Clay Holz, of Niobrara, Nebraska, and Gabriel Salgado, of Gainesville, Texas, roped four steers in 26.72 seconds to win the Resistol #12.5 Shootout at the 2026 Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping, earning $58,000 after months of putting their run together.
According to Holz, 23, and Salgado, 40, the payoff had been a long time coming.
“We were due to win,” Salgado said. “We’ve been entering a bunch, winning little checks here and there, but never anything big.”
That changed in Fort Worth.
The pair opened with a 6.52 and 6.69, then followed it up with a 5.85 in the third round — putting them high call heading into the short round.
“They all felt really good,” Holz said. “I was getting good starts, and we drew great.”
For Holz and Salgado, finding that rhythm didn’t happen overnight. Early on, their styles didn’t quite line up.
Salgado, a seasoned horseman originally from Brazil, said they had to meet in the middle to make it work, as Holz’s style leans more toward rodeoing.
“He’s naturally aggressive, and I like to be aggressive too,” Salgado said. “But us being too aggressive together wasn’t working.”
After plenty of runs in the practice pen — and plenty of entry fees spent at jackpots — they found the balance.
“We kind of met in the middle and got where it worked,” he said.
They finished the job with a 7.66 in the short round to seal the win.
“You’ve got to rope your game,” Holz said. “I didn’t want to be too safe.”
As much as the runs mattered, the horsepower behind them was just as important.
Holz rode Tinsel FS, a 2016 gelding by Tinsel Jac and out of FS Smart Doc Chic — a horse Salgado had trained from the start and previously placed with a customer before bringing him back for Holz.
“He trained that horse from the start… he makes my job easy,” Holz said.
On the heel side, Salgado trusted his young mare, Mark My Guns — a 2022 model by Colonels Smoking Gun and out of Shiney Miss Marker — to get the job done.
“She’s still young, but she’s been stepping up,” Salgado said. “I knew if I did my part, she would be there.”
For a team built around horsemanship, the win carried even more weight.
“We’re nothing without horses,” he said. “Family and horses—that’s all we love and all we want to do.”
We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Privacy Policy · Your Privacy Choices
