Casper earns 7th-round victory
LAS VEGAS – It may have taken three rounds, by Wyatt Casper has found his comfort zone in Sin City. He’s put together four solid rides in a row, placing in three of them and just missing out on payday on Night 6. He rode Big Bend’s Broken Camp for 89 points to win Wednesday’s […]
Duvall wrestles another NFR check
LAS VEGAS – In his fourth trip to ProRodeo’s grand finale, steer wrestler Riley Duvall is officially having his best National Finals Rodeo. He’s placed in four of seven nights, including a share of two go-round wins. His most recent came in Wednesday’s seventh round, when he dropped his steer in 3.9 seconds to finish […]
Champion building to NFR finish
LAS VEGAS – Slowly but surely, bareback rider Richmond Champion is getting to where he wants. He just wanted to do it a bit faster. After all, the National Finals Rodeo has a payout of more than $10 million, and he wanted his fair share of it. “I’ve just been building,” said Champion, 28, a […]
Larsen wins Round 6 at NFR
LAS VEGAS – Orin Larsen would love to get off to a faster start at the National Finals Rodeo. He’d prefer to not wait until the sixth round to start earning Vegas cash. He’ll take it, though. Larsen rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Gazer for 91 points to win Tuesday’s sixth go-round, collecting $26,997 in […]
Aus regroups to gather NFR cash
LAS VEGAS – Tanner Aus arrives at the Thomas & Mack Center every night with the best of intentions. He rides bucking horses for a living, and he knows there are many variables to go into his sport. His plan is to win each night and, if not, at least cash big checks during his […]
Round 6 treats Shadbolt well
LAS VEGAS – Even in terms of bareback riders, Garrett Shadbolt is diminutive. He’s of a shorter build and weighs just 125 pounds. He’s strapping himself to 1,200 pounds of bucking dynamite every night of this National Finals Rodeo. His riding arm’s a bit sore, but that comes after six nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale. […]
O’Connell refocused, reenergized
LAS VEGAS – There’s a storm brewing in Las Vegas, and three-time world champion bareback rider Tim O’Connell is in the middle of it. After a slow start to this year’s National Finals Rodeo, he started to heat up in Monday’s fifth go-round and continued to simmer on Night 6. He rode the Cervi Brothers […]
Franks honors rookie title with cash
LAS VEGAS – Cole Franks entered his first National Finals Rodeo as a rookie. If things continue to go as well as they have, he’ll leave Las Vegas as one of bareback riding’s top players. He rode J Bar J’s Yum Bugs for 85.5 points to finish in a three-way tie for third place during […]
Pope gets vengeance in Round 6
LAS VEGAS – Truth be told, Jess Pope may have had a bit of revenge on his mind during Tuesday’s sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo. He was matched with Irish Eyes of the Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics firm, and the two combatants had a bit of history. “I was excited to […]
Franks Xplodes for 2nd place
LAS VEGAS – It’s 920 miles from Cole Franks’ place in tiny Clarendon, Texas, to the bright lights of Las Vegas, but he’s feeling very much at home during this year’s National Finals Rodeo. He’s placed in four of five bareback riding rounds and was just a spur stroke away from winning Monday’s fifth round, […]
O’Connell gets his grove back
LAS VEGAS – It took a 19-year-old bucking horse to get things lined out for three-time bareback riding world champion Tim O’Connell. “Thank God for that old man, because I needed him to get this thing rolling,” said O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa, now living in Marshall, Missouri. “It was starting to get very frustrating. I’ve […]
Pope stays hot in Vegas spotlight
LAS VEGAS – How good has the first five days of the National Finals Rodeo gone for bareback rider Jess Pope? He finished out on the money Sunday, then took his smallest paycheck of the week by finishing in a three-way tie for sixth place during Monday’s fifth round. Yet, he’s still smiling. He knows […]
Casper gaining NFR momentum
LAS VEGAS – With every nod of is head at this year’s National Finals Rodeo, saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper is gaining confidence. He rode Korkow Rodeo’s Onion Ring for 88.5 points during Monday’s tough fifth round. That score would win most rodeos, but not the “TV Pen” of bucking horses at the NFR; Casper […]
Biglow ready to change Vegas luck
LAS VEGAS – An equipment change is coming for Clayton Biglow. Even after earning just his second paycheck of this year’s National Finals Rodeo, the 2019 bareback riding world champion knows there’s something funky going on. “My rigging is feeling a little bit dead right now,” Biglow said after Monday’s 86.5-point ride on Harper & […]
Franks handles 3rd-round fight
LAS VEGAS – To most men, the thought of entering the ring with the greatest heavyweight fighters in the world wouldn’t be considered. Bareback riders aren’t like most men. They don’t mind a prize fight, and Saturday’s third round at the National Finals Rodeo was a 15-round bout. It was Cole Franks’ first foray in […]
Rank horse gives Champion a boost
LAS VEGAS – Instead of feeling frustrated that he’d finished just out of the money in the first two nights of the National Finals Rodeo, Richmond Champion relaxed and realized he was still in a good position. He also knew the random draw would work in his favor through the 10 rounds of ProRodeo’s grand […]
Pope earns 3rd straight NFR check
LAS VEGAS – Jess Pope has a new title; he’s the No. 1 bareback rider in the world standings. He’s not satisfied with it. “That’s where I wanted to be all year,” said Pope, 23, of Waverly, Kansas. “It’s all in God’s plan. I’m here to do my job for 10 days. It’s out of […]
O’Connell cashes first NFR check
LAS VEGAS – Tim O’Connell was in a bit of a different situation at the National Finals Rodeo; he didn’t earn any money in the opening two rounds of this year’s championship. A three-time world champion who has battled for that coveted Montana Silversmiths gold buckle for most of his seven previous qualifications to ProRodeo’s […]
Duvall earns another round win
LAS VEGAS – Brothers Bill and Roy Duvall have seen many runs at the Thomas & Mack Center. What they’re seeing on television might be the best they’ve seen in decades. Bill’s grandson, Riley, is having a heck of a time at this year’s National Finals Rodeo. On Sunday night, he stopped the clock in […]
Champion keeps stacking chips
LAS VEGAS – The competition is often brilliant at the National Finals Rodeo, which offers a purse of more than $10 million spread over 10 December night. It’s the combination of both that drives the cowboys. Just ask bareback rider Richmond Champion, a seven-time NFR qualifier from Stevensville, Montana. He rode Calgary Stampede’s Arbitrator Joe […]
Casper scores big in Round 4
LAS VEGAS – In the City of Lights, something finally clicked for saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper. “I was excited for the first round, and it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, and neither did two or three,” said Casper, who suffered no-scores in the first three rounds. “I feel like we’ve […]
Shadbolt adds to his NFR earnings
LAS VEGAS – Garrett Shadbolt had a pretty good idea of what to expect during his first trip to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. Now, he’s hoping it continues to pay off. He’s placed in two of the first four rounds, most recently riding Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Guardian Angel for 86 points to […]
Franks continues his NFR streak
LAS VEGAS – Cole Franks seems to be a young man on a mission. Still two months away from his 21st birthday, the bareback rider from Clarendon, Texas, has placed in three of the first four rounds of the National Finals Rodeo and pocketed $37,759. On Sunday night during the fourth round, he rode J-Bar-J’s […]
Biglow scores first check of NFR
LAS VEGAS – With age comes wisdom. Even at age 25, Clayton Biglow is mature beyond his years. He proved it Friday night, riding Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Meat Sweats for 85 points to finish in a tie for fourth place in the second round of the National Finals Rodeo. It was sweet justice after suffering […]