Ruperto Valderrama

Ruperto Valderrama Miranda (April 17, 1930 – June 5, 2021) was a Chilean rodeo rider.

Biography Many Chilean rodeo experts have classified him as one of the best riders in history, and in the 1960s he was known as "The Pelé of the Medialunas." He was an illustrious citizen of San Fernando.

In San Bernardo in 1940, together with Ramón Álvarez, he won his first championship; that triumph marked him for the rest of his life, as he never got off his horses again. He won the National Rodeo Championship five times, along with Ramón Cardemil, who was his partner for twenty-one years, and won four bronze condors as best athlete.

He is also considered the greatest horse setter in history, thanks to his five national titles on horses he settered alone. He touted as a unique achievement in Chilean rodeo the fact that he had settered all the champion horses, a feat unprecedented and unmatched in the national sport. His horse "Manicero," along with "Reservado" and "Talento," are the only horses to hold three national championships.

He died on June 5, 2021, at the age of 92.

National Championships Year Team Horses Score Association1962 Ramón Cardemil "Manicero" and "Matucho" 19 Curicó1963 Ramón Cardemil "Envy" and "Venganza" 18 Curicó1965 Ramón Cardemil "Manicero" and "Matucho" 22 Curicó1967 Ramón Cardemil "Percala" and "Pelotera" 24 Curicó1968 Ramón Cardemil "Manicero" and "Trampero" 29 Curicó

Third Championships 1955: with Ramón Cardemil, riding "Sambo" and "Posturita" with 19 points.