Bradlee Miller got back in the money with an 87.25-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Blasting Sand to finish in a tie for fifth place in Monday’s Round 5 at the National Finals Rodeo.
(PRCA PHOTO BY KATHRYN COLEMAN)

 

LAS VEGAS – Perseverance pays dividends in the end.

It’s been a much rougher start to the National Finals Rodeo than bareback rider Bradlee Miller experienced a year ago. By the fifth round of the 2024 championship, he had aligned his pockets with more than $118,000 in Las Vegas cash.

He earned just his second payday of this year’s finale with an 87.25-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Blasting Sand to finish in a tie for fifth place. That was worth $7,688 and pushed his NFR earnings to $27,151.

He’s still fifth in the world standings with $234,625 and has five more chances to cash in at the biggest rodeo in the world, which features a $13.5 million purse. The opportunities are out there, and he will take his shot at them.

Miller earned his position in this exclusive field with a strong campaign, and he’s among the best cowboys in the game. Expectations, though, are sometimes difficult to achieve given the stature of ProRodeo’s grand finale. Only the top 15 on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season advance to Las Vegas, to the competition is tough.

In addition, bareback riders test their mettle and their skills while trying to spur 105 of the best bucking horses in rodeo. The men in the field selected them to be in the City of Entertainment. Blasting Sand certainly fits in that category. The Canadian bronc was part of big-marked rides all season, and Miller’s dance across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt was just another on the animal’s resume.

At just 22, Miller’s body of work is just as stout. He finished last year’s NFR with $234,038 earned in over just 10 days of riding bareback horses. Things haven’t come together just yet for the Huntsville, Texas, cowboy, but the finale is at its midway point.

Miller will kick off his second half by being matched with Irish Eyes of Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics for Tuesday’s sixth round. The big, powerful bay guided Cole Franks to an 88-point ride in July at Sheridan, Wyoming, and Kade Sonnier matched that score a couple weeks later in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

That’s the kind of horse that can help Miller extend on the momentum he gained Monday night.