Special to Ropers Sports News
Photos by Phil Doyle Photography
TRES PINOS, CALIF. continues to be the proud home of California’s Riche$t All-Girl Breakaway and Team Roping at Bolado Park Event Center—Where Cowgirls Come to Compete! This year, we broke last year’s record with the highest number of entries in all events, showcasing the ever-growing popularity of this competition.
On Sunday, August 4th, we were thrilled by the turnout, with 80 breakaway ropers and 224 teams in the Team Roping—a nearly 20% increase from last year! California’s Richest is proud to bring so many generations of women Ropers to one arena every August!
Grace Perez emerged as California’s Riche$t 2024 Champion Breakaway Roper, earning a Cactus Saddle sponsored by MY Cars, along with other prizes and $4,547 in cash. She’s also qualified to compete at the Rope for the Crown in Las Vegas this December, with an impressive average of 13.78 on 4. Way to go, Grace!
During the breakaway, we had the honor of presenting the Fast Time Buckle of the Day in memory of Blaire Strohn, a beloved cowgirl from San Benito County. Blaire was known for her fierce competitive spirit, and it was fitting to present a Fast Time Buckle in her honor at her hometown arena. This special buckle, donated by Brennan and Stacey Porteur & A & R Buckles. Presented by Blaire’s brother, Blane Strohn, and Sage Stadtler who presented on behalf of
B & S Supply and won by Katilyn Anderson with a smokin fast run of a 2.43-second run.
The Team Roping competition was intense, however Karen Dias and Summer
Tex beat out 223 teams and rose to the occasion, becoming the 2024 California’s Riche$t Champion Team Ropers. Each earned a trophy Cactus Saddle sponsored by Advantage Truss and J & S Farms, with an average time of 37.27 on 4 rounds. Congratulations cowgirls!
We take great pride in our event’s sanctions, which help ropers advance to the next level. We are fortunate that California’s Riche$t was once again a Women’s Rodeo World Championships Qualifier. Congratulations to Braydee Bourdet (Pro), Cassie Shoemaker (Challenger), and Shayna Forbes (Limited) for qualifying in breakaway roping, as well as Katelyn Perkins (Pro), Tammy West-White (Pro), Johnnie Rose Bray (Challenger), and again, Katelyn Perkins (Challenger) for qualifying in team roping. These talented ladies now have the opportunity to compete in Fort Worth, TX, May 2025 for a share of $750,000. Contestants also had the chance to earn a spot in the American Rodeo Contender Tournament Event (West) in the Breakaway. Beth Hitchcock and Sadie Grant were our American Qualifiers this year, we hope to see them on the big stage! California’s Riche$t is committed to being roper-friendly, proudly sanctioning ACTRA, WCRA, WPRA, and Rope for the Crown to give contestants ample opportunities to win, regardless of their organizational affiliations.
Our commitment to youth roping remains strong, which is why we partnered with our neighbors at Gilroy Rodeo for a special Youth Shootout, held just one week after our event. The top 4 breakaway ropers from California’s Riche$t were invited by Gilroy Rodeo committee to compete in the Gilroy Rodeo’s Breakaway shootout on their Friday night performance for a chance to win $1,000 added money and a buckle to the Fast Time winner of the shootout. BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Sadie Grant who earned her spot at CR and taking home the win at this year’s Gilroy Rodeo Shoot -out!Thank you Gilroy Rodeo for this awesome opportunity for our youth. We expect to see great things from these young ropers in the future and can’t wait to watch them continue to thrive in their rodeo careers.
This year marked a milestone for California’s Riche$t as we introduced the High Money Award for the first time ever! Thanks to Wyatt & Lacy Bourdet of 24/7 Livestock, the cowgirl who won the most money of the day received an Isaac Starlight breeding. Congratulations to Beth Hitchcock, who took home a grand total of $4,600. We were thrilled to have added this incredible opportunity to our prize line.
In 2024, round winners and competitors in the Breakaway (17 & Under and 40 & Over) and Team Roping divisions enjoyed impressive winnings, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. Their contributions allowed us to enhance the prize pool across all categories. The Open Breakaway event had $2,000 in added money, the 17 & Under category received an additional $500, and with the help of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, we boosted the 40 & Over category with $1,000 added money.
A big congratulations to Sissy Barns, the 40 & Over winner, who took home $600, and to Sadie Grant, the Youth Breakaway champion, who earned $796. This year, we also added $1,000 to the Team Roping category, marking our largest payout in a decade!
None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our sponsors. We extend our deepest gratitude to Cactus Ropes, Cactus Saddlery, Cactus Gear, BEX, Charlie 1 Horse, and Best Ever Pads for their exceptional contributions to our prize line. Your continued dedication is invaluable, and we are truly thankful for the prestigious awards you helped us provide!
Thanks to our generous sponsors, contestants also received a California’s Riche$t ball cap. The first 60 breakaway ropers who entered through NextGen received a sponsored California’s Riche$t T-shirt and Koozie bearing this year’s motto, “Scared Money Don’t Make Money,” at check-in.
We owe a huge thanks to all the sponsors who continue to support us: Darrick Hoskins of MY Cars, J & S Farms, Advantage Truss, Lubrisyn HA, B&S Supply, Crown Sanitation, Mane n Tail, JT Bradley/Bradley Builders, Boot Barn, Cinch, San Benito Roofing Co. Inc., Brent Redmond Transportation, Pinnacle Flooring, Porteur Ag, BEX, Vineyard Rock, Los Banos Creek, Cowboy Choice Feeds, R & R Labor, Premier Equine Rehabilitation, Eric Brown, Naccarato & Son Bucking Bulls, Diaz Liquors, Geoffrey Barry, Gary Welch Construction, 19th Hole, Graves Construction, Cerrone European, Riding Warehouse, Horse Guard, Wilson’s Ranch Services, Stelling Ranch, Jennette Porteur, Mark & Glenna Porteur of Gabilan Welding, A & R Buckles, John Redeagle Chiropractic, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, 24/7 Livestock, Isaac Starlight Breeding, Paicines Wild, Charlie 1 Horse, Stable Mix Elk Grove Milling, Best
Ever Pads, Cactus Ropes, Cactus Gear, and Cactus Saddlery. Many of these businesses have been with us since the beginning of our nine-year history, while others are new to us this year. We can’t thank them enough for supporting this event and some of the toughest women ropers in the business.
We also want to give some well-deserved shout-outs to the people behind the scenes. Elly Leslie and Shilo Russell Renyolds, thank you for being top-notch office help and keeping things on track. A big shout-out to pro rodeo announcer Rob Smets, who was the voice of our event this year! Lee Legacy handled the sound which echoed loudly throughout Tres Pinos, CA. Lee Legacy is the best line official and his expertise can’t be replaced. Blane Strohn energized the short rounds with his music. Also a big thanks to our flagger Todd Utterback.
We’re grateful to World Champion Bullfighter Rob Smets for joining us back in California, just 30 minutes from his hometown, to announce and assist with our WRWC and WCRA partnerships.
We were thrilled to bring back Phil Doyle Photography in 2024 and see the event through his lens. If you joined us this year, be sure to check out and support our photographer, just as they support our craft.
To all our chute help and crew, we simply couldn’t run this event smoothly without you. We appreciate everything you do, both in and out of the arena. With increased entrees, made for a longer day and you stayed strong to keep the event running smoothly! We appreciate you all.
Last but not least, thanks to all the women ropers who traveled from far and wide to join us this year! We had competitors from Idaho to Arizona, and it means so much to us that, despite the travel involved, women ropers from around the country come together in Tres Pinos each year—Where Cowgirls Come to Compete!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and check our website (www.californiasrichest.com) for the latest updates, dates, and more regarding our 2024 roping event. Save the date August 3rd, 2025 we look forward to seeing you!
California’s Riche$t will continue to grow, refine, and rally to align with our mission: to give women ropers the chance to win big on the West Coast by
providing exceptional prizes and payouts. If you’re interested in joining our lineup of sponsors, please don’t hesitate to reach out to sponsors@californiasrichest.com.
For other questions or inquiries, contact Danielle at danielle@californiasrichest.com or (831) 801-4290.
We look forward to seeing you all next year!