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Caiman Cody, 13, of Tolar holds onto White Castle after he was declared the 2026 Junior Steer Show Grand Champion at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.
amccoy@star-telegram.com
Over 1,500 Texas kids showed their fluffy-eared, blow-dried steers at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Junior Sale of Champions at Watt Arena on Friday — but just one was crowned the Grand Champion Steer.
Caiman Cody, a 13-year-old from Tolar and his steer White Castle, a European breed, won the junior grand champion steer.
“He’s super sweet,” Cody said while talking to reporters, hugging White Castle close and beaming ear to ear. “He’s my buddy.”
Cody has been showing steers for four years, but he started showing cows when he was just three years old.
Cash Goretska, a 16-year-old from Abilene and his European crossbred Cheeto were crowned reserve champion.
“I’m just trying to take it in,” Goretska told the Star-Telegram. “I’ve always dreamed about this show.”
Goretska calls Cheeto a “home-grown calf” — his family raised the steer from the day he was born at their home.
One of the stock show’s most popular events, the junior steer show attracts kids as young as 9 from all over the state, who flock to Fort Worth to present their beloved animals to an eagle-eyed judge.
Mattison Koepp, 16, from La Vernia and her American Crossbred steer Alley Cat were named grand champion in 2025. Alley Cat sold for nearly $400,000. Koepp was also named reserve junior champion in 2024.
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Emily Holshouser
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