Daily Notes for Round 8 of the Wrangler NFR, Dec.11
Canadian Night is the opening act and the national anthem will be performed by Casey Jamerson. Justin Boots is the performance sponsor.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION, RADIO AND INTERNET
Tonight’s Wrangler NFR will be televised live and in HD on CBS Sports Net (DISH Network channel 158 and DirecTV channel 221) from 7-10 p.m. (PT) with Jeff Medders and Butch Knowles announcing, Joe Beaver and Don Gay providing commentary,Kadee Coffman the arena-side interviews and Suzanne Alexander the pre-game show from the ProRodeo Zone. Live HD coverage will be broadcast in Canada through CBS SN carriers Rogers, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, SaskTel, Canadian Cable Systems and Ontario Inc. ProRodeo Live is airing coverage on a network of radio stations, including Rural Radio, and also online at www.prorodeolive.com with Steve Kenyon, Wade Wheatley, Freya Ford and Jolee Jordan announcing.
THE BRAZILE WATCH
Having safely put away his second gold buckle of the season on Saturday, Dec. 6 – the record 12th all-around title to go with his earlier steer roping crown – Trevor Brazile is now taking aim at a Triple Crown. Brazile is third in the team roping and fourth in the tie-down roping world standings, while holding down third in the average in both events. Brazile’s total earnings of $385,259 is fifth on the all-time single-season list (he’s accounted for the top eight totals in the sport’s history), with three nights of competition and the average checks still to be distributed. The all-around title was his ninth in a row, moving him out of a tie for second on the list of most consecutive world titles with the team roping pair of Speed Williams and Rich Skelton; he now trails only Guy Allen (11, steer roping, 1991-2001). If Brazile can win either the team roping or tie-down roping title he will equal Jim Shoulders’ record of three Triple Crowns (1956-58). Brazile previously won the Triple Crown in 2007 (AA, SR, TD) and 2010 (AA, TR, TD); if he were to win the Triple Crown with AA, SR and TR, it would be his third different combination.
ROUND 8 MATCHUPS TO PONDER
Bareback rider and three-time world champion Kaycee Feild will get on Frontier Rodeo’s Show Stomper. Winn Ratliff had an 87.5-point ride on Show Stomper to place second in Round 3 at this year’s WNFR. Show Stomper also was chosen the top bareback horse of Round 5 of the 2013 WNFR.
Ratliff draws Andrews Rodeo’s Cool Water tonight, the horse Steven Peebles rode to an 85.5-point ride to win Round 3 last year. Feild also had an 83.5-point ride on Cool Water to win Round 8 of the 2013 WNFR.
Bareback rider Steven Dent also has a great chance to win tonight on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage, who was the PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year in 2011 and 2013, and the Wrangler NFR Bareback Horse of the Year in 2010 and 2012. Full Baggage bucked off Tim O’Connell in Round 3.
O’Connell has drawn Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Ship tonight. Justin McDaniel had an 89-point ride on Delta Ship to win Round 1.
McDaniel draws JK Rodeo’s Molly tonight, the top horse of Round 2 of the 2013 WNFR.
Saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy has drawn Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Goin South, a horse Jesse Wright had an 83.5-point ride on to win Round 6 last year. Heith DeMoss had an 84-point ride on Goin South to tie Spencer Wright for second place in Round 3.
Two-time world champ Cody Wright, who is listed as doubtful with a shoulder injury, did draw Rafter G Rodeo’s Low Bucks, a horse Wade Sundell won Round 3 on with an 87-point ride.
Heith DeMoss has drawn Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Hell’s Fire Hostage, a horse that was ridden for 90 points by Cody DeMoss at Denver National Western Stock Show & Rodeo this year. Jacobs Crawley finished sixth in Round 3 with an 82.5-point ride on the horse.
Dustin Flundra draws Big Stone Rodeo’s Rubels, the 2013 top bareback horse of Round 6 of the WNFR.
Aaron Pass, winner of Round 2 and Round 6, draws Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Wild Eyes, a bull Trevor Kastner won Round 6 on last year with an 88-point ride.
NEWS & NOTES
Cody Ohl’s shared win in the tie-down roping on Wednesday night was the 51st WNFR round win of his career, putting him into a tie with saddle bronc rider Billy Etbauer for the most round wins in an individual event. The overall record resides with Trevor Brazile (57) and Ohl is right behind at 54; he has three round wins in National Finals Steer Roping competition.
For the second consecutive night, there was a change at the top of the saddle bronc world standings Wednesday when Cort Scheer of Elsmere, Neb., parlayed a second-place finish in Round 7 to move past both Heith DeMoss and Taos Muncy with a season total of $156,049. DeMoss only held down first place for 24 hours after using a tie for third place on Tuesday to surge past Muncy, who had held the lead since June 2. Scheer, bidding to become the first Nebraska cowboy to win a saddle bronc riding gold buckle, is second in the average behind Spencer Wright.
Two-time World Champion Cody Wright suffered a dislocated left (riding) shoulder on Wednesday, was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is listed as doubtful; he is currently fourth in the world standings … Having now earned checks in six of seven rounds, Luke Branquinho is well on his way to a fifth world title (only Homer Pettigrew, with six, has more). By finishing in a tie for third last night, he holds a lead of $14,289 over Nick Guy, and is also leading the WNFR average standings with a time of 28.5 seconds on seven head.
With his tie for third in Round 7, Branquinho is within $16,068 of becoming the eighth person to earn $1 million in WNFR competition, joining Brazile, Cody Ohl, Billy Etbauer, Sherry Cervi, Fred Whitfield, Joe Beaver and Bobby Mote (who joined that elite group earlier this week). Rich Skelton, the eight-time world champion heeler, is just $45,712 shy of reaching the $1 million mark at the WNFR.
Sage Kimzey, on the verge of becoming just the second bull rider to earn a gold buckle in his rookie season (Bill Kornell did it in 1963), has already blown up Steve Woolsey’s rookie earnings records for a single event ($197,646) and overall ($202,128). After tying for the win on Wednesday night, Kimzey’s total stands at $239,556 with three rounds and average checks still pending; he is leading the average with 499 points on six head, the only rider to cover six of seven, indeed the only guy to ride more than four. The bull riding single-season earnings record ($320,766 by Matt Austin in 2005) is a mathematical possibility.
Not surprisingly, Kimzey expanded his lead in the RAM Top Gun Award standings (highest WNFR earnings total in a single event) to $9,041 over barrel racer Fallon Taylor.
The Kids are Doing All Right: The four 20-year-olds in the field – Kimzey, fellow bull riders Ty Wallace and Brennon Eldred, along with tie-down roper Marty Yates – have combined for earnings of $177,151 thus far.
Record times and scores for the 8th round of the WNFR:
Bareback riding: 89 points, Deb Greenough, 2000
Steer wrestling: 3.1 seconds, Shawn Greenfield, 2004
Team roping: 3.5 seconds, Travis Tryan/Cory Petska, 2008
Saddle bronc riding: 89.5 points, Billy Etbauer, 2004
Tie-down roping: 6.9 seconds, Fred Whitfield, 2001 and 2003
Barrel racing: 13.49 seconds, Sherry Cervi, 2011
Bull riding: 95 points, Colby Yates, 2002
Courtesy of PRCA