LAS VEGAS – It’s becoming a reality now for bareback rider Bradlee Miller.
After finding his opening night of his first National Finals Rodeo a bit surreal, the stakes amped up a bit more on Night 2, when he rode Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit for 86.5 points to win Friday’s second round. That was worth $33,687 and pushed his Sin City earnings to more than $70,000.
That’s just 16 seconds of work inside the historic Thomas & Mack Center, the championship’s home since 1985. He increased his season earnings to $207,676 and sits third in the world standings.
“I said yesterday when I was 86.5 that 10 of these might win a gold buckle, and I plan on it going up from here,” said Miller, 21, of Huntsville, Texas.
Only a trio of cowboys have had a better start to their 2024 NFR: tie-down roper Riley Webb and team ropers Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp have earned two straight round wins. Miller finished second on the first night, then posted the same score to win the night helping him to a fantastic payday.
“I can’t fathom it,” he said with a wide grin. “I spent like $80 today on me and my girlfriend’s lunch, and that kind of hurt a little bit. That’s not going to hurt as much tomorrow, that’s for sure.”
That financial reward is because of the labor of love he put into his 2024 season. He came to Las Vegas 11th on the bareback riding money list and has already moved up eight spots. Part of it goes to his dancing partner, a veteran Canadian horse that Miller had only seen a handful of times.
“I was sure happy to have that horse in the semi-eliminator pen,” he said. “I had no history with that horse. It’s out of Canada, and I’ve only been to a coupe of rodeos up there; he spends most of his time there. I got to see him this year in Pendleton (Oregon), and he was awesome there.”
Things don’t get easier for Miller, but his confidence is sky high heading into Saturday’s third round. He is matched with Championship Pro Rodeo’s Captain Hook in what the bareback riders call the “eliminator pen,” the hardest-to-ride horses in rodeo. It will be a match of titans. Captain Hook has had just three qualified rides this season.
“I’m ready for the eliminators,” said Miller, a three-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier at Sam Houston State University who leads the Southern Region standings during this, his senior year. “I felt like that horse today was throwing a lot at me, and I felt ahead of her. If I can stay ahead of eight more like that, I think we’ll do some good here.”