Riata Horses Earn $41,000 at Hamilton
Jun 3, 2025
The WSTR Hamilton
Qualifier drew an impressive 2,748 teams over Memorial Day weekend, but a
select group of just 28 individual ropers entered the $10,000 Riata Side Pot.
To put that in perspective, that's only 0.5% of the total ropers eligible for
the bonus payout. So still a super insurance policy for ropers riding Riatas.
Shawn Vargas captured the first place slot in the
Riata Side Pot aboard Bet Hes a Royal Cat, a stud sired by Bet Hesa
Cat. Vargas placed 4th and 8th in the 11.5 and also posted a fast time in
the 10.5 Heartland to collect $5,430 plus $4,000 Riata money for a combined
total of $9,430 for the weekend.
Cory Lloyd won the second-place bonus, riding Metallic
Wipplash, a mare sired by Metallic Cat. He posted a fast time in the
9.5 Saddle and placed 6th in the 10.5 WS to earn $3,910 and came close to
doubling his money with $3,000 coming from Riata, with total event earnings of
$6,910.
Kaylene Helton followed close behind in third. Riding
Cat Man San, a stud by Cat Man Do, she placed 4th in the 11.5 WS
to earn $3,390, with $2,000 from Riata—that brings her total to $5,390 for the
weekend.
Rounding out the
top four was Robert Wood, combining $1,390 for placing 11th in the 10.5
WS with $1,000 in Riata money, for $2,390. He competed aboard Metallic Sam,
a gelding out of Metallic Cat.
It seems at every
roping we get a "should have entered story", and it was Jose Briseno Zermeno
this time. He won two checks heading for Javier Casillas riding a 4yr old head
horse, VKRO Highbrow Magic, for $3250. Javi Casillas got to ride Riata
Stallion, Ref Magestico all weekend. Javi's final tally was four checks
including second in the 10.5 Heartland for total take on the weekend of
$19,500. We submitted $41,230 in Riata Hamilton earnings to Qdata.
Looking
ahead, the next chance to rope for Riata Side Pot money will be at the WSTR
Pocatello Qualifier, June 27–29, where another $10,000 will be up for grabs.
After that, attention turns to the WSTR Cheyenne Big Daddy, happening July
16–20, where the Riata Side Pot will double to a $20,000 payout.
