Miller Wins Cinch Chute-Out With 92-Point Ride

SAN ANGELO, TX – Bradlee Miller doesn’t need a spotlight; his 2025 season is bright enough.

He is the No. 2 bareback rider in the world standings having entered this weekend with nearly $112,000, a lead of $36,000 over the field. Miller added more lumens to an already bright campaign by spurring J Bar J Rodeo’s Straight Stick for 92 points Saturday night to win the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out – it was the highest-marked ride for the 21-year-old cowboy from Huntsville, Texas.

“I don’t know if the experience changes when you get on a horse multiple times, but it definitely changes your mentality going into it whenever you’ve had success on an animal like that,” said Miller, who ride the bronc for the third time in five months. “Your confidence is through the roof whenever you see that’s what you’ve drawn. That’s how I felt going into it tonight, and it was a lot of fun.”

It showed. Miller is coming off his first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, where he earned $234,000 over 10 days in Las Vegas. He finished the year fourth in the world standings with more than $370,000. He overcame seriously strained neck muscles to battle through the richest rodeo of his career, and on the backside of that experience, Miller has found plenty of assurance in his ability.

He first matched moves with Straight Jacket during the fifth round of the NFR, where he posted an 89-point ride. That was worth a fourth-place finish, worth $14,127. The two then got together again in the championship round of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, where they danced across the arena dirt for 89.5 points, earning Miller another $10,000.

Their performance together inside the CRC Roofers Coliseum was worth $7,500 and just adds to Miller’s advantage on the bareback riding money list. Alas, he understands it’s way too early to look at his place in the standings. His goal for now is to end the regular season atop the world standings and battle for the gold buckle in December.

“Being No. 1 right now doesn’t really mean anything,” said Miller, who placed in eight NFR rounds, including victories on Nights 2, 4 and 7. “That $7,500 is a big regular-season check, but that’s last hole at the NFR. It’s not a big boost, but I’m going to keep chipping away. I’d like to end the regular season with a big lead and make it harder for those guys to catch me, because the field of bareback riders is tough.

“It’s so tough that you need every edge that you can have.”

San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Cinch Chute-Out

April 19

Bareback riding: First round: 1. Bradlee Miller, 90 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner; 2. (tie) Mason Stuller and Clay Jorgenson, 88; 4. Jacob Lees, 85.5; 5. Dean Thompson, 82.5; 6. Kade Sonnier, 82. Championship: 1. Bradlee Miller, 92 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Straight Stick, $7,500; 2. Clay Jorgenson, 89.5, $3,000; 3. Mason Stuller, 88, $2,000.

Steer wrestling: First round: 1. (tie) Riley Duvall and J.D. Struxness, 3.8 seconds; 3. Tucker Allen, 4.3; 4. Cody Devers, 5.1; 5. Justin Shaffer, 5.4; 6. Jesse Brown, 6.1. Championship: 1. Riley Duvall, 4.2 seconds, $7,500; 2. J.D. Struxness, 5.2, $3,000; 3. Tucker Allen, 5.8, $2,000.

Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Kincade Henry, 7.9; 2. Seth Hall, 8.7; 3. Shad Mayfield, 9.3; 4. (tie) Kyle Lucas and John Douch, 9.8; 6. Ty Harris, 11.6. Championship: 1. Kincade Henry, 9,6 seconds, $7,500; 2. Shad Mayfield, 16.1, $3,000; 3. Seth Hall, no time.

Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Coleman Shallbetter, 89 on J Bar J Rodeo’s Painted J; 2. Jake Finlay 86.5; 3. Kade Bruno, 85.5; 4. Weston Patterson, 83.5; 5. Statler Wright, 82.5; 6. Dawson Hay, 80.5. Championship: 1. (tie) Coleman Shallbetter, on J Bar J Rodeo’s Shady Jacket, and Kade Bruno, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Toma Jo, 89.5 points, $5,250 each; 3. Jake Finlay, 88.5, $2,000. Shallbetter wins the tie-breaker.

Team roping: First round: 1. Tanner Tomlinson/Travis Graves, 3.4 seconds; 2. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 3.5; 3. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 3.9; 4. Lightning Aguilera/Dustin Davis, 4.1; 5. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 4.7; 6. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 8.4. Championship: 1. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 4.1 seconds, $7,500; 2. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord and Tanner Tomlinson/Travis Graves, no time.

Bull riding: First round: 1. Rawley Johnson, 87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Captain Hook; 2. Luke Mast, 84; 3. (tie) Luke Mackey and Ky Hamilton, 83.5; no other qualified rides. Championship: 1. No qualified rides. Johnson wins the title based on his first-round ride.