2021 Wrangler NFR Round 4 News & Notes
Round 4 – Dec. 5, 2021
Memorial night and country singer Bonnie Bishop are the opening acts, and the national anthem will be performed by country singer Wyatt McCubbin. Polaris Ranger is the performance sponsor.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION AND INTERNET
The 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® presented by Teton Ridge airs nightly Dec. 2-11 at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. EST. The Cowboy Channel is the official network partner of PRORODEO® and the exclusive broadcast and streaming partner of the NFR. Live coverage of the NFR can be found on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners, and online at cowboychannelplus.com.
TEGAN SMITH CAPTURES ROUND 3 IN RECORD-BREAKING FASHION
Saddle bronc rider Tegan Smith won his first career round in record-breaking fashion.
The Iowa cowboy had a 91-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Yesterday’s Delivery to claim the Round 3 victory at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge before 17,153 spectators at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Smith broke the Round 3 record, which was established by Allen Boore with his 90.5-point ride on the same horse – Yesterday’s Delivery in 2020.
“It’s amazing,” said Smith, 23. “It’s everything you dream of as a kid. Well, that’s the name of the game. You have to make the whistle no matter how hard you fight. You know in this pen it’s going to be tough to ride so you really have to fight.”
Smith is seventh in the world standings with $125,472.
“(I need to) keep it rolling,” Smith said. “I’ll be fresh and ready to go.”
Bareback rider Kaycee Feild came to the Wrangler NFR as the reigning world champ.
The Genola, Utah cowboy is on a quest for a PRCA record six bareback gold buckles. Feild took a step in that direction by winning Round 3 with a 90-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage.
“This rodeo I have watched it from sitting in the stands to watching my dad to competing in it and I’ve learned what I think are all the tricks,” Feild said. “Round 3 it is awesome to win it and it feels great. I want to keep chipping away a little bit at a time. There is still a lot of rodeo left.
“Not only a lot of money, but there are a lot of things can happen in seven rounds with this caliber of bucking horses that are coming up.”
Feild moved to second in the world standings with $178,964. Feild now has 24 career NFR round wins, which puts him in second place on the all-time bareback riding list one behind Bobby Mote.
NEWS & NOTES
In bareback riding, Jess Pope aims to continue his strong start, matching up with C5 Rodeo’s Sesame Street. The Waverly, Kansas cowboy, leads the average with 268 points on three head, earning himself $80,105. Fellow competitor and eight-time NFR qualifier Tilden Hooper had an 88-point ride on Sesame Street for a third-place finish at the Fallon County Fair & Rodeo, Aug. 19. Seven-time NFR qualifier Richmond Champion drew Calgary Stampede’s Arbitrator Joe. Three-time PRCA World Champion Tim O’Connell has posted the two highest rides of the season on the horse, including a 91-point ride to capture a round one victory at the Calgary Stampede, July 9. In saddle bronc riding, 14-time Wrangler NFR qualifier Cody DeMoss is matched up with Burch Rodeo’s Lunatic From Hell. It’s been a banner year for the horse, with eight qualified rides more than 90 points in 2021. Chase Brooks rode Lunatic From Hell to 92 points at the Jordan (Mont.) Match Xtreme Bronc Ride on June 20. Coming off a huge win in Round 3 Tegan Smith has another promising draw Sunday night in Big Bend Rodeo’s Kool Toddy. The horse finished third in the running for the Pendleton Whisky Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year this season. Stetson Wright has the highest marked ride on the horse this year with a 91.5-point score at the Veater Financial Group Battle of the Best in Coarsegold, Calif., May 22…In bull riding, Dustin Boquet will look for his first qualified ride of the NFR in Round 4. He’s matched up with Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Hou’s Bad News. In 12 outs this season only three cowboys have put together qualified rides. Ky Hamilton will look to bounce back in Round 4 aboard Big Rafter Rodeo’s Indigenous. The last time a cowboy covered on the bull was in March of 2019.
Record times and scores for the fourth round of the Wrangler NFR:
Bareback riding: 90.5 points, Will Lowe, 2004; Tim O’Connell, 2017
Steer wrestling: 3.1 seconds, Dean Gorsuch, 2013
Team roping: 3.7 seconds, Brady Tryan and Jake Long 2010
Saddle bronc riding: 90 points, Jesse Kruse, 2009; Jesse Wright, 2012
Tie-down roping: 6.6 seconds, Cody Ohl, 2014
Barrel racing: 13.49 seconds, Taylor Jacob, 2013; Michele McLeod, 2016; Jessie
Telford, 2018
Bull riding: 92 points, Jesse Bail, 2002; Paulo Crimber, 2004
2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Daysheet – Round 4
Courtesy of PRCA