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Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo crowns champion steer
A nearly 1,500 pound steer named White Castle was crowned champion of a junior livestock auction as the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo comes to an end. FOX 4's Dionne Anglin has more on the competition and her rodeo background.
FORT WORTH, Texas - This year's Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo comes to an end this weekend, with one of the final events being the auction of the grand champion steer.
FWSSR final weekend events
Saturday, Feb. 7 marks the final day of the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Events on the final day include:
- 9 a.m.: Livestock auction
- 3 p.m.: Commercial heifer sale
- 1 p.m.: Texas high school rodeo shootout
- 7:30 p.m.: FWSSR PRORODEO Tournament
- 10 p.m.: Blue Water Highway performance
A champion steer is crowned
What we know:
If you want to bid on livestock on Saturday, you might notice a 1,459 pound steer named White Castle.
White Castle, a Charolais European cross steer, is the winner of this year's Grand Champion Steer award. He's also one of 13-year-old Caiman Cody's best buddies.
"It’s unbelievable, I don’t even know what to say. We’ve been working for over a year now," Cody said to FOX 4's Dionne Anglin after his steer won the top prize. "My family’s been working with me and there’s been some tough days, but we got through it."
Caiman Cody and White Castle
Cody and his family hail from Tolar, 50 miles south of Fort Worth. He's been caring for White Castle for a year and a half, and had been competing in livestock exhibitions since he was three. Caiman's parents were seen in disbelief after White Castle was announced as the winner.
"It’s kind of hard to process. This is the accomplishment of all accomplishments in the industry," Kasey Cody, his mother, told Anglin. This is what we do day in and day out. This is what we do for a living, it’s what the boys do for fun."
Dig deeper:
White Castle has some big competition to measure up to as far as previous championship auction prices are concerned.
The record auction for a previous champion was in 2023, when a steer named Snoop Dogg sold for $444,000 at auction.
Last year's champion, named Alley Cat, sold for $375,000 at auction.
Timeline:
The annual event is the longest running stock show and rodeo in the country, having been run continuously since 1896, and not even an intense ice storm stopped the FWSSR from riding on this year.
Texas winter storm: Fort Worth events still happening despite public concern over weather
Despite winter weather causing cancellations across North Texas, two major events in Fort Worth are still scheduled to go ahead this weekend.
The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo carried on events during the weekend of Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, when many other events were canceled due to the winter storm.
Organizers said since most events were indoors, they were comfortable holding events despite freezing temperatures outside.
The event did shut down the outdoor petting zoo and carnival for that weekend.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and previous FOX 4 reporting.