It’s tight at the top of the 2024 Turquoise Circuit heading standings, but Arizona’s Trey Blackmore leads the fight with $12,641.76 won on the year in pursuit of his second year-end title.

The 30-year-old sits just $1,657.68 ahead of Corey Whinnery at second place as the end of the season approaches. Blackmore won his first Turquoise Circuit title in 2019—as well as the average title—and wants to prove it wasn’t just a one-time deal.

 “I know it sounds dumb, but I’ve always had the mentality anybody could do something once but doing it a second time makes it mean a little more,” Blackmore said.

Blackmore’s season with Rookie contender Peterson

Blackmore paired up with young gun and longtime acquaintance Whip Peterson in 2024— a plan they made at the end of the 2023 season. 

“I think our run works best when we’re not trying to go too fast, but still trying to be aggressive,” explained Blackmore,  who works on the family ranch in Hillside where they run around 900 cows. “And at this point, we’ve roped together long enough and roped enough steers together, we kind of know what the other one’s going to do. We also have a good attitude—when it works, it works, and if not, we’re going to go to another one.”

Despite feeling like they haven’t had any major hits this year, Blackmore and Peterson kicked off 2024 in the early spring winning $4,505 a man going into April. 

“We just placed a lot at the circuit rodeos, and we had a really good winter and spring,” Blackmore said. “The circuit front went really good, and then we went to California and actually did pretty good out there.”

The team decided to venture out of the circuit for the summer to give Peterson, 20, a shot at winning the Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year title. When they left for the Reno Rodeo at the end of June, they stayed out of the circuit until the Lea County PRCA Rodeo in Lovington, New Mexico, Aug. 7-10.

Despite being gone for nearly two months, Blackmore left for the summer leading the circuit with $11,369.94 won on the year and returned still at No. 1 as a portion of the top teams also left for the summer. 

“We were gone most of the same time that a lot of the other top guys were gone, too,” Blackmore said. “We’d kind of been battling all spring and winter with Choc Westcott and Clinton Groff, but they were our buddy team the whole time. We had a good deal going, and our two teams left together and went up north.”

Having its fair share of NFR teams like Derrick Begay and Colter Todd and Erich Rogers and Paul Eaves, the Turquoise Circuit isn’t lacking in talent, either.

“I think there is a lot of talent that people kind of forget about,” Blackmore said. “The thing about our circuit that makes it kind of tough is a lot of those guys—like Derrick, Erich, JP (James Arviso) and all those guys—is they miss a lot of circuit rodeos because they’re out there rodeoing trying to make the Finals. So, a lot of times, their toughest deal is just making the circuit count.”

Since his late season return to the Turquoise Circuit, Blackmore picked up $1,272 between the Annual World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo in Payson, Arizona, and the co-approved Stagecoach Days in Banning, California.

Eyes on the circuit finals

While there’s still plenty of opportunity left in the Turquoise Circuit with six rodeos remaining (including co-approved), Blackmore and Peterson decided not to enter deep these last two weeks of the 2024 season.

The team will finish out the year at California’s co-approved Poway Rodeo the final weekend of September. While entering the circuit finals in first would be nice, Blackmore isn’t too concerned with his starting position.

“I think I’ve been to the circuit finals six or seven times now, and it’s always made me nervous because It seems like the person that goes in leading it never wins it,” Blackmore said with a laugh. “I almost was like, ‘Dang, I wish somebody passed me by $5 or $10 right before we go in.’ Not actually, but that’s always kind of how I’ve been; I kind of like to come from the back.”

The Turquoise Circuit Finals will hit Camp Verde, Arizona, Nov. 1-2, and regardless of what spot he goes in, Blackmore looks forward to a chance at another title.

“We’ve got a little while, but I’m excited about it,” Blackmore said. “I’ve tried not to build it up too big, going in with the lead, because there’s so much money to be won at the circuit finals. Really, it’s anybody’s game still. It seems I’ve got a different attitude about it this year. I’m not going to try to be safe and just catch three, really. I’m going to try to stay aggressive and win something in the rounds, too.”