LAS VEGAS – Every year at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, several contestants make powerful statements with their performances during the 10-day championship.

Steer wrestler Hunter Cure of Holliday, Texas, is one of them.

Through six go-rounds inside the Thomas & Mack Center, Cure has placed four times, including a Round 5 victory. He has earned $44,571 of Vegas money and has moved up to fourth in the world standings race – his 2013 earnings are inches close from $110,000.

On Tuesday night during the NFR’s sixth go-round, Cure grappled his steer to the ground in 3.9 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. He pocketed $5,208 for his run.

To compare this year’s championship to the only other time he has competed at the NFR, he already has placed in more go-rounds than he did in 2009. Oh, and there are still four rounds to go, so the possibilities of increased success stand out quite well in the Nevada desert.

Cure also has the seventh fastest cumulative time, downing six steers in 34.2 seconds. The top eight in that aggregate at the conclusion of the NFR will earn bonus checks, with the average champion earning nearly $48,000. Should the Howard College (Texas) and Texas Tech University graduate remain in seventh, he will add another $8,100 to his paycheck in the City of Lights.