Monthly Archives: December 2018

LAS VEGAS – The last time Richmond Champion tried to ride Kesler Rodeo’s Illegal Smile, things didn’t go too well. He got a bit of redemption Thursday night, handling the big sorrel for 86 points to finish fourth in the eighth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “That horse is underrated,” said Champion, 25, of The Woodlands, Texas. “Guys don’t know him. He spends a lot of time in Canada. Jake Vold, who I was traveling with this summer, and him; three jumps in, Jake was two hands down. “The horse has changed a lot since I had him. He has really found his spot. Duane Kesler came up to me tonight and asked, ‘You got your game plan?’ I said, ‘Squeeze that handle as hard as I can. I’m going to weather the storm.’ ” That’s because Illegal Smile was part of the NFR’s “eliminator” pen, which features the hardest-to-ride bareback horses in rodeo. Champion has found those horses to his liking. He also placed in Saturday’s third round. But the Kesler horse threw a little different style at the cowboy on Thursday. “I’m not going to say he’s an eliminator, because he’s not that strong, but he’s going to throw some stuff at you,” he said. “He doesn’t feel like a normal bucking horse. He probably feels more like a bull. “I knew he bucks. I didn’t want to waste the opportunity because it’s here. I told myself, ‘Go make the rid you can make on that horse.’ There’s nothing to think about because there’s no telling what he was going to do. It was straight to the basics for me.” It was the third time in eight nights Champion has drawn a Kesler horse. It seems like a perfect match. Kesler Rodeo is one of the biggest Canadian stock contractors in rodeo, and Champion won the Canadian bareback riding championship this season. “I think I have been on the whole Kesler herd, minus two,” Champion said with a smile. “I have a great relationship with the Keslers. That’s always fun. I want their horses to do good, and I spend a lot of time with them. To make a good ride on one of their best ones is awesome.” Thursday’s performance at the NFR was also Canadian Night, a nod to the great rodeo champions that come from the neighbor to the north. All the karma seemed to be working in Champion’s favor. In May, he will marry Paige Lawrence, a Canadian who has family ties to rodeo and is a skating champion that competed at the in Sochi, Russia. And because he competes north of the border much of the summer, he and Lawrence are considering a move to Montana after their nuptials. “It would be a little closer to her family and a little more along the way for rodeoing,” said Champion, who pocketed $11,000 Thursday to push his NFR earnings to just shy of $65,000. “I can leave for two weeks and come home for a few days instead of leaving for three months. It’s a little more of a central location for us. “Canada is special to me. To be a little closer is fine with me.”

LAS VEGAS – Craig at Midnight is a giant of a bucking horse. Weighing 1,800 pounds, the gray gelding from Powder River Rodeo can be a bit intimidating. “He’s a huge horse,” said Clayton Biglow, who rode the animal for 85.5 points Thursday night to finish in a tie for fifth place on the eighth night of the National Finals Rodeo. “He is like crawling down on a bull. He has that scare factor to him, because he’s kind of bad in the chute. He doesn’t just stand there like the rest of the horses.” It was the second big gray horse he’s ridden this week; on Monday night, he set an NFR arena record with a 93-point ride on the reigning two-time Bareback Horse of the Year, Virgil of C5 Rodeo. “I’m glad I got him rode,” he said. “Last year, Craig took me out of it, so it was good to get some payback.” He added $5,500 to his Wrangler jeans, pumping his NFR pay to just shy of $72,000. Though he dropped a spot in the world standings to Canadian Orin Larsen, Biglow has pushed his season total to $206,935, and it did that on the back of a former horse of the year “His second trip here is usually weaker,” Biglow said, noting that reigning two-time world champion Tim O’Connell won Round 3 on Craig at Midnight with an 88.5-point ride. “He still felt bucky underneath me, that’s for dang sure. There is a lot of horse there, and you can still feel it no matter what.” He is $566 behind Larsen, so he could easily move up a spot in the world standings in the next two rounds, the final two nights of the ProRodeo season. “That’s nothing here,” he said. “The last two days, you just give it everything you’ve got. I’m in no situation to hold back right now, so just go out there and try to make the best possible ride you can make on whatever horse you draw.” A night after facing the toughest horses in the game, the bareback riders will be matched with the most user-friendly. They call this pen of horses the “hoppers,” which should make for a fun night for the top cowboys in the game. For Biglow, though, he just wants to keep his focus in the right place. He has all the physical attributes necessary to be in the mix for a world championship race. He’s been there each of the last three seasons. At 23 years old, his maturation is starting to reveal itself in his mental approach. “The first few rounds were good, but I was getting ahead of myself,” Biglow said. “Now I can relax and trust my body, let it do everything that I’ve taught it to. Now it’s just go out there and have fun. We don’t have the eliminators anymore, so you can take a deep breath and know you’re going to get on a good sucker. “I felt like I rode really good tonight, even though Craig didn’t have his day. Everything that I’ve been working on I put to work tonight, so (on Friday) it’s just go out and do the same thing.” It’s the perfect play to finish out his 2018 season.

LAS VEGAS – Jim Boy Hash is a college rodeo coach in western Kansas and is an Oklahoma Panhandle State University graduate. He also raises bucking horses. Orin Larsen is from Inglis, Manitoba, who graduated from the College of Southern Idaho and Panhandle State. He also rides bucking horses. On Thursday night, Hash-raised, Hi Lo ProRodeo-owned Pretty Woman and Larsen matched moves inside the Thomas & Mack Center for 87 points to finish third in the eighth round of the National Finals Rodeo. It earned Larsen an additional $15,654. “Caleb Bennett had that horse earlier in the week and didn’t get along with it,” said Larsen, who now lives in Gering, Neb. “It’s just your typical eliminator horse. She dang sure gave me the test. I’m happy to come out on top. “I thought that would be kind of cool to win the round again, from a Panhandle State kid to a Panhandle State horse. We got third, and I’m not turning up my nose at that.” The third and eighth rounds feature the hardest-to-ride horses in bareback riding called the “eliminator” pen. Larsen has excelled on those horses; he was 87 points both nights, riding the Calgary Stampede’s Trail Dust last Saturday. He made Thursday’s ride look easier than it was. “It didn’t feel that great,” he said. “There were a lot of things going on. I know I was swinging and hitting something; I just didn’t now what I was hitting. That’s how the eliminator pen is supposed to be. It’s the kind of pen where the boys become men.” In his eight nights in the Nevada desert, Larsen has earned $76,846. He has pushed his season salary to $207,501 and moved up one spot to third place in the world standings. He trails the No. 2 man, Tim O’Connell, by less than $20,000 and the leader, Caleb Bennett, by less than $33,000. “I’m pretty fortunate to come here and make the money,” Larsen said. “I’m able to do that and enjoy it.”

LAS VEGAS – There’s likely nothing Ryan Jarrett hasn’t tried to change his luck at one point or another during his ProRodeo career. “I know I won the other night in pink, but I’ve been wearing black ever since, and I’m sticking with it,” said Jarrett, the 2005 all-around world champion from Comanche, Okla. “I’ve got an old belt on that I wear every day. I hung up the other one with the all-around (gold) buckle and just changed a few things up. “If it ain’t going good, I will change it up and try to get it rolling on my side.” It’s working, or at least it seems that way. After failing to secure a paycheck on the first four nights of the National Finals Rodeo, Jarrett has filled his pockets four straight rounds. He’s won at least a share of two rounds, including the outright win on Wednesday night to win the eighth round. “I like the calf I had,” he said after posting a 7.3-second run to collect another $26,231. “I thought it fit my style. I got me a good start, and he was out there a little bit. I got him off his feet, and it was perfect timing, nothing out of whack. It went really good.” Yes, it did. He entered the NFR a week ago No. 15 in the world standings, securing the last spot in the field on the final day of the regular season. Over the last four nights, he has moved all the way up to fifth in the world standings. He has earned $86,295 in the City of Lights, more than doubling his earnings since arriving. He sits at $163,847 for the season. “I’m looking forward to (Friday) night,” Jarrett said. “The first few rounds weren’t worth you know what, and here we are now. It’s a totally different atmosphere. I couldn’t ask for it to be better.” Jarrett isn’t handling all this on his own. He’s got a fantastic support system, including his wife, Shy-Anne, and his father, DeJuan, who came out from his Summerville, Ga., home to handle some of the labor involved. Part of that is taking care of Jarrett’s horse, Snoopy. “Dad comes over (to the arena) at 6:30 or 7 (a.m.) and feeds, then I come mid-morning to get him out,” he said. “We put some different ointments on his legs and get him out and let him roll a little bit. We just want to make sure everything is good, make sure he feels good and tend to him.” Horse and rider seem to be doing very well, and the proof is in the money.

Bareback riding: 1. Shane O’Connell, 89 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Black Leg, $26,231; 2. Mason Clements, 88.5, $20,731; 3. Orin Larsen, 87, $15,654; 4. Richmond Champion, 86, $11,000; 5. (tie) Kaycee Feild and Clayton Biglow, 85.5, $5,500 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 3.7 seconds, $26,231; 2. Bridger Chambers, 3.8, $20,731; 3. Scott Guenthner, 4.0, $15,654; 4. (tie) Jacob Talley and Will Lummus, 4.1, $8,885 each; 6. Curtis Cassidy, 4.2, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Bubba Buckaloo/Chase Tryan, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, Dustin Egusquiza/Kory Koontz and Clay Smith/Paul Eaves, 4.1, $15,795 each; 5. Erich Rogers/Clint Summers, 4.2, $6,770; 6. Rhen Richards/Quinn Kesler, 4.6, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Chase Brooks on Dakota Rodeo’s Bartender and Rusty Wright on Rosser Rodeo’s Floodtide, 90 points, $23,481 each; 3. CoBurn Bradshaw, 89, $15,654; 4. Clay Elliot, 87.5, $11,000; 5. Zeke Thurston, 86.5, $6,770; 6. Cort Scheer, 86, $4,231. Tie-down roping: 1. Ryan Jarrett, 7.3 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Tuf Cooper and Tyson Durfey, 7.4, $18,193 each; 4. Shane Hanchey, Caleb Smidt, Jake Pratt and Cory Solomon, 7.6, $5,500 each. Barrel racing: 1. Taci Bettis, 13.57 seconds, $26,231; 2. Carman Pozzobon, 13.70, $20,731; 3. Amberleigh Moore, 13.71, $15,654; 4. Stevi Hillman, 13.72, $11,000; 5. Tammy Fischer, 13.81, $6,769; 6. (tie) Nellie Miller and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 13.84, $2,115 each. Bull riding: 1. (tie) Joe Frost, on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Lumberjack, and Chase Dougherty, on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Dirty Dan, 89.5 points, $24,327 each; 3. Roscoe Jarboe, 71.5, $16,500; 4. Tyler Bingham, 67.5, $11,846; 5. Eli Vastbinder, 60.5, $7,615; no other qualified rides.

LAS VEGAS – Hell on the Red has been one of the best barrel racing horses in ProRodeo in 2018, but she’s still just 6 years old. The sorrel mare with a National Finals Rodeo legacy is the guiding force for Kylie Weast in their first qualification to the bright lights of Las Vegas. The two started out on fire, placing in the first three rounds. By the fourth round, though, Reddy wasn’t happy with the setup at the Thomas & Mack Center, and she showed it as she and Weast tried to make their way down the alley and into the arena. The mare reared in the alley, then they knocked over a barrel, resulting in a five-second penalty. For the fifth round, Weast rode Morning Traffic, a 7-year-old mare with the nickname “Martini” owned by Cody and Michelle Darling, and two barrels went down. In Round 6, Weast saddled her own secondary horse, Namgus D15, a 9-year-old sorrel gelding she calls Wolfy. There were no penalties, but they finished out of the money. “Kylie thought it was better to give Reddy a couple runs off,” said her sister, Janae Ward Massey, the 2003 world champion. “She needed to let her young mind chill out a little bit.” It worked. On Wednesday night, Weast and Reddy rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 13.74 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth place in the seventh round. Weast pocketed $8,885 and pushed her season earnings to $147,253. The young red mare needed a break. After all, she’d only been on the futurity trail one year before breaking out in ProRodeo in 2018. The Las Vegas experience is a lot to throw at a young horse, much less a first-time qualifier. Weast is the fourth person in her immediate family to qualify for the NFR and the third to make a run down the alley at the Thomas & Mack Center – Massey was a three-time qualifier in the early 2000s, and their mother, Renee Ward, ran in the arena in 1985, the first year the championship took place in Las Vegas. “You can set up an arena like the NFR, but you cannot duplicate that alley in the Thomas & Mack,” Massey said. “The lights being turned off for a presentation, the smoke being blown in, the bulls down the side of it … it’s just a lot. Even the seasoned horses that have been there have a hard time with it, so you can only imagine what’s going through a young horse’s mind.” Things seemed to be figured out as Weast prepares for the final three nights of the ProRodeo season. But as a horse trainer and a member of the family that raises the equine athletes, Weast will always put the horse first. If Reddy needs another break, she will get it. That’s the respect she has for her precious mare.

LAS VEGAS – Just before halftime of the National Finals Rodeo, tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett gained momentum he needed to finish out the drive toward the end of the season. After finishing in a three-way tie for first place in Round 5, he has caught fire, placing in Rounds 6 and 7. On Wednesday night, he roped and tied his calf in 7.8 seconds to finish fourth on the seventh night of ProRodeo’s grand finale, earning $11,000. “Hopefully I can run it back down the field,” Jarrett said, continuing the football analogy. “I’m getting on the better end of the cattle. I know what the calves are going to do from the previous runs. I’m a little more in the groove and looking to finish strong. “Hopefully I can keep drawing well and keep making good runs to place.” Like a good coach, Jarrett conducted some film study. The calf on which he competed Wednesday had been run twice before, and the Comanche, Okla., cowboy knew what to expect. In addition, he’s having the kinds of runs he expects. He is a 12-time NFR qualifier, having played the richest contest in the game 11 times in tie-down roping. “I wish the first three rounds would have went this well,” he said, referring to three straight no-times to kick off this year’s NFR. “It didn’t, so I just have to bear down and do what we do: One calf at a time, and hopefully we keep cashing checks.” That’s an important part of the process in Las Vegas. Go-round winners pocket $26,231 each night, so there are a lot of dollars on the table yet to be won. He’s got a pretty good routine to set himself up for a solid final few nights of the 2018 season. “The last couple of nights, I haven’t felt real good,” Jarrett said. “Now my wife’s not feeling the best. We are just trying to stay rested up and get a little sunshine during the day. The weather has been really nice, and it feels pretty good to soak up some rays.” If it allows him to soak in some Vegas cash, that makes things even better.

LAS VEGAS – Every step forward is positive for bareback rider Clayton Biglow. He proved that again Wednesday night, riding Frontier Rodeo’s Short Night for 86.5 points to collect his fourth paycheck of this year’s National Finals Rodeo, this one worth $8,885. “I feel pretty good,” said Biglow, 23, of Clements, Calif. “I’ve had to work on a few things since I’ve been here. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to work on anything and just have fun. But I feel like I’m riding good. My body is holding up really nice, and I feel strong. “I’m ready for the next three rounds and just build off what I’ve done so far.” What he’s done has been fantastic. Through seven nights in Sin City, he has pocketed more than $66,000 and pushed his 2018 earnings to beyond the $200,000 threshold. He is now $39,000 behind the leader, Caleb Bennett, with three nights remaining on the ProRodeo season. “That horse was Short Night, and she’s a pretty good horse,” he said. “She turned out backwards and went around to the right pretty good. I think I rode her pretty good. When her butt came out first, she kind of missed a couple seconds, but she was pretty good across the arena.” Short night was the perfect precursor to Thursday’s eighth round, which will feature the top cowboys against the hardest-to-ride horses in bareback riding. The first time the “eliminator” pen was out last Saturday, only 11 of the 15 cowboys earned qualified rides. “You have to grit your teeth every time and get it rode,” Biglow said, noting that bareback riding is hard on each cowboy’s body because their hands are wedged into a riggin’ that is strapped tightly to the animal’s back. “(Thursday) night separates the boys from the men, and I’m ready to be a man about it. I’ve been no scores two years in a row, and I don’t like it. “I crave those horses. When you are bareback rider, those are the ones that are going to define how good you really want to be. That’s how I look at it, and everyone else should, because those are the ones that test you and are the ones you have to ride the best.” He’s ridden rank ones before. Though he bucked off Beutler & Son’s Killer Bee the last time the eliminators were out, but he rode another rank horse, two-time Bareback Horse of the Year Virgil from C5 Rodeo, for an arena-record 93 points on Monday night. “I feel like I rode Killer Bee really good for six seconds, but you have to ride them for eight,” he said with a smile. “Those are the rules. I feel good. I know I can ride them. I’ve done it before, but I just haven’t completed here twice. My first year here, I won the round with the semi-eliminator pen. “I like riding those horses.”

LAS VEGAS – He doesn’t like it, but Orin Larsen has figured out how to ride in pain. He did it two years ago, when he had rib issues at the beginning of the National Finals Rodeo and kept him out of the pay window for the first five rounds. He finished that year’s championship by placing in the final five nights, including the Round 8 victory. He’s dealing with the pain again this year, a few weeks after having knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his left knee. On Wednesday night, he blocked it out while riding Frontier Rodeo’s Tip Off for 89 points to win the seventh round and pocket an additional $26,231. “It’s going to be weird when I’m healthy,” said Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba. It’s something I’m really not wanting, but I’m fortunate to be here healthy or not.” When he won 660-some days ago, it was also on a Frontier animal, two-time Bareback Horse of the Year Full Baggage. “Once you learn to deal with a little bit of pain, you do whatever it takes to get through it,” he said. “The (Justin) Sports Med has done a great job with it.” He receives treatment several hours a day to make sure his knee is prepared for the rough-and-tumble game that is bareback riding. Cowboys wedge their hands into their riggings, which are strapped tightly to the backs of bucking horses. It was the second time cowboys have won money on the back of Tip Off. Clayton Biglow scored 86.5 points last Friday to finish third in the second round. The Frontier horse has helped cowboys to nearly $42,000 in his two trips inside the Thomas & Mack Center. “Clayton spurred the hair off him earlier this week,” Larsen said. “I knew he was dang sure a really good chance in this pen. Frontier has some of the best horses in the world, and they keep getting better and better.” While it’s been two years since his last go-round win, it’s something the Canadian cowboy appreciates. “I’ve wanted to do this for a few years now, and I’m happy to get it off my back,” he said. “You’ve got to learn to have fun when things aren’t really going your way. You learn to have fun and enjoy the process of being here.” He’s got $61,192 reasons to enjoy it; that’s how much he’s won through seven nights of ProRodeo’s grand championship. He’s pushed his season earnings to $191,847. He is fifth in the world standings. He’s doing it despite a knee that swells like a watermelon every night. “It’s amazing how much she’s done for me, both mentally and keeping me sound when I’m not in with sports med,” Larsen said of his wife, Alexa, with whom he’s been married for 14 months. “I can’t say enough about Lex.” Rodeo has always been a family business, and Alexa Larsen is proving it to her husband.

Young Californian advances to BFO Championship Saturday with big fight LAS VEGAS – Andres “Sasquatch” Gonzalez conquered his beast and upset the Champ. He posted the highest-marked bout of this year’s Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship during Wednesday’s Flexfit Preliminary Round, scoring 87 points to advance to Hooey’s Championship Saturday at the Tropicana Las Vegas. “This was super big knowing that I was able to compete against Weston Rutkowski and knowing I was a point behind him going into today,” said Gonzalez, a first-year BFO bullfighter from Woodland, Calif. “Knowing what I had to do had me in the right mindset. “I just kept telling myself that I had to keep doing what I had been doing. I had to leave it in God’s hands and just do the work. I did whatever the bull gave me to do.” Combined with his 83-point fight in Monday’s first round, Gonzalez finished with a two-bout cumulative score of 170 points to outlast the reigning two-time world champion. By winning his flight, which was made up of three bullfighters, he advanced to the final day of competition, along with the other flight winners, Tucker Lane McWilliams of Oak Grove, Mo., and Ross Hill of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I think it was awesome I was able to outscore Weston,” Gonzalez said. “Now, I know I am fighting exactly as hard as he is to win that belt. He might have been a little upset, but he can’t blame it on me or himself. I just had the better bull.” That was the main difference, but both men put on tremendous fights against bulls that had never seen the bright lights of Las Vegas. “All three bulls in our flight were fresh, so I didn’t know what they could do,” he said. “I just had to do what I could, and that was be as aggressive as I can. My plan is to fight my first bull Saturday and advance to the second fight, too. “In my heart, advancing to the championship round is already winning. It means the world to me just to be in the BFO and to be in Las Vegas. It’s been one of my dreams to make it this far. To meet my heroes and go against them is incredible.”

1. Chase Dougherty, 87.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Lookin Up, $27,077; 2. (tie) Dustin Boquet and Boudreaux Campbell, 87, $19,039 each; 4. Roscoe Jarboe, 84.5, $11,847; 5. Jeff Askey, 84, $7,616; no other qualified rides.

Bareback riding: 1. Orin Larsen, 89 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Tip Off, $26,231; 2. Caleb Bennett, 88, $20,731; 3. Tilden Hooper, 87, $15,654; 4. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Steven Dent, 86.5, $8,885 each; 6. Jake Brown, 85.5, $4,231. Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Tyler Pearson and Hunter Cure, 3.6 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. (tie) Will Lummus and Tyler Waguespack, 3.7, $13,327 each; 5. (tie) Bridger Chambers and Jacobs Talley, 3.8, $5,500 each. Team roping: 1. (tie) Luke Brown/Jake Long and Derrick Begay/Cory Petska, 3.9 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 4.0, $15,654; 4. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.3, $11,000; 5. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 4.8, $6,770; 6. Aaron Tsinigine/Trey Yates, 4.9, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Wade Sundell on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Total Equine Angel Fire and Chase Brooks on Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Diamond Fever, 90 points, $23,481 each; 3. Rusty Wright, 88, $15,654; 4. CoBurn Bradshaw, 85.5, $11,000; 5. Zeke Thurston, 84.5, $6,770; 6. Cort Scheer, 84, $4,231. Tie-down roping: 1. Tyson Durfey, 7.2 seconds, $26,231; 2. Sterling Smith, 7.3, $20,731; 3. Tuf Cooper, 7.5, $15,654; 4. Ryan Jarrett, 7.8, $11,000; 5. Rhen Richard, 8.1, $6,770; 6. Marty Yates, 8.2, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 13.61 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessie Telford, 13.64, $20,731; 3. Ivy Conrado, 13.72, $15,654; 4. (tie) Taci Bettis and Kylie Weast, 13.74, $8,885 each; 6. Stevi Hillman, 13.77, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – Slowly but surely, steer wrestler Kyle Irwin is making an impact at the National Finals Rodeo. Irwin entered this year’s championship six days ago No. 14 in the world standings. As of Tuesday night, he has moved to fifth with $64,083 in money made in Las Vegas, which has moved his 2018 earnings to $139,416. He added more than $11,000 during the sixth go-round after knocking down his steer in 4.1 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for third place. “That was a steer that Blake Mindemann had trouble catching in Round 3,” said Irwin of Robertsdale, Ala. “You always try to set up a game plan to capture him in this round. (Hazer) Tyler (Pearson) did great, like he always does, and Scooter put me in position to make a good run. “It was just a good ol’ boy run. I call it a successful night.” He’s had four of those through six nights in Sin City. That’s a good thing. But all of it is a bit bittersweet. Pearson – his friend, traveling partner and co-owner of Scooter, the two-time horse of the year – is not having such a good NFR. Pearson has had just two qualified times and has placed in just one go-round. “I always like to see everybody do good,” Irwin said. “I know that’s impossible, because it’s so tough out here and there are 15 guys all running at the top six spots just to place. I’d like to see Tyler do better, but he has nothing to prove; he’s the reigning world champ. “He’ll bounce back. The dude’s a winner, and he’s dang sure better than a lot of guys.” Tuesday’s runs were a bit slower than they had been. In the fifth round, a time of 4.1 wouldn’t have placed in the top six. But that’s what happens in Las Vegas, good and bad. It worked out for Irwin on Tuesday. “It’s a weird vibe this year,” he said. “There’s still energy, but it seems like we’re just trying to get the steers captured. Maybe it’s just the tension and the nerves. The Thomas & Mack creates its own obstacles. I think you’ll see a good bulldogging (Wednesday). The world championship will be shaped by who is the champion here. “This is a fresh start when you get here, based on the money you can win in Las Vegas.” So far, the Alabaman – now living in Westville, Fla., with his wife, Randa, and their children, Tripp and Ellie – is doing quite well in all those categories. “Placing four times out of six nights is very good,” said Irwin, who sits eighth in the average with a cumulate time of 20.2 seconds on five qualified runs. “That’s pretty good odds so far. The way I look at rodeo is on the odds of winning. Now I’ll try to make it five of seven. “I’ve worked my way up in the average, so that’s nice. I’m just going to make as much money as I can.” He’s done well through the first six nights of the NFR and has four more before the season comes to a close to make it happen.

LAS VEGAS – Richmond Champion has been on more horses than any other bareback rider competing at the 2018 National Finals Rodeo. He’s actually OK with it. He was awarded a re-ride after his first time out of the chutes in Round 1, then had that happen again. This time, Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Imperial Beach stumbled in the ride, so Champion was given the option of another horse. It was another Kesler horse, one that the Texas cowboy knows well. “I didn’t even hear the score on the first one before I took the re-ride,” said Champion, a four-time NFR qualifier from The Woodlands, Texas. “If they are giving a re-ride here, you take it. But then it was Street Dance. Just the novelty of getting on Street Dance was worth taking the re-ride.” So was the score. By taking the re-rides, the original score was erased, so it can be a bit of a risk. Champion and Street Dance athletes matched moves on the Thomas & Mack Center dirt for 87.5 points to finish in a three-way tie for second place. That was worth $15,795. Counting the re-rides, it was also the eighth horse he’s ridden through the six rounds. “That horse has been here four times as many as I’ve been here,” he said. “That’s the fourth time I’ve been on her. I was up there in Canada the last two years, so I’ve had her.” Through six rounds of ProRodeo’s grand finale, Champion has placed in three rounds. He finished in at least a tie for second place for the second night in a row. He has pushed his NFR earnings to $53,295 and his annual pay to $173,114, worth fifth place in the world standings. He is also tied for fifth in the average race, having scored 501.5 cumulative points on six rides. He trails the leader, Steven Dent, by nine points. Champion, who clinched the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association bareback riding title a little more than a month ago, utilized another Canadian horse to some American money. He is now within shooting distance of the world standings leader, two-time world champion Tim O’Connell. “One of the nice things about the re-ride in Round 1 is that it put me a day ahead of everybody else on soreness,” Champion said. “That wears off after the third or fourth round, so I feel good. I’m excited. Bring them on. It just started for me.” This 10-day championship is similar but way different than the regular season. During the heavy part of the summer, cowboys are on the road for weeks – even months – at a time. The rest they get may be in a van as they travel from one rodeo to another. But these December nights force the cowboys to find a routine. Now in Vegas for the fourth time, he has found it. “I wake up in the morning, go sit in the sauna, work out some soreness, seat and get it heated up,” Champion said. “Then I rehydrate, eat, sign some autographs and take it easy. I just try to get ready for the rodeo every night. “Family time is limited. That comes after the rodeo each night, then I cash out about midnight. You just need to get yourself ready to ride.” It’s working so far.

LAS VEGAS – Over the first four nights of the National Finals Rodeo, things weren’t going well for bareback rider Ty Breuer. He changed that in a big way Tuesday, matching moves with the Calgary Stampede horse Tootsie Roll for 88 points to win the sixth round, pocketing $26,231 in the process. It was his first paycheck of this year’s championship, and he made it happen in a big way. “It was very important, especially for the confidence,” said Breuer, a four-time NFR qualifier from Mandan, N.D. “I just had to keep trusting in the Lord and keep spurring, and I knew it would all come together.” He has ridden five of six horses, bucking off during Saturday’s “eliminator” pen. Other than that, though, he’s placed out of the money … until Tuesday. Of course, it helped that he had Tootsie Roll, a powerful sorrel that guided fellow bareback rider Caleb Bennett to 84 points to place on opening night last Thursday. Besides the NFR, Tootsie Roll also has been selected to buck at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Breuer, though, needed to make a change in his mental approach. “I’ve been fighting my head,” he said. “I hadn’t been on for a while before we got here, and I was sore. Now the soreness is starting to leave the body. My body’s getting used to it again.” To that end, he completed infusion therapy Tuesday in hopes it could make a difference. “Steven (Dent) has been getting it done, and he’s been doing good,” he said. “I thought I’d change things up and try it.” Now that the muscles are looser and the mind is right, Breuer has four more nights in the ProRodeo season to collect as much money as possible. “This is a good way to get back into it,” Breuer said. “I knew I had it in my; I just had to go do it.”

LAS VEGAS – It didn’t take long for tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett to keep the ball rolling. One night after winning a share of the fifth round at the National Finals Rodeo, Jarrett was back at it Tuesday, roping and tying his calf in 7.8 seconds. That finished in a tie for second place in the sixth round, worth $18,192. “I had a calf that I really wanted,” said Jarrett of Comanche, Okla. “I felt really good with my draw, then I went out and made a decent run.” It was more than decent; it was important. Jarrett suffered no-times in the first three rounds, then was just off the pace for placing among the Top 6 on the fourth night of ProRodeo’s grand championship. The last two rounds, he has pocketed $39,000 and pushed his 2018 earnings to $126,616. He has also moved up from 15th to 11th in the world standings. “That’s fine, because I have four rounds left,” he said, noting that the bonus for being an NFR qualifier takes his Vegas earnings to $49,000. “Maybe I can win another $50,000, and I’ll be just fine.” That’s the goal in rodeo. Not only does money help make ends meet, but it’s also how championship points are tabulated. The contestants in each event with the most money won at the end of the season will be crowned world champions. He knows a little bit about that; he won the all-around title in 2005 during his first trip to Sin City. “My confidence is a lot better, and I’m getting in that groove,” Jarrett said. “You feel the atmosphere rolling in your favor, and things are going your way.” That’s a good thing, because the family is changing. He and his wife, Shy-Anne, are expecting a baby girl in February. He needs every dollar that Las Vegas can give him just to make sure she has all she needs. “It’s about 60 days from now, and I’m excited and nervous a little bit,” he said. “We are getting the house prepared for a little one running around in not too long. We will see how the diaper-changing goes. “Maybe we can finish strong here at this year’s finals, and maybe I can afford to buy some diapers.”

Barrel racing: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 13.63 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13.73, $20,731; 3. Ivy Conrado, 13.75, $15,654; 4. Amberleigh Moore, 13.77, $11,000; 5. Taci Bettis, 13.82, $6,770; 6. Stevi Hillman, 13.9, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Dustin Boquet, 91 points on Hi Lo ProRodeo Company’s Divinity, $26,231; 2. Chase Dougherty, 88.5, $20,731; 3. Koby Radley, 88, $15,654; 4. Joe Frost, 87, $11,000; 5. Parker Breding, 86.5, $6,770; 6. Jeff Askey, 85.5, $4,231.

Moorman fights 2 bulls to win his flight; Gibson posts highest marking LAS VEGAS – One bull wasn’t enough for Chance Moorman on Tuesday afternoon during the second day of the Flexfit Preliminary Round of the Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship. Late in his initial bullfight, Moorman was awarded a refight. Since he was the last of the nine men to fight, he only had about five minutes to prepare for his second bout. That was all the time he needed, though, producing 84.5-points against Rockin’ B & Magnifica’s Papa Smurf to win his flight and have the advantage heading into his second preliminary round on Thursday afternoon. “After my first bull, my ribs were really hurting,” Moorman said, pointing out that he suffered the injury last week during the Qualifier Rounds. “That first bull hit me pretty good, and that’s what was holding me up on making the decision to take the option for the refight. Once I heard the score, I knew that wasn’t going to do. I knew right then I had to take it. “It was pretty hard, because my legs were tired already. It was just a mess from the beginning, but I went out there and did what I do.” It worked out, and the Lytle, Texas, bullfighter controlled his foe through the entire 60-second battle. He posted the second highest score, just behind Cade Gibson of Pilot Point, Texas, who matched moves with his bull for 86.5 points. He has just a half-point lead over Roughy Cup champion Beau Schueth. “We’ve been looking at that round since the list came out,” Gibson said. “All the bullfighters decided that was going to be one of the toughest prelims going, because Beau is a stud, and Justin (Ward) is great and content to step in and do some big things. “I’m just blessed to come out on top.” The Las Vegas Championship format requires all of the athletes to face two bulls. The top two-fight cumulative scores in all six flights will advance to the Hooey Championship Round on Saturday. The remaining combatants will battle for the final six spots in Friday’s W-W Wild Card Round. Both Gibson and Moorman knew they had to step it up. “For me to make it to Saturday, I’ve got to maintain the two-point lead I have over Kris right no,” said Moorman. “I’m not going to give it up without a fight.” Gibson’s lead is much closer, and Schueth is an experienced veteran who can close the gap quickly. “I was bummed at myself that I didn’t get to close the fight with a sell,” Gibson said. “Beau hit that spine grind on his sell, and that’s his signature. Getting a sell would have given me a little bit of a cushion going into Saturday. “I’ve just got to keep it simple, fight my bull and enjoy the time. There are a lot of bullfighters that wish they could be in our shoes. I’m just ready to get another one under my belt. I felt like the winner from this flight is going to be able to contend for the championship.”

1. Cooper Martin, 7.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Reese Riemer, 7.8, $18,193 each; 4. Jake Pratt, 8.1, $11,000; 5. Trevor Brazile, 8.3, $6,770; 6. Ryle Smith, 8.8, $4,231.

1. (tie) Zeke Thurston on Powder River Rodeo’s Miss Chestnut and Cort Scheer on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue, 89.5 points, $23,481 each; 3. Chase Brooks, 89, $15,654; 4. Ryder Wright, 87.5, $11,000; 5. Joey Sonnier III, 86, $6,770; 6. (tie) Taos Muncy and Wade Sundell, 85.5, $2,116 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. Curtis Cassidy, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jacob Talley, 3.7, $20,731; 3. (tie) Nick Guy, Tyler Waguespack and Kyle Irwin, 4.1, $11,142 each; 6. (tie) Will Lummus and Scott Guenther, 4.5, $2,116 each. Team roping: 1. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 3.9 seconds, $26,231; 2. Bubba Buckaloo/Chase Tryan, 4.4, $20,731; 3. Clay Smith/Paul Eaves, 4.5, $15,654; 4. Lane Ivy/Buddy Hawkins, 8.7, $11,000; 5. Aaron Tsinigine/Trey Yates, 19.5, $6,770; No other qualified runs.

1. Ty Breuer, 88 points on Calgary Stampede’s Tootsie Roll, $26,231; 2. (tie) Tilden Hooper, Steven Dent and Richmond Champion, 87.5, $15,795 each; 5. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Will Lowe, 87, $5,500 each.

LAS VEGAS – There was a definite sigh of relief coming out of Riley Duvall’s mouth on Monday night. The third-generation steer wrestler from Checotah, Okla., earned his first payday of this year’s National Finals Rodeo, throwing down his steer in 3.9 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth place in the fifth round. That was worth $8,885. “It was huge,” said Duvall, 26, who follows in the footsteps of his great uncle, father, uncle and cousin to earn the right to compete on the biggest stage in professional rodeo. “You want to do that in the first round, but you definitely don’t want to go past the halfway point without breaking the ice.” He did, but just barely. Tuesday’s sixth round kicks off the second half of ProRodeo’s grand finale. That means he has five more nights to take advantage of every opportunity available. “I was pumped anyway to be here, but to actually have some money in my pocket feels a lot better,” he said. “I’ve kept the same attitude. Things happen. You just have to keep going at it. “I had a good steer. I thought I could be 3 (seconds) on him, so I just tried to get a good start. The steer stumbled a little bit, but it worked out. Splitting fourth and fifth is better than nothing.” The NFR features a $10 million purse, with go-round winners earning $26,231 each night. That has Duvall licking his chops. Things will have to go his way, because only the top 15 bulldoggers in the world standings advance to Las Vegas. It’s a tough road, but he’s been down it before. “When there’s that much money up, you can’t worry about the night before,” Duvall said. “That’s a year-changing amount of money you can win in one night. You have to think about that and move forward. “That’s something I learned from the last time I made it to the finals. You can’t worry about what’s in the past. You have to keep thinking ahead.” He has pushed his annual earnings to $96,528, but he wants to make more. The goal was to have at least $100,000 won in the first five rounds, but that didn’t happen. Now he’s got a new game plan for the second half of the championship. “I’ll try to take a crazy start, and hopefully I’ll have steers that want to play with me,” Duvall said. “I want to win the round every night. If I can do that, I’ll win plenty of money.”

LAS VEGAS – Mason Clements knew Monday’s fifth round of the National Finals Rodeo was going to be electric. He was right. He spurred High Lo ProRodeo’s Wilson Sanchez for 87.5 points to finish fifth in the round, earning his fourth paycheck in five nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale. With his ride, he pocketed $6,769 and pushed his NFR earnings to more than $50,000 “I love the TV pen,” Clements said, referring to the most electric horses in bareback riding that perform in the fifth and 10th rounds. “Everybody’s gong to ride good, and everybody’s going to be on their game. The horses are always on their game. It’s going to be a straight up riding contest.” It was, and the proof was in the scoring. Typically, an 87.5-point score will help the cowboy to the top spot, but not in the TV pen at the NFR. On a night when Californian Clayton Biglow set a new bareback riding arena record on the two-time Bareback Horse of the Year, it took only elite scoring to reach the pay window. “That was amazing, Virgil matched up with Clayton Biglow,” said Clements, 25, of Springville, Utah. “That was a pretty cool experience to witness, little Biglow and big ol’ Virgil. It was a hell of a matchup.” So was Clements and Wilson Sanchez. It marked the second time this season the two athletes had been matched together; the last time was in early April when the Utah cowboy spurred the powerful bay horse for 86 points to share the title at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla., where he pocketed more than $25,000 over that week of work. “She had a little bit different trip this time, but she still felt the same under the riggin’,” he said. “She’s just honest, not going to play any tricks on you. She gives you all the time in the world to get your feet back up to the front and let you show your stuff.” In bareback riding, scores are based on how well the horse bucks and how in time the cowboy is with his spurring motion from the top of the horse’s shoulders back to the riggin’ on the animal’s back. “Hi Lo has done a great job of bringing that horse around and showing her where she needs to be shown,” he said. Clements took a nasty spill on Saturday night, getting his hand stuck in his riggin’ after the buck off and being hung up for several seconds before arena personnel helped him get released. His right hand remains tender, which could make for a difficult time since that’s the hand he wedges into the riggin’ each night. “It was a lot more sore (Monday) than the first day, more than I expected,” he said. “But it’s rodeo; you put some dirt on it and keep rolling.” Spoken like a true cowboy.