The draw for Round 1 takes place in Las Vegas and the journey to crowning the world champion officially begins.

BAREBACK RIDING

Reigning world champion Keenan Hayes’ first horse will be Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven. The last two regular season finishes on his horse were 88.5 and 88 points, the 88 point ride courtesy of Cole Reiner, who probably knows this horse better than the rest and is the only cowboy with multiple matchups according to the PRCA Stock statistics.

CONTROL RINGS

Dalton Massey came to Las Vegas in 2023 as an NFR rookie and world No. 1 player. In Round 1, he stopped the clock faster than the competition to set the pace, and in 2024 he moves back into the Thomas and Mack World No. 1 ranking.

TEAM ROPING

Derrick Begay and Jonathan Torres are the new team on the block after roping with their respective partners during the regular season. They are both veterans of the sport and multiple NFR qualifiers and will certainly not miss a beat when they head back to the box on night #1.

SADDLE BRONC RIDING

Damian Brennan’s partner is a Big Stone rodeo horse named Rubels. This is the first time the No. 1 saddle bronc rider has ridden the bronc, Ryder Wright scoring 87.5 points during the regular season at the Owyhee County Rodeo (Idaho).

ROPE BACK

Shad Mayfield battled injuries and pain all season to have the best year of his career and set a new regular season record. Veterans Haven Meged and Ty Harris are hot on his heels, while NFR newcomers Joel Harris, Cole Clemons and Quade Hiatt can’t be ruled out.

BARREL RACING

While there are many new faces in barrel racing, all eyes are on Hailey Kinsel and her legendary mare Sister. The four-time world champion will be at night no. 1 to be first to the ground and it’s no secret that Sister loves Thomas and Mack, as the duo set an NFR arena record of 13.11 seconds in 2017.

BULL RIDING

Oregon’s TJ Gray is an NFR rookie and ranked No. 1 in the world. His first-ever ride in the Thomas and Mack will be on Flying U Rodeo’s Bad Habits, a bull he will keep an eye on since his brother Levi raced Bad Habits in California earlier this year.