Jacob Lewis and Hez Got Cowboy Cash were back in the Riata #10.5 Championship winner’s circle, this time in 2025 with Tripp Townsend—the 2022 Riata #10.5 champ—and TRR Lucky Brazos.
Lewis and Townsend roped four steers in 34.05 seconds Sept. 26, inside the Lazy E for $160,000. In 2023, Lewis and the 2016 Myers Ranch-bred head horse by Cowboys Cartel won their first Riata #10.5 title with Waylon Davis. Being able to win at the Riata twice, both with good friends, is indescribable for the Seymour, Texas, cowboy.
“I kind of just show up and rope,” Lewis, who cowboys for a living, said with a laugh. “I roped with both Waylon and Tripp, and they’re both cowboys. We all go to ranch rodeos together, and this was just, I don’t know, this is playing, I guess. It’s fun to come rope. We see each other at all our ranch rodeos and stuff. I know Tripp comes more than I do, but it’s just enjoying coming and hanging out.”
Riata stallion TRR Lucky Brazos by Pepcid was born on the Tongue River Ranch and was purchased by Townsend as a yearling. According to Townsend, the 2016 stud is a once in a lifetime horse.
“I’ve just tried to train him to be a cow horse and not mess him up,” Townsend said. “I mean, he’s just been so, so easy that it was my job to try to make him better and not mess him up. It’s been a lot of fun. He’s been real easy.”
“Hiptown” isn’t the only Pepcid offspring at Sandhill Cattle Co. as Townsend has added a few of his siblings to his barn as well.
“They have been so calm and easy-going, but yet when you ride in the show pen, they’ll run and slide and turn around and watch a cow, but then you can go rope on them,” Townsend explained. “We started out trying to make him a cow horse and now, all of a sudden, we’ve switched over to making a rope horse out of him, and I think this is his calling. I think he’s even better at this.”
Make no mistake, TRR Lucky Brazos went on to win the Limited Open at the 2019 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity. But he’s quickly found a foothold in the team roping industry.
“He can just back in the box and stand there flatfooted and then run hard, no matter if you’re heading or heeling on him,” Townsend said. “He runs hard and gets you there. And then in the heeling, he has such a big finish, such a good stop; it kind of helps you finish your throw and makes it easy to dally. He just tries to help you and don’t ever get in your way.”
Lewis, on the other hand, doesn’t get around to team roping much these days as cowboying takes precedent. But when it comes to the Riata, he makes sure to enter each year.
“Ibought that colt from Bill Myers when they were kind of in the talks of this,” Lewis explained. “I bought him for this and trained him. This is about the only team roping I come to.”
And what about his training has made Hez Got Cowboy Cash a two-time Riata champion? Maybe it’s his speed, or maybe it’s the fact that he’s used outside the arena just as much.
“He’s real fast and smooth and scores good because it’s easy for him,” Lewis said. “He never frets the box. I use him for everything; I pick up and cowboy on him. I just found a good horse. If they live at my house, they got to get a little bit of everything.”
