Bailey Patterson found eternal hometown glory on the grass at the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon on Sept. 13, finishing a two-head aggregate in 6.2 seconds, amassing a total of $15,475.
For Patterson, the win was not only redemption for her Reserve Championship in 2022, but a bittersweet reminder of the woman who pushed to buy Patterson’s mare “Stella” nearly 15 years ago—her late mother Kelly.
The win came alongside Patterson’s daily balancing act, too—mothering two boys, running a household and working nights as a registered nurse in a surgical unit.
“To win Pendleton—it means everything. The memories, the people, the horse, my mom—it all came together this year. This is one I’ll never forget.” – Bailey Patterson
Bailey Patterson’s Pendleton
Patterson turned in a 2.7-second run in the first round and a 3.5 in the short round for a total of 6.2 on two head. The winnings, paired with her $11,249 won on the Columbia River Circuit thus far launched her to No. 1 in the Circuit standings with more than $26,000 won.
“I’m the breakaway director for our circuit, so I help our stock contractor with the calves the bring,” Patterson explained. “Brent Palmer and Jade Smith worked with me to cut off the fastest calves. We’d seen these calves at Kennewick and Ellensburg, so when I got my [draw] for the first round and saw the video, I was excited. But at Pendleton, you can’t really prepare fully, you just have to react.”
2025 was Patterson’s fifth time competing on the grass, and fourth time making the short go on Stella, registered as JW Trapper Tuff.
“In the short go, I had a list of the calves I wanted, and I drew one of them,” Patterson said. “You try to be confident, but at Pendleton, there are so many variables. [I won] with probably the worst loop I’ve ever thrown there, but Stella worked like she always does, and to win it—it’s hard to put into words.”
Stella came into Patterson’s life nearly 15 years ago, when Kelly was heavily campaigning to purchase quality rodeo horses for her kids.
“My cousin Brady bought her originally, she was a heel horse from Wade Wheatley,” Patterson said. “Brady thought she’d made a calf horse, and after my mom watched me roper on her, she’s like, ‘We need her.’ I’ve been the the Circuit Finals on her, amateur championships, and now, Pendleton.”
In a poetic turn of events, Kelly is still listed as the owner on Stella’s papers.
“To win Pendleton on Stella after losing my mom this spring—I know she was there,” Patterson said, choking up.
Pendleton’s unmatched aura
Short-go Saturday at Pendleton is one of rodeo’s most electric stages, and Patterson had her biggest supporters in the stands. Her sons, Pryor (6) and Bray (3), celebrated the win alongside their dad, Trevor, who was there at the back end to pump her up before her final run.
“My oldest wore my buckle around the house the next day,” Patterson laughed. “He told my husband, ‘This is Mom’s, but now it’s mine.’”
The support stretched beyond her family. Messages poured in after her victory—“more texts than I’ve ever seen on my phone at once,” Patterson said—and her win became a viral moment among the Pendleton community, who were proud to see one of their own conquer the Round-Up.
And for Patterson, the short-round atmosphere was just as special as the buckle.
“Short-go Saturday is awesome—it’s always packed, and you want to watch every event,” Patterson said. “They had me signing autographs in the back, and all I could think was, ‘I don’t want to miss anything out there.’”
As if the buckle and hometown ovation weren’t memorable enough, Patterson added a daring exclamation point during her victory lap. Despite advice to go around, she spurred her borrowed horse at the famous Pendleton rail.
“Everyone tells you not to jump the rail, but I thought, ‘I won Pendleton—I want to try it,’” Patterson laughed. “That horse stopped [before the rail] and I almost went off the side. I was thinking ‘I can’t fall off at Pendleton!’ It’ll be a story I never forget.”
