A Hood County 13-year-old walked off the Will Rogers Coliseum floor yesterday with a trophy in one hand and a lead rope in the other, after his steer, White Castle, was named junior grand champion at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s junior steer show. The win punched White Castle’s ticket to Saturday’s Junior Sale of Champions and drew loud applause from a packed crowd of youth exhibitors and buyers, capping a full day of young handlers from across Texas chasing the top prize.
Caiman Cody, 13, of Tolar, led his European cross steer White Castle to the crown while Cash Goretska, 16, of Abilene, and his home-raised calf Cheeto were named reserve champion, as reported by Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Cody hugged White Castle after the announcement and called the steer “super sweet” and “my buddy.” The duo now head into the high-profile junior auction at Watt Arena the following morning.
What the judges rewarded
Judges singled out White Castle for balance, stout muscle and correct movement, traits that election committees and buyers prize in heavyweight classes. The event feed and official results posted by Sullivan Supply’s The Pulse listed Caiman Cody as the grand champion and Cash Goretska as reserve yesterday. Those placings send both animals into the Sale of Champions, where buyer groups and syndicates will square off for the top lots.
Sale of Champions set for Saturday
The Junior Sale of Champions is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. inside Watt Arena, with roughly 300 champion animals expected to sell, local coverage notes. Organizers and local outlets also reported that this year’s junior steer competition drew more than 1,500 young exhibitors, a reminder of just how crowded the field really is. Last year’s grand champion, Alley Cat, sold for $375,000 at the same auction, and the 2023 record, a steer nicknamed Snoop Dogg, brought in about $440,000, according to local reporting by Fort Worth Business Press.
Why the win matters
Beyond the ribbons and the photo ops, the Sale of Champions is a major funding engine for 4-H and FFA students, with proceeds often going toward college, livestock projects and future show entries. The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo highlights the junior auction as a centerpiece of its mission to support youth agriculture and education through scholarships and direct exhibitor proceeds, and organizers provide background on the program and its scale via the event site.
Cody said he is still letting the moment sink in and that White Castle will get one more bath before Saturday’s sale. The family-raised steer and his young handler now wait to see how buyer groups value the work they put in this season, an outcome that can reshape a teenager’s plans overnight.
