Category Archives: Uncategorized

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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 – 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 – 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 – Slowly but surely, bareback rider Richmond Champion is making his presence known at this year’s National Finals Rodeo. On Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Texan found his way toward the top of the nightly standings with an 88.5-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie to finish second in the fifth go-round, adding $20,731 to his annual paycheck. “He’s so flashy,” Champion said of the powerful sorrel gelding. “He’s 16 years old; he’s just an old man that loves to buck. That’s the coolest thing. There’s nothing new to him. The fireworks go off in the opening, and he just hangs out there in the chute. Nothing is going to rattle him.” Monday’s meeting marked the third time in his career that Champion has matched moves with Good Time Charlie. The first came in 2011, when was competing on his PRCA permit and just 19 years old. “I was 89 points on him in Shreveport, La.,” said Champion, 25, of The Woodlands, Texas. I made the whistle, but right after the whistle, my hand came out, and he humped me ahead, took me for a flip, and I landed on my head and knocked myself out, so I don’t remember any of it.” He also had the sorrel at The American and found that to his liking. “There’s an opportunity when you see you’ve drawn him,” he said. “The week has been anti-climactic. To get on one where you know you’ve got a chance is nice. I was almost more calm because I didn’t need to do anything other than just make my ride on him. What he does is perfect.” Through five night of ProRodeo’s grand finale, Champion has earned $37,500. While that’s still a good paycheck, it’s a far cry from where he wants to be. Part of that comes in the scores, and half that comes from the animal. When he’s been matched with a solid bronc, he’s proven to be in the money. “I feel like I’m riding fine,” Champion said. “You find points in the summer where you draw these kinds of animals. You never hope to draw them here, because its under such a magnifying glass. Getting on horses and having bad days … that’s rodeo. I’m just trying to keep that mindset. Just because here doesn’t mean that rodeo stops. You just have to deal with it.” While he didn’t have the biggest score of the night, Champion was excited to be on the back of the bucking chutes to watch Clayton Biglow’s record-breaking 93-point ride on the two-time horse of the year, Virgil. There is a kinship that happens among bareback riders, and it shows in everything they do. “Clayton is bad to the bone,” Champion said. “You have that around you, and it’s cool. He just set the arena record, and he was just sitting there quiet hanging out. It was just another day. That’s why this sport is so special. I’m grateful that I’m in a sort that is like that. “The engines are hot now. We just keep rolling. We’re exactly have way through the NFR. There is so much time to really make an impact.”

Rutkowski, Hill come out on top in 1st day of BFO Preliminary Rounds LAS VEGAS – Weston Rutkowski is the bullfighters’ version of a Masked Avenger. After taking a shot during last week’s Roughy Cup to start the Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship, the Texan suffered three facial fractures. Instead of bowing out and sitting on the injured reserve, Rutkowski worked with the Fit N Wise Sports Medicine team to come up with a solution that will allow him to compete. On Monday afternoon, he tied for the highest score in Pool A’s first Flexfit Preliminary Round with fellow veteran Ross Hill. Both men scored 84 points, which will go a long way toward advancing to the Hooey Championship Round Saturday. “This is just adversity, but any kid that wants to be a world champion in anything knows it comes with a price,” said Rutkowski, the two-time reigning world champion from Haskell, Texas. “If you’re not willing to go past something that pushes you mentally and physically, you’ll never be able to be at the top of any sport. “This is a good start, but it’s one bull. I’ve got three more to fight to win that world title.” Monday featured Pool A in the opening day of the preliminaries. They will return to fight their second bulls on Wednesday. The nine men in Pool B will kick off their round at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The top two-fight aggregate scores will advance to the final day of the year. The others will move on to Friday’s Wild Card Round. “Today, I was 84 points, but I should have been 90,” said Hill of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I let that bull get ahold of me and put some horns on me. However, I’m good to go and healthy. I’m ready for Wednesday. I’m not going to worry about where I am in the aggregate, because that could change with the guys in my round. It’s 100 percent talent at this bullfight. “It’s just me against the bull from here on out.” That’s the case in any man vs. beast competition, but it’s especially true in bullfighting. The men in the game can’t worry about the others; if they do, their focus isn’t on the animal where it should be, and that could be a dangerous situation in a hurry. “This is a surreal experience for me. Doing this for 15 years and being able to step into the arena with kids that are a whole different generation than I am,” Hill said. “It’s just amazing to be fighting bulls with 18 and 19-year-old kids.” This is just the next step in the race for the BFO world championship. Rutkowski is the only man in the game to have ever won that title, and he’s done it twice. He’s looking for the trifecta this week. “This sport is what Weston Rutkowski is,” he said. “I eat, sleep and breath this. I don’t take it lightly. I don’t like losing. So what if I have a few broken bones. If you’re willing to lay it all out there in the arena, there’s no way you’ll ever succeed.”

LAS VEGAS – Kyle Irwin knew after Saturday night he had some work to do. The Robertsdale, Ala., steer wrestler has proven that the last two nights of the National Finals Rodeo. On Monday night, Irwin wrestled his steer down in 3.9 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth in the fifth go-round. “I like that,” said Irwin, who now lives in Westville, Fla., with his wife, Randa, and their two children. “I went out of the average in the third round, so now we’ve got to get them check for check, round for round. I have never placed in the fifth round, so that’s two nights in a row that I did that since I first qualified for the finals. I like that. “I’ve just got to keep chopping away at them and placing again tomorrow night. I’m going to win a round before it’s over with. I came here to win money, and that is what we are going to do.” A round win is worth $26,231 each night, and it gives the winners in each event a chance to receive more hardware – a go-round buckle courtesy of Montana Silversmiths, which has the nightly buckle presentation at the South Point showroom stage. “I want to take my boy on stage with me,” he said of Tripp, who will turn 2 in January. “We are going to get there. He’s having a blast. He can’t say ‘back number,’ but he takes it to me every morning and wants me to put it on his PJs. He likes to day bulldog, and he will run over to my wife’s leg or my leg and pull and twist. “I will say bulldog, and he will run over there and get it. We are having a good time.” That’s important, because family time is special. Irwin was on the bubble to make the NFR at the end of the regular season, and he made it home just in time on the final day of the 2018 campaign to see the birth of his daughter, Ellie. Enjoying two children under the age of 2 is special, and over 10 days in Las Vegas, he can compete for the biggest money in the game and have his family with him. By now, though, Irwin is a veteran. This marks his fourth trip to Sin City for this championship, so he knows his way around town and the Thomas & Mack Center. So far through five nights, he has pocketed just shy of $53,000 and has moved up seven spots to seventh in the world standings with $128,275. “I feel like it has gotten a different feel to it than even it did last year,” said Irwin, who attended Western Oklahoma State College and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on rodeo scholarships. “It’s still prestigious, but I’m more comfortable and calm. It comes from experience. “I’m just trying to make the runs I know I can make and not get in a hurry and not get in my own way.”

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.

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.”

Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 93 points on C5 Rodeo’s Virgil, $26,231; 2. Richmond Champion, 88.5, $20,731; 3. (tie) Bill Tutor and Steven Dent, 88, $13,327 each; 5. Mason Clements, 87.5, $6,770; 6. Orin Larsen, 87, $4,231. Steer wrestling: 1. Will Lummus, 3.3 seconds, $26,231; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 3.5, $20,731; 3. Bridger Chambers, 3.7, $15,654; 4. (tie) Riley Duvall and Kyle Irwin, 3.9, $8,885 each; 6. Hunter Cure, 4.0, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Clay Smith/Paul Eaves, 3.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 3.9, $20,731; 3. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/Kory Koontz and Erich Rogers/Clint Summers, 4.0, $13,327 each; 5. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 4.1, $6,769; 6. Aaron Tsinigine/Trey Yates, 5.2, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Wade Sundell, 92 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman, $26,231; 2. Ryder Wright, 91, $20,731; 3. Rusty Wright, 90.5, $15,654; 4. Zeke Thurston, 90, $11,000; 5. Clay Elliott, 89.5, $6,769; 6. Chase Brooks, 88, $4.231. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Ryan Jarrett, Trevor Brazile and Reese Riemer, 7.5 seconds, $20,871 each; 4. Matt Shiozawa, 8.1, $11,000; 5. Caleb Smidt, 8.5, $6,769; 6. Ryle Smith, 8.9, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Ivy Conrado, 13.49 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Hailey Kinsel and Kelly Bruner, 13.59, $18,193 each; 4. Taci Bettis, 13.65, $11,000; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 13.81, $6,770; 6. Jessica Routier, 13.85, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Eli Vastbinder, 91 points on Beutler & Son’s Record Rack’s Shootin’ Stars, $27,077; 2. Garrett Tribble, 89.5, $21,577; 3. (tie) Jeff Askey and Koby Radley, 87, $14,173 each; 5. Sage Kimzey, 78, $7,615; no other qualified rides.

LAS VEGAS – The new National Finals Rodeo arena record in bareback riding belongs to a 22-year-old Californian. Clayton Biglow of Clements matched every bucking motion C5 Rodeo’s Virgil threw at him, countering with solid spur strokes for eight seconds during Monday’s fifth round of the National Finals Rodeo. The result was 93 points, a point and a half better than the old marking set five times by four cowboys. “That horse was trying his butt off every time his feet hit the ground,” Clements said of the powerful gray. “I knew I had a shot at the round, and the arena record was dang sure in the back of my mind. I knew if he had his trip and I had my good trip, anything is possible on him.” Virgil is the two-time reigning PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year, and he showed why tonight. Every bareback rider in this field dreams of having the chance to ride him for the biggest bucks in the game. That came true for Biglow, who pocketed $26,23. “It was a dream come true,” he said. “Honestly, it was like a blur, but then again, I remember feeling it the entire time. I just remember him dropping out of the sky and thinking, ‘You better put ’em back in his neck before you hit the ground, because you’re going to be in the dirt, Cowboy.’ “I was pure pumped up. I knew Virgil was out in this round and I thought, ‘I hope to God I get him.’ ” His prayer was answered, but it was also a premonition made by his girlfriend, who had told him before the NFR that he was going to have the opportunity to ride him in Las Vegas. “In the back of my mind, I was hoping it would come true,” Biglow said. “I saw the draw, and I was standing up above the grandstands with them. I just turned the phone, and my dad and her were standing there. They both just started whooping and hollering. It was just a cool feeling.” So was spurring the massive mount. Clements has proven himself to be one of the best at it in the game today, having earned three straight qualifications to the NFR. Over his first five nights in Sin City, he has earned $57,385 and has pushed his 2018 income to $192,551. Monday was a bit of redemption for Biglow, who failed to earn a qualified on another rank horse, Beutler & Son’s Killer Bee, during Saturday’s third performance. “I had some anger after that third round, getting bucked off Killer Bee,” he said. “I wanted to get that one rode; I wanted to get all of them rode. After the third round, I was really bummed out. “I told myself that it’s time to win some money and win as much as I possibly can. Then in the fourth round, (a 77-point ride) really bugged me, so when I saw I had Virgil tonight, I thought, ‘I’m turning this around right now.’ ” He did and in record-setting fashion.

LAS VEGAS – The fifth and 10th rounds of the National Finals Rodeo feature the most electric and exciting bucking animals in the sport. It showed Monday night, and Orin Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba, was in the middle of a world-championship prize fight. He tested his talents with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted River, and the two danced across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt for 87 points. Despite that high score, which would win almost any rodeo, Larsen’s score was sixth best. That means it took 87 or higher to earn money on the fifth night of this year’s championship. For his part, the Manitoba cowboy pocketed $4,231 and moved his NFR earnings to $34,962. “They don’t call it the TV pen for nothing,” he said. “Everyone dreams of getting on these horses. There is not a horse you’d say no to. To just come here and make it this far is a huge blessing.” On a night when the bareback riding arena record was broken, Larsen had his hands full with Painted River, a second-generation bucking horse whose sire and dam both bucked at the NFR. That’s exactly what he needed, since it marked just the second time in five nights that he has earned a paycheck in Vegas. “It’s always fun here, whether you’re hurt or healthy,” said Larsen, who suffered a knee injury late in the regular season and is still hampered by it. “Pain wise, it feels as well as it has been, but it’s really big, puffy and swollen.” That’s where members of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team have come in. He spends four hours a day getting different levels of treatment to make sure he can ride each night. “I can’t say enough about the sports med,” he said. “They have done amazing. They spend a ton of time with me, and I’m very fortunate. The sports med is a war zone. It is very busy right now.” That’s a good thing, especially for Larsen, who lives with his wife, Alexa, in Gering, Neb. Now he’s taking the momentum he gained Monday and pushing it toward the final five nights of the ProRodeo season. “My confidence after the second night wasn’t really there,” Larsen said, referring to a big-time buckoff Friday night. “I’m pretty excited for where things area going to go for the next five rounds.”

LAS VEGAS – The facts were simple: Ryan Jarrett was not having any good fortune for the first four rounds of the National Finals Rodeo. Lady Luck found him Monday, and it finally paid off. He roped and tied his calf in 7.5 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for first place in the fifth round. That was worth $20,872. “The biggest change was my mindset more than anything,” said Jarrett, a 12-time NFR qualifier from Comanche, Okla., and the 2005 all-around world champion. “I felt like I was prepared for the first couple of rounds, but I couldn’t get the ball rolling.” He suffered three straight no-times to kick off ProRodeo’s grand finale. He finally secured qualified time on Sunday night but was way out of the money. Going the first four rounds without a paycheck was tough on the Georgia-born cowboy. “I drew one or two calves that I should have won money on an didn’t,” he said. “The calf I ran (Monday), they actually two-looped him and got no money. I just felt like the calf was a chance though.” Having a good draw is important. While the pens are set up to be as even as possible, every animal is different; without being matched with a decent calf via the random draw for half the first four rounds, Jarrett’s job was different. Still, he said, there were missed opportunities. “I did what I know how to do: I roped him and tied him down and got some of the prize money,” Jarrett said. “It gets a little frustrating, just thinking, ‘Do I really deserve to be here?’ and ‘Can I rope with these guys?’ Obviously, all of us are in the top 15 in the world or we wouldn’t be here.” So, he worked through the issues and figured out the hitch in his step in time to cash in. Now he’ll try to do more of that over the final five nights of this year’s NFR. “You get some things weighing on your shoulders when you’re not having luck,” he said. “When one thing doesn’t go right, 10 others follow suit. You got to get headed in the right direction. “Hopefully I can still come out of here with a good chunk of change to go back home with.”

Bareback riding: 1. Caleb Bennett, 86.5 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s Just Peachy, $26, 231; 2. Kaycee Feild, 86, $20,731; 3. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Shane O’Connell, 85.5, $13,327 each; 5. (tie) Jake Brown, Mason Clements and Tim O’Connell, 84.5, $3,667 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Curtis Cassidy, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Kyle Irwin, 3.7, $20,731; 3. (tie) Blake Mindemann and Blake Knowles, 3.8, $13,327 each; 5. Scott Guenther, 4.1, $6,770; 6. Ty Erickson, 4.2, $4,231.

Team roping: 1. Lane Ivy/Buddy Hawkins, 4.1 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Luke Brown/Lake Long and Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 4.2, $18,193 each; 4. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueria and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.3, $8,885 each; 6. Aaron Tsinigine/Trey Yates, 4.8, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Rusty Wright, 87 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Meat Cracker, $26,231; 2. Jacobs Crawley, 86.5, $20,731; 3. Ryder Wright, 85, $15,654; 4. CoBurn Bradshaw, 80.5, $11,000; 5. Cort Scheer, 78.5, $6,770; no other qualified rides.

Twenty three-time world champion Trevor Brazile posted the fastest tie-down roping run of this year’s NFR. His 6.8-second run helped guide him to the Round 4 victory. Bareback riding: 1. Caleb Bennett, 86.5 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s Just Peachy, $26, 231; 2. Kaycee Feild, 86, $20,731; 3. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Shane O’Connell, 85.5, $13,327 each; 5. (tie) Jake Brown, Mason Clements and Tim O’Connell, 84.5, $3,667 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Curtis Cassidy, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Kyle Irwin, 3.7, $20,731; 3. (tie) Blake Mindemann and Blake Knowles, 3.8, $13,327 each; 5. Scott Guenther, 4.1, $6,770; 6. Ty Erickson, 4.2, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Lane Ivy/Buddy Hawkins, 4.1 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Luke Brown/Lake Long and Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 4.2, $18,193 each; 4. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueria and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.3, $8,885 each; 6. Aaron Tsinigine/Trey Yates, 4.8, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Rusty Wright, 87 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Meat Cracker, $26,231; 2. Jacobs Crawley, 86.5, $20,731; 3. Ryder Wright, 85, $15,654; 4. CoBurn Bradshaw, 80.5, $11,000; 5. Cort Scheer, 78.5, $6,770; no other qualified rides. Tie-down roping: 1. Trevor Brazile, 6.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ryle Smith, 7.1, $20,731; 3. Matt Shiozawa, 7.3, $15,654; 4. Shane Hanchey, 7.4, $11,000; 5. Sterling Smith, 7.6, $6,770; 6. Jake Pratt, 7.7, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Jessie Telford, 13.49 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13.58, $20,731; 3. Amberleigh Moore, 13.64, $15,654; 4. Kelly Bruner, 13.71, $11,000; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi,13.74, $6,770; 6. Carman Pozzobon, 13.76, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. 1. Garrett Tribble, 87 points on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Black Hammer, $33,565; 2. Jeff Askey, 84, $28,065; 3. Parker Breding, 81, $22,988; No other qualified rides.

LAS VEGAS – His right hand and arm are sore, but Mason Clements isn’t letting that hamper him at the National Finals Rodeo. A night after the Northcott Macza horse Spilled Perfume spilled Clements and had him hang off on the side of the animal for several seconds, he rebounded with an 84.5-point ride during Sunday’s fourth go-round to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. “I had to go home and work on my get-off,” he said with a laugh. “You don’t train for those scenarios, but the training, the preparation, the grit and the fight that you need to ride is implemented when those scenarios do happen.” On Sunday night, Clements spurred Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Cactus Black to pocket $3,667. That pushed his NFR earnings to $43,282 and his season total to $142.818. “I knew that was a really nice horse, but I’ve never been on him,” Clements said. “I had a couple guys tell me he was a really nice horse and say the he was going to leave like a rocket and jump back into the chutes. “I was lucky to draw that one and get my feet back under me, get my timing ready for tomorrow and the rest of the week.” The hang-up happened after Spilled Perfume overpowered the Springville, Utah, cowboy and dumped him onto the left side of the horse with his right hand still stuck into the tight rigging. All the horse’s power was twisting and turning on that right hand and arm, but arena personnel eventually got the animal slowed down for Clements to slide to the other side enough to free his hand. The result was a swollen hand that is being treated by the Justin Sportsmedicine Team that’s working the championship. “Nothing has changed in my mind,” Clements said. “Obviously things are a little more sore now, but my mindset hasn’t change; it’s still going for the win. You step on the back of the chutes and you put your rigging back on your horse. You’ll have soreness; you’ll have injuries. “If they’re not going to be life-threatening or career-threatening, things need to be blocked out. This is rodeo, and it’s a tough business. Cowboy up.”

LAS VEGAS – Two-time reigning world champion bareback rider Tim O’Connell knows there’s a giant target on his back and 14 men with their crosshairs pointed in his direction. He’s OK with it, too. “Oh, I feel pressure,” said O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa. “I knew there was going to be more pressure this year with me not having the lead I had. You look through that list of bareback riders and tell me who you wouldn’t feel pressure from. He smiled. “I feel good about it. It’s just part of the game,” he said. O’Connell matched moves with Burch Rodeo’s Pip Squeak for 84.5 points on Sunday night to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the fourth round. He pocketed $3,667, which is important. The No. 2 man in the standings, Caleb Bennett, won the round and made a move on O’Connell for the No. 1 spot in the world standings. Still, the Iowan kept a distance between him and the runner-up. Prior to this year’s championship, O’Connell held a $15,000 lead. Through four nights of ProRodeo’s grand championship, he still owns a $13,000 advantage. Both men have earned more than $200,000 for the year, with O’Connell’s pushed to $227,147. “I’ve had a great NFR so far,” he said, noting that he has earned just shy of $40,000 so far. “I’m just used to placing more often than two out of four nights. I felt good about my draw tonight, and I knew I had an outside shot at (winning) the round. I took advantage of what I had and caught a hole in the payout. “I’m just trying to hunt down those guys in the average now. I put myself in a hole the first two nights by not placing. I’m the chaser in the average, and they’re the chasers trying to catch me for the world title. Let’s get it on; we have six more nights to go.” That mentality is what’s kept him as the top man for much of the past three seasons – he has earned more than $900,000 in that time alone. He’ll have a chance to add to it during Monday night’s fifth round, which has been referred to as the TV pen of bucking animals because of the electric style in which they buck. The fifth- and 10th-round pen of horses allows for the cowboys to produce high scores. “You’re going to see some fireworks,” O’Connell said. “That is an amazing list of horses. It’s going to be a tough round tomorrow. I can guarantee it’s going to be just like last year when it takes an 87 just to place in the top six. “Those are great horses, and the guys are riding really good. It’s going to be really fun to watch.” So is Tim O’Connell.

LAS VEGAS – Some people may have thought Blake Mindemann’s chances at the National Finals Rodeo faltered Saturday night when he failed to finish a qualifying run. Fortunately for the Blanchard, Okla., cowboy, those thoughts never entered his mind. “We had a little hiccup last night, but I just took 20 minutes; after that, I moved on,” said Mindemann, a first-time NFR qualifier who grew up in Apache, Okla. “There’s too much money to be worrying about the night before. We just go to the next round and run at that money.” That’s the perfect philosophy in Las Vegas, especially considering the NFR’s $10 million purse. On Sunday night, he threw his steer down in 3.8 seconds to finish the fourth round in a tie for third place. For that, he pocketed $13,327 and pushed his NFR earnings to $28,827. “Blake Knowles ran that steer the first round and was 3.8 on him as well,” he said. “He was just a good, honest steer, and Blake made a good run on him. I knew he was a good chance coming in.” Because of his third-round no-time, Mindemann is 13th in the average race, which pays a bonus to the top scores on a 10-round aggregate. The chances of him winning the prestigious title race are slim, but the Oklahoma cowboy still likes his chances to move up in the aggregate standings. “There are about nine no-times, and some guys have been long,” Mindemann said, referring to slower times. “It’s a long 10 days, so I’m just going to keep knocking them down and see what happens. Maybe I can still slip in there for some of it.” He knows he has the right partners to help get him there. He’s traveled this season with two-time world champion Hunter Cure of Holliday, Texas, and the two keep each other excited for each day’s festivities. The other partners are his trusty horse, Django, and his hazer, Matt Reeves, an NFR veteran. “Hunter is the main one, the one who keeps me doing what I need to do,” he said. “We keep each other pumped up and positive and move forward each day to get the money.” Django and Reeves keep putting the steers in position for Mindemann to make the runs necessary. “The first two nights, Django was a little behind,” said Mindeamnn, who has pushed his season earnings to $106,919. “Tonight, he was outstanding. The hazing horses is one Matt calls Kirk, and it is his first time here. The horse is doing good. He’s nice, and that’s why we’ve got him out here.”

LAS VEGAS – Kyle Irwin wasn’t a big fan of the steer he had drawn for Sunday’s fourth round of the National Finals Rodeo. That didn’t stop him from taking care of business. Irwin stopped the clock in 3.7 seconds to finish as the runner-up in the round, pocketing $20,731 in the process. He has moved up six spots to eighth in the steer wrestling world standings. “That wasn’t the steer with the most action, but we are professionals at a professional level,” said Irwin, 28, a four-time NFR qualifier from Robertsdale, Ala. “I slowed down and made a good, clean run. We’ve got to remember that, to not be in a hurry and not worry about what everybody else is doing. “You can get caught up in that, but you can take steers you don’t like and make good runs on them if you do it right. Last night was a good reminder.” It was a nice recovery from his Round 3 no-time. After placing in the opening round Thursday, he made a solid run Friday. Saturday, though, provided a bit of a hiccup. “It was good to rebound from the night before,” he said. “It was good to put some money in my pocket and build on the momentum. I’d just had two good rounds, then I struggled, but that’s the first time I’ve ever placed in the fourth round. His Sunday night run pushed his NFR earnings to more than $44,000 and scooted his season money to nearly $120,000. That’s a nice start, and he knows he has six more nights to wrestle more Las Vegas cash. “That money is where we want to be,” said Irwin, who attended Western Oklahoma State College and the Northwestern Oklahoma State University on rodeo scholarships. “I would love to win second the rest of the time. I don’t want to sound greedy, but I’m going to get greedy and win as much as I can while I’m out here. “When we get to Vegas, we’re pretty much broke even, and this is where we make our money. Right now, I’m about $34,000 in the green, and I’d like to be $134,000 in the green by the time we’re done, so we’ve got a long way to go.” Things are considerably different for him than they were four Decembers ago, when he arrived in Sin City for the first time. He’s now a married man and a father to Tripp, who will turn 2 in mid-January, and Ellie, who I just 2 months old. Thankfully his wife, Randa, and both mothers have been big helps during their first week in Las Vegas. “This is a lot different than the first trip,” he said. “My mother just went home, and my mother-in-law is staying all 10 rounds. They’ve been a tremendous help for Randa and me, especially Randa. Having two kids under 2 in Vegas is a handful. “One of the differences I really like is like the night I missed the steer. Randa sent me a video of Tripp in the stands, and he was cheering for me, even though I missed my steer. When I got back to the room, he was wearing his back number. … It keeps me grounded, and it reminds me of home. Nothing’s changed, and that’s the way I like it.” It doesn’t hurt that he’s riding Scooter, the reigning two-time Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year that he and fellow bulldogger Tyler Pearson own together. “He’s like one of the guys,” Irwin said of the talented sorrel gelding. “He’ll have fun. Last night he and one of the other horses we brought were nipping at each other and playing with each other. When we start to saddle him, he gets in a zone. He gets relaxed. When we get on him and start warming him up, you can feel him get stronger, and you can hear him breathing. It sounds like a freight train. “He cuts up and has a good time, but when it’s time to get serious, he does.” Las Vegas is the perfect place to do both for cowboys and their horses.