Tristen Hutchings wins Del Rio bull riding event, boosts title chase

Tristen Hutchings made Del Rio count in the bull-riding title race, winning the 48th annual George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bull Riding at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds and giving the hometown marquee event another finish that matched its reputation for big-time rides and bigger stakes.

Hutchings, a Monteview, Idaho rider who came into the weekend ranked third in the PRCA bull riding standings, delivered when the pressure rose Friday and Saturday at 2006 N. Main St. The Whitehead Memorial Museum presented the event, and the official information page said it does not sell tickets online, a reminder that this is still one of Val Verde County’s most rooted rodeo traditions, built for fans who show up in person and expect a serious contest.

The numbers backed up the result. Probullstats listed Hutchings as the top rider on two bulls with 178.00 points and a 44-point average bull mark. Jake Gardner finished second at 173.00, and Grady Young was third at 172.50. That margin mattered in a field that was tight enough to keep the scoreboard interesting all the way through the second night.

Hutchings’ Del Rio performance also fit the profile of a rider already carrying national weight. PRCA coverage from 2022 showed him winning the Nephi, Utah, Xtreme Bulls Division 2 event with 177.5 points on two head, including a career-best 92-point ride in the finals. That same season, he earned more than $125,000, underscoring that his trip to Del Rio was not a one-off burst but part of a long-running push among the sport’s elite.

The George Paul Memorial has long been one of the central rodeo stops in South Texas, and Hutchings’ win added another headline to a weekend that put the Val Verde County Fairgrounds back in the center of the bull-riding conversation. For local fans, it was the kind of result that gives the event staying power: a strong field, a recognized contender, and a finish that feeds the season-long chase for the top spot.