Minnesota Bareback Rider Moves to the Top of CFD Leader Board
CHEYENNE, Wyo., (July 19, 2015) – Bareback rider Tanner Aus, of Granite Falls, Minn., is riding high at the 119th Cheyenne Frontier Days, especially for a guy who had to be talked into entering this year’s rodeo by his traveling partners.
Aus, who is currently ranked 17th in the world championship standings in 2015, had his 2014 season derailed at Cheyenne when a horse named Mike Outhier threw him off and tore his meniscus ligament. He wasn’t that excited about coming back to the “Daddy of ‘Em All” this year since he’s in position to perhaps qualify for his first National Finals Rodeo.
At the urging of his traveling partners, fellow bareback riders Casey and Ty Breuer and Joe Gunderson, Aus entered the rodeo. His buddies had to give him an extra push when Aus learned he had drawn Mike Outhier again in the first round.
The former National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association champion topped the rematch and scored 84 points yesterday to take the lead in the first round. He followed that up today with 79 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Double Cross. That was good enough to tie for the second-round lead with Jake Vold of Ponoka, Alberta, and give Aus 163 total points and the overall lead.
Lisa Lockhart and her veteran barrel racing horse Louie were the definition of consistency. The duo clocked a 17.48-second run to take the second-round lead with the exact same time (to the hundredths of a second) that earned them more than $5,700 when they won the first round of barrel racing here earlier this week. Lockhart, the leader for the 2015 world championship from Oelrichs, S.D., just won the barrel racing at the Calgary Stampede and is in position to win her first Cheyenne Frontier Days title with a total time of 34.96.
Bull rider Aaron Pass of Dallas, Texas, took a page out of Lockhart’s book, notching his second 83-point ride in two days to take the overall lead in bull riding. Pass, who is riding healthy for the first time in a long time, topped Smith, Harper & Morgan Rodeo’s Tom Thumb. His 166 total points makes him a favorite to compete in the championship round here July 26.
Monday’s competitors will be in the first go-round in all events except barrel racing which is in the second go-around. Rodeo competition starts at 12:15 p.m.
The following are current leaders at Cheyenne Frontier Days:
Bareback riding: (first round) 1, Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., 84 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Mike Outhier. 2, George R. Gillespie IV, Hamilton, Mont., 82. 3, (tie) Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, and Mason Clements, Sandy, Utah, 79. (second round) 1, (tie) Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., on Andrews Rodeo’s Double Cross and Jake Vold, Ponoka, Alberta, on Sankey Rodeo’s Thunder Monkey, 79 points each. 3, Jessy Davis, Power, Mont., 78. 4, (tie) Mason Clements, Sandy, Utah, Blake Smith, Zap, N.D., and Casey Breuer, Mandan, N.D., 76. (total on two) 1, Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., 163 points. 2, Jessy Davis, Power, Mont., 156. 3, (tie) Mason Clements, Sandy, Utah, and George R. Gillespie IV, Hamilton, Mont., 155.
Tie-down roping: (first round) 1, (tie) Justin Macha, Needville, Texas and Chris Demasas, Boyd, Texas, 10.5 seconds each. 3, Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb., 10.8. 4, Chris Neal, Muldrow, Okla., 10.9. (second round) 1, Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb., 10.2. 2, Josh Peek, Pueblo, Colo., 10.6. 3, Garrett Hale, Snyder, Texas, 10.9. 4, Don Coffell, Iredell, Texas, 10.9. (total on two) 1, Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb., 21.0. 2, Justin Macha, Needville, Texas, 22.6. 3, Robert Mathis, Mart, Texas, 23.0. 4, Jon Peek, Berthold, N.D., 24.2.
Saddle bronc riding: (first round) 1, Audy Reed, Spearman, Texas, 77 points on Andrews Pro Rodeo’s Pack Train. 2, Joe Lufkin, Sallisaw, Okla., 75. 3, (tie) Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., and Blaze Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 74. (second round) 1, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 83 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Tiger Touch. 2, Joe Lufkin, Sallisaw, Okla., 79. 3, (tie) Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah, and Cody Taton, Corona, N.M., 77. (total on two) 1, (tie) Joe Lufkin, Sallisaw, Okla., and Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 154 points. 3, Audy Reed, Spearman, Texas, 151. 4, Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah, 146.
Steer wrestling: (first round) 1, Jon Ragatz, Beetown, Wis., 10.6 seconds. 2, Beau Clark, Belgrade, Mont., 11.6. 3, Dean Stermer, Frisco, Texas, 12.1. 4, Mitchell Gardner, Dover, Okla., 12.8. (second round) 1, Jacob D. Edler, State Center, Iowa, 9.5 seconds. 2, Chris Berry, Valley View, Texas, 10.6. 3, Blake Mindemann, Blanchard, Okla., 11.9. 4, Brady Hageman, Juniata, Neb., 12.2. (total on two) 1, Jacob D. Edler, State Center, Iowa, 23.5 seconds. 2, Mitchell Gardner, Dover, Okla., 25.3. 3, Dean Stermer, Frisco, Texas, 27.4. 4, Blake Mindemann, Blanchard, Okla., 27.6.
Rookie saddle bronc riding: (first round) (one ride) 1, Garrett Buckley, Craig, Colo., 47 points. (second round) 1, (tie) Hawkins Shane Boyce, Malad, Idaho, and Nick Shenold, Glencoe, Okla., 64 points each.
Team roping: (first round) (three times) 1, Clayton Van Aken, Descanso, Calif., and Cullen Teller, Pierce, Colo., 10.0 seconds. 2, Corey Whinnery, Powderhorn, Colo., and Pake Younger, Grand Junction, Colo., 11.3. 3, Rhett Anderson, Anabella, Utah, and Cole Wilson, Lake Shore, Utah, 15.3. (second round) 1, Rhett Anderson, Anabella, Utah, and Cole Wilson, Lake Shore, Utah, 7.6 seconds. 2, Paul Beckett, Laramie, Wyo., and Cole Cooper, Loma, Colo., 8.1. 3, Lynn Campbell, Loma, Colo., and Hank Bounds, Palisade, Colo., 10.8. 4, Corey Whinnery, Powderhorn, Colo., and Pake Younger, Grand Junction, Colo., 14.1. (total on two) 1, Rhett Anderson, Anabella, Utah, and Cole Wilson, Lake Shore, Utah, 22.9 seconds. 2, Corey Whinnery, Powderhorn, Colo., and Pake Younger, Grand Junction, Colo., 25.4.
Barrel Racing: (first round winners) 1, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 17.48 seconds, $5,742. 2, Callie DuPerier, Boerne, Texas, 17.51, $4,922. 3, Carley Richardson, Pampa, Texas, 17.53, $4,102. 4, Elaine Hollings, Pavillion, Wyo., 17.64, $3,555. 5, Mary Walker, Ennis, Texas, 17.73, $2,735. 6, Taylor Jacob, Carmine, Texas, 17.75, $2,188. 7, (tie) Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore.; Sarah Rose McDonald, Brunswick, Ga; and Alicia Stockton, Stephenville, Texas; 17.77, $1,184 each. 10, Megan McLeod, Marsing, Idaho, 17.78, $547. (second round leaders) 1, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 17.48 seconds. 2, Megan Swint, Lithia, Fla., 17.52. 3, Jenna Waggoner, Fowler, Colo., 17.69. 4, Romany Gordon, Kaufman, Texas, 17.75. (total on two leaders) 1, Lisa Lockhart, 34.96 seconds. 2, Megan Swint, 35.62 seconds. 3, Jenna Waggoner, 35.84. 3, Romany Gordon, 35.90.
Bull riding: (first round) 1, Aaron Pass, Dallas, Texas, 83 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan Rodeo’s Jukebox Hero. 2, Jeff Bertus, Avon, S.D., 82. 3, Tate Stratton. Kellyville, Okla., 77. 4, McKennon Wimberley, Cool, Texas, 75. (second round –two rides) 1, Aaron Pass, Dallas, Texas, 83 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan Rodeo’s Tom Thumb. 2, John Young, Orient, Iowa, 73. (total on two leaders) 1, Pass, 166 points.
Steer Roping: (first round winners) 1, Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla., 13.9 seconds, $5,875. 2, Casey Tillard, Douglas, Wyo., 14.5, $5,108. 2, Martin Poindexter, Stephenville, Texas, 14.7, $4,342. 4, (tie) Trent Mills, Gillette, Wyo., and Neal Wood, Needville, Texas, 14.9, $3,193 each. 6, Howdy McGinn, North Powder, Ore., 15.0, $2,043. 7, Chance Kelton, Mayer, Ariz., 15.5, $1,277. 8, Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 15.6, $511. (second round winners) 1, Brady Garten, Claremore, Okla., 15.3, $5,875. 2, Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 16.5, $5,108. 3, (tie) Marty Jones, Hobbs, N.M., and Scott Snedecor, Fredricksburg, Texas, 16.6, $3,959. 5, Steve Wolf, Decatur, Texas, 16.9, $2,810. 6, J.R. Magdeburg III, Roland, Okla., 17.1, $2,043. 7, C.A. Lauer, Buffalo, Okla., 17.3, $1,277. 8, Chet Herren, Ponca City, Okla., 17.4, $511. (total on two leaders) 1, Trent Milles, Gillette, Wyo., 32.8. 2, Casey Tillard, Douglas, Wyo., 34.7. 3, Shay Good, Midland, Texas, 35.6. 4, Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 35.8. 5, C.A. Lauer, Buffalo, Okla., 36.5. 6, JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas, 38.5.
Wild horse race: 1, Shantiko, $591. 2, Licking Belgians, $443. 3, Barn Door Photography, $295. 4, Craig Klug, $147.78.