Jarrett Wins $12K at Reno
RENO NEV. – The second round was the deciding factor in tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett winning the average at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo after placing sixth in the first and final rounds.
“I had a really good calf in the second round and that allowed me to get ahead in the aggregate – the other guys had bad luck and it worked out for me,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett, 33, is the 2005 All-Around World Champion and a 10-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Polaris RANGER – steer wrestling in 2005, tie-down roping in 2005-06, 2009-13, and 2015-16. Winning Reno is a definite boost in earning his 11th trip to the WNFR.
Jarrett tied for sixth in the first round with Cooper Martin at 9.1 seconds, but Jarrett and his horse, Barney, returned to the arena in the second round to make a 7.7-second run.
“Nobody gets along with him (Barney) but me – he’s really quirky, but he tries 110 percent every time and he can run, and he just fits me,” Jarrett said, adding that he trained Barney and has owned him for six years.
That 7.7 turned out to be Jarrett’s lucky number as it gave him a solid chance at winning the rodeo and going home with the coveted Silver Spurs. Although the Finals round didn’t go too well for him, Jarrett’s sixth-place tie with Mike Johnson at 9.5 seconds added up to 26.3 on three head, which was good for gold at the Reno Rodeo.
“This is big – any time you win Reno, it’s a big deal,” Jarrett said.
Prior to winning Reno, this Georgian native turned Oklahoma cowboy was 37th in the WEATHER GUARD® PRCA World Standings with $18,638. The $12,228 he won at Reno gave him the boost he needed to kick off the summer season.
“I’m a little behind since I didn’t rodeo in the winter,” Jarrett said.
This is Jarrett’s fifth win of the 2017 season. He won the Old Settlers Reunion PRCA Rodeo in Cheyenne, Okla., the Jesse Andrus & Mike Hillman Memorial in Roswell, N.M., and the PRCA Championship Rodeo in Lincoln, Neb., in April.
Things calmed down for Jarrett in May, but he kicked off June by winning the Bennington (Kan.) Rodeo on June 3 and then finished the month by winning Reno.
Jarrett hit the road immediately after the Reno Rodeo to compete in Oregon.
“I’m roping at 8 a.m. tomorrow,” Jarrett said, still standing in the Reno winner’s circle more than 400 miles away from his next roping.
Other winners at the $491,909 rodeo were all-around cowboy Dakota Eldridge ($10,333 in tie-down roping and steer wrestling), bareback rider Wyatt Bloom (249.5 points on three head), steer wrestler Dakota Eldridge (13.4 seconds on three head), team ropers Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp (16.1 seconds on three head), saddle bronc rider Heith DeMoss (247 points on three head), barrel racer Nellie Miller (51.34 seconds on three head), and bull riders Brennon Eldred and Brady Portenier (86 points each).
For more coverage of the Reno Rodeo, check out the July 7 issue of the ProRodeo Sports News.
Courtesy of PRCA