Cody Mora named All-Around Cowboy at California Mid-State Fair Wrangler Country Rodeo Finals
By Camille DeVaul and Becca Sligh
Paso Robles Press/Atascadero News Contributor
PASO ROBLES — Local cowboys and cowgirls took to the Chumash Grandstand Arena on Saturday, July 29, to compete in the California Mid-State Fair Wrangler Country Rodeo Finals. A sold-out crowd filled the stands to watch as contestants competed in over seven events, including barrel racing, double mugging, and ladies’ breakaway, among others.
This year, Cody Mora was named the 2023 All-Around Cowboy after placing in the open draw team penning, sorting/open draw, ranch rope and brand, and mixed ribbon roping.
“The finals themselves were, in my opinion, spectacular,” CMSF Board President Krista Sabin said of Saturday’s competition. “The flag drop is always impressive. I feel like it’s a night that is full of so much pride and patriotism.”
Sunday was also full of action at the arena, with another Country Rodeo Finals during the day and the Monster Truck Madness show as the grand finale.
After the Sunday Country Rodeo, more winning titles were given, including:
- All-Around Award: Cody Mora
- Women’s All-Around: Josie Pereira
- Top Hand Award: Danny Leslie
- Dummy Roping Winner: Ava Twisselman
Additional event winners from Saturday’s finals include:
- Team Penning: Janalee Johnson, Misty Taraglia, and Quinn Tannehill
- Barrels: Kathryn Varian
- Ladies Breakaway Roping: Becca Mora
- Ranch Roping and Branding: Franky Martinez, Danny Leslie, Colter Negrianti, Francisco Cruz
- Mixed Ribbon Roping: Colter Negrianti, Brittany Kelly
- Double Mugging: Tristan Schmidt, Edgar Machado
- Match Team Roping: Dugan Kelly, Danny Leslie
For a full list of results, visit, midstatefair.com/fair/results.php
Saturday’s rodeo kicked off with the beloved parachute flag drop and featured acts such as the renowned Tomas Garcilazo, who has been a featured act at the National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas for the past two decades. Other voices of the night included PBR announcer Luke Kaufman, who provided the commentary, while PBR entertainer Brinson James kept the audience upbeat and cheering throughout the evening. James also did a fun competition for the crowd when he gave a Yeti water bottle signed by all the bull-riding contestants to one lucky fan who showed the most enthusiasm throughout the night.
Sabin explains that by working with Flying U Rodeo to produce the CMSF Rodeo Finals, more opportunities have been given for top-notch entertainment. Founded by legendary Cotton Rosser over 60 years ago, Flying U Rodeo has been producing some of the industry’s most treasured rodeos.
Along with the talented local hands, Sabin said, “They put on a heck of a show.”
Over the last few years, some internal changes have been made within the Horse Show Office at the CMSF, which has seemed to bring more contestants back to the rodeo after a few hard years with implications from the COVID pandemic.
“There were a lot of improvements made to our country rodeo internally, and I think that those changes and improvements have again drawn those contestants to enter the rodeo,” Sabin explains.
Preliminary rodeo events held throughout the week narrowed down some of the best contestants, including Brittany Kelly, who told PRP/ATN why she loves competing: “I love the horses. That’s my passion.” That evening Kelly competed in the Mixed Ribbon Roping event and placed first along with Colter Negranti.
Sunday’s Country Rodeo at CMSF proved to have the same success, with families competing with each other in the family calf branding. On Friday, the Junior Gymkanna (contestants 18 and under) had an impressive 96 entries — back to the pre-COVID era of entry numbers.
Fortunately, the heatwave did not stop fans from coming to the rodeo finals on Saturday, where breakaway roping was added — an event gaining popularity in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. Adding to the excitement was bull and bronc riding.
Overall, Sabin said, “It was a spectacular fair … the entire vibe felt great, the energy was great, the grounds were immaculate. They were beautiful. Our maintenance staff are second to none.”
Feature Image: Tomas Garcilazo, who has been a featured act at the National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas for the past two decades, performs at the California Mid-State Fair Wrangler Country Rodeo Finals July 29 in Paso Robles. Photo by Becca Sligh
