Kimzey Wins $15,000 at Fort Worth’s Bulls’ Night Out

by Johna Cravens
for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

FORT WORTH, Texas – Three-time world champion bull rider Sage Kimzey of Strong City, Okla., has decided Fort Worth isn’t so bad. Kimzey had never done that well at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo until he won more than $15,000 for two bull rides at the final performance of Bulls’ Night Out on Wednesday.

The night was a sharp contrast to two years ago, when Kimzey suffered back to back injuries within a week at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

“I didn’t even want to think about Fort Worth then,” he said. Fast forward a couple of years and Kimzey is ready to ride more bulls at Will Rogers Coliseum. He’ll return for two rounds of the World’s Original Indoor Rodeo Feb. 23 and 24.

“It’s good to start the season with a win,” Kimzey said. “Doing well at these big events early in the year is crucial.”

While winning the last three bull riding world championships in the PRCA, Kimzey became the quickest cowboy to $1 million in PRCA career earnings. He admitted that accomplishment was special.

“I’m just an Oklahoma kid getting to live my dream. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was four years old,” he said. “The four-year-old me is smiling from ear to ear.”

Bulls’ Night Out, part of the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour, is a Fort Worth fan favorite. Kimzey’s 86.5-point ride on his first bull – Hurst Pro Rodeo’s Rio – tied him for second in the long round with Tanner Learmont, Cleburne, Texas, who rodeo Tuesday night.

Garrett Smith of Rexburg, Idaho, scored 87 points Tuesday night to take first in the long round and Boudreax Campbell, Crockett, Texas, had the highest score of the event – 88 points on Last Cigarette of 4L & Diamond S Rodeo – to win the short round.

Smith, currently second in the 2017 world championship standings, won just under $14,000, finishing second overall.

In the junior bull riding for youngsters 10 to 15, Lukasey Morris of Atoka, Okla., was the last rider and the only one to make a qualified ride. He scored 69 points and won $100 and a trophy buckle.

Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo hosts the fourth annual Fort Worth Super Shootout®, presented by Schaefer. Limited tickets remain for this unique tournament-style rodeo that features winners from eight of North America’s biggest rodeos competing in five events for bragging rights and $10,000 to each event winner.

The World’s Original Indoor Rodeo takes the arena at Will Rogers Coliseum beginning Friday, January 20, and continues for 29 performances over 16 days.

The following are results from Wednesday night’s performance of Bulls’ Night Out at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, January 18, 2017.

Second Performance: 1, Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., 86.5 points on Hurst Rodeo’s #343 Rio., 2, Pistol Preece, Troy, Tex., 85. 3, (tie) Levi Berends, Maynard, Minn., and Jesse Petri, Geneva, Fla., 84.

Short Round: (two rides) 1, Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., 83.5 points on Smith, Harper and Morgan Rodeo’s #19 Jukebox Hero. 2, Christopher Byrd, Compton, Ca., 73.

Overall: Long Round 1, Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho, 87 points on Smith Harper & Morgan Rodeo’s #107 Jailhouse Socks, $5,097. 2, (tie) Tanner Learmont, Cleburne, Texas, and Kimzey, 86.5, $3,398 each. 4, Preece, 85, $1,869. 5, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 84.5, $1,189. 6, (tie) Berends and Petri, 84, $764 each. 8, Jacob O’Meara, Baton Rouge, La., 83.5, $509.

Overall: Short Round (4 rides) 1, Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas, 88 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s #346 Last Cigarette, $4,078. 2, Kimzey, 83.5, $3,172. 3, Smith, 79, $2,379. 4, Byrd, 73, $1,699.

Overall Aggregate: (total on two) 1, Kimzey, 170 points, $8,495. 2, Smith, 166, $6,513. 3, Byrd, 155, $4,814. 4, Campbell, 88 (on one), $3,115. 5, Learmont, 86.5, $1,982. 6, Preece, 85, $1,416. 7, Askey, 84.5, $1,133. 8, (tie) Petri and Berends, 84, $425 each.

Junior Bull Riding: (one ride) 1, Lukasey Morris, Atoka, Okla., 69.