Tomé's Adrian Martinez, Belen's Mikey Ortiz Win WSTR Division, $225,000

Adrian Martinez and Mikey Ortiz captured a division title at the World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas, Nev., earning $225,000 after a run that “took a tick under 8 seconds” to wrap up a jackpot. The victory puts two Valencia County residents in the spotlight and sends a notable prize back to the local roping community.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” said Martinez, who lives in Tomé. “It’s the biggest one of the year … the most prestigious” team roping event. When the sponsors, Ariat World Series of Team Ropin, presented the oversized ceremonial check, Ortiz, a Belen resident, called it, “just the coolest thing in the world. You feel like you’re on top of the world and no one can beat you.”

There may have been some lady luck involved, with plenty of skill, but this had nothing to do with a roulette wheel, craps table or one-armed bandit. The moment emphasized a different side of Las Vegas competition: timed, technical and dependent on split-second teamwork between two riders and their horses.

Ortiz is the header, who ropes the horns on a steer, turning it to the left so that the heeler, Martinez, has a clear view to snare the animal’s legs. “The goal is to rope both ends as quickly as possible in this timed competition.” Those roles and that precision were on full display in the winning run that Valencia County residents will be talking about.

Both riders trace their roots to Las Vegas Robertson High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico. After graduation they migrated separately to Valencia County and started roping together about five years ago. Martinez is 35 and Ortiz is 25; their partnership is now based in Valencia County and the win underlines the county’s presence on the national roping circuit.

The $225,000 prize is a substantial payday for individual competitors and a headline-grabbing sum for a local sports scene that prizes hard work, horsemanship and community support. Beyond the immediate cash award, the publicity from a WSTR division win typically raises the profile of local rodeo programs and can stimulate interest among youth riders and sponsors.

The division name, official posted time to the hundredths, and a detailed payout breakdown were not specified. For Valencia County readers, Martinez and Ortiz’s victory is both a point of hometown pride and a reminder that talent developed here can compete, and win, on the world stage. Local roping programs and high school alumni will likely watch for what the partners do next.