Cheyanne McCartney won $69,500 at the Calgary Stampede, cashing in out of all three Pool B rounds before surviving a semifinal tiebreaker, winning the four-woman final with a 2.7-second run and moving her to the top of the WPRA world standings conversation.
“It feels great,” the Kingston, Oklahoma, cowgirl said of the win. “It was a whole lot of fun, and I think that’s just a storybook ending for a great rodeo like that. It’s what everybody hopes for when they show up there. So, I’m just really thankful and blessed.”
McCartney set the pace in Pool B from the beginning. She won the first round with a 3.1-second run for $7,000 and returned in Round 2 with a 2.5 to collect another $7,000. She finished second in the third round with a 2.7 for $5,500, advancing to Championship Sunday as the pool’s high-money qualifier with $19,500.
The setup in Calgary was one the girls don’t see as much in the summertime. A longer start, cattle that try, and a huge atmosphere around them—a perfect storm for some good roping and even better horsepower.
“The breakaway was strapped out there more so than the calf roping as far as the barrier,” the 2023 National Finals Breakaway Roping average champion said. “You definitely have to give the calves a little more of a head start, and they were small and fast.”
McCartney credited her horsepower with allowing her to be consistent throughout the week. Her mare Lexus, registered Aladdins Approach, handled all five of McCartney’s runs at The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
“I think it really came down to horsepower for the setup and how it was,” McCartney said. “I’m just really fortunate my horse worked really good and gave me great chances. I really couldn’t fault her on any run that I made.”
McCartney felt she drew middle-of-the-road calves during her pool, but that changed when she returned as one of nine ropers in the semifinals.
The calf she drew for the semifinal was the fastest and sharpest she had run all week. With only four ropers advancing, there was little room to play it safe.
“There definitely was not any time really to dillydally because I knew everyone was going to be going for it,” McCartney said. “I just needed to get ahead of five girls.”
McCartney and fellow NFBR qualifier Macy Young each stopped the clock in 3.2 seconds to tie for fourth out of the nine-man round. McCartney advanced through the tiebreaker, earning the final spot alongside Cadee Williams, Madison Outhier and Rylee George.
After drawing her toughest calf in the semifinals, McCartney drew what she considered her best calf of the week for the $50,000 finals.
“In the final four, I ran the best calf that I had run the whole time there,” McCartney said. “I really just wanted to focus on not beating myself and getting a time on the board and seeing where it ended up.”
Her 2.7-second run was just enough.
The win became the biggest single-event prize of McCartney’s career so far and added another major title to a 2026 season that has her in position to be the No. 1 cowgirl in the world once Calgary money has been added in.
“It definitely is nice,” McCartney said. “I’ve spent yesterday and today enjoying it, but we’ve got a lot of rodeo season left. I’m pretty much usually just focused on one rodeo at a time, but it’s definitely a career win for me thus far.”
The timing of it all made the win even more meaningful.
The Showdown round happened July 12, the birthday of her late father, Carl Guillory. Guillory taught McCartney to rope and was one of the biggest influences on her career before passing away unexpectedly from a heart attack. McCartney’s husband, Cody, was also able to be in Calgary for the final.
“My dad was my hero and who taught me to rope, and we kind of did everything together,” McCartney said. “Usually, his birthday is really the toughest day for me.”
McCartney said she did not think much about the timing until after she had roped. Once it was all over, the significance of winning one of the biggest titles of her career on her father’s birthday began to settle in.
“To win that on his birthday and have my husband there with me for the short round, I couldn’t have planned that,” McCartney said. “I’m just thankful that I’m getting to live it.”
