin Smack.

Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo
Sept. 5, 6 and 8
Salt Lake City
Bareback riding: 1. Kade Sonnier, 89 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Pillowfight, $3,983; 2. Miles Carlson, 87.5, $3,054; 3. Kody Lamb, 87, $2,257; 4. Ben Kramer, 85.5, $1,461; 5. (tie) Dean Thompson and Mason Clements, $797 each. 7. Itie) Wacey Schalla, Mason Stuller and Weston Timberman, 84, $310 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurle 4.1 seconds, $2,437; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2, $2,150; 3. (tie) Coltin Hil and Holden Myersl, 4.3, $1,720 each; 5. (tie) Riley Hamilton, Tucker Allen, Justin Shaffer and Chet Boren, 4.4, $1,218 each; 9. Landris White, 4.7, $860; 10. Hazen Smith and Kyle Irwin, 4.8, $267 each .

Team roping: 1. Travis Whitlow/Tyler Whitlow, 3.6 seconds, $3,236; 2. Hagen Peterson/Heath Hammerstrom, 3.9, $2,855; 3. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1, $2,475; 5. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5, $2,094; 5. Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, 4.6, $1,904; 6. Dex Maddox/Chance Moldenhauer, 4.8, $1,713; 7. (tie) Ashton Parker/Chase Pintar and Luke Brown/Trey Yates, 4.9, $1,428 each; 9. Swade Olsen/Preston Olsen, 5.7, $1,142; 10. Casey Thomas/Wyatt Thomas, 6.2, $761. 

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Lefty Holman, 90 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Talkin Smack, $3,835; 2. Darcy Radel, 89, $2,940; 3. Ryder Sanford, Allen Boore, Statler Wright and Ryder Wright, 86, $1,278 each; 7. Kade Bruno, 85, $511; 8. (tie) Damian Brennan, Kolby Wanchuk, Cody Faulkner, Carson Bingham and Rusty Wright, 84, $77 each.

Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Haven Meged and Tanner Green, 8.1 seconds, $3,497 each; 2. (tie) Cole Clemons and Joel Harris, 8.6, $2,623 each; 5. (tie) Waid Dalton and Ty Harris, 9.0, $2,076 each; 7. Justin Brinkerhoff, 9.4, $1,748; 8. Quade Hiatt, 9.8, $1,530; 9. Tom Crouse, 10.2, $1,311; 10. (tie) R.J. Johnson and Cason Kingsbury, 11.1, $437 each .

Breakaway roping: 1. Suzanne Williams, 1.9 seconds, $4,117; 2. Madison Outhier, 2.0, $3,294; 3. Zoie Bedke, 2.1, $2,676; 4. Erin Johnson, 2.2, $2,059; 5. (tie) Kash Gay, Aubryn Bedke and Jessi Everett, 2.3, $1,304 each; 8. (tie) Josey Murphy and Josie Conner, 2.4, $875 each; 10. Timber Allenbrand, 2.7, $721; 11. Josie Goodrich, 2.8, $618; 12. (tie) Peggy Garman, Kinlie Brennise and Rickie Fanning, 2.9, $412 each; 15. (tie) Beth Hitchcock and Jessica Brinkerhoff, 3.0, $103 each.

Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Caitlyn White and McKenna Coronado, 17.10 seconds, $3,131 each; 3. Kately Scott, 17.18, $2,261; 4. (tie) Sue Smith and Jordan Driver, 17.19, $1,566 each; 6. Krystal Dillman, 17.20, $1,044; 8. Andrea Busby, 17.27, $783; 9. McKale Seitz, 17.28, $696; 10. Joelene Gould, 17.40, $609; 11. Wenda Johnson, 17.52, $522; 12, Terry Wood Gates, 17.53, $435; 13. Kimmie Wall, 17.55, $348; 14. Mackenzie King, 17.59, $261; 15. KariAnn Cross, 17.61, $174.

Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance, $4,659; 2. (tie) Koby Jacobson and Billy Quillan, 85.5, $3,318 each; 4. Elijah Mora, 83.5, $2,112; no other qualified rides.