2021 Wrangler NFR Round 7 News & Notes
Round 7 – Dec. 8, 2021
Country singer Adrian Brennan is the opening act and country music artist John Wayne Schulz is singing the national anthem. Tonight, is Military and Linderman Night and 2021 Linderman Award recipient Josh Frost will be recognized. Pendleton Whisky 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.
BOQUET OUT OF NFR; BROUSSARD TO MISS ROUNDS 7 & 8
After the conclusion of Round 6, two additional cowboys will miss time at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Three-time NFR qualifier and Round 4 bull riding winner Dustin Boquet is out for the remainder of the Wrangler NFR. Boquet suffered a left shoulder injury in Round 6 after his 79-point ride on Painted Pony Championship Rodeo’s Cocktail Diarrhea. “I broke that humerus (bone) again that I had just come back off of, from September” said Boquet. “It was just a freak deal with how I landed, Dr. Tandy Freeman said it had nothing to do with my previous break.” He said unfortunately injuries happen in the sport of rodeo. “I’m just super thankful that I got that round win when I did,” he said. “I’m not mad about it (the injury). It’s just a part of it. I’m going to get right, come back next year, and get after it full throttle.” He won $43,544 with the Round 4 win aboard Hou’s Bad News. On top of a previous left shoulder dislocation from Round 3, bareback rider Taylor Broussard suffered a neck injury on Tuesday night. He doctored released out of Round 7 and as such will also have to miss Round 8. He’s eligible to return for Round 9 of the Wrangler NFR. “Last night when I came off that horse, I honestly thought I broke my neck,” Broussard said. “My neck is really tight this morning, so it’s difficult for me to tuck my chin. If I can’t perform my best, my best bet is to take a little break and come back. I will be back for Round 9.” Broussard is sitting 14th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $82,381. He has three qualified rides so far at the NFR.
SADDLE BRONC RIDER RYDER WRIGHT WINS ROUND 6
Reigning world champion saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright has found his groove. The Milford, Utah, cowboy won Round 6 with an 89.5-point ride on Hi Lo Pro Rodeo’s Border Town at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. It was Wright’s second consecutive round win and upped his 2021 NFR earnings to $84,459. He leads the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $266,353. Bareback rider Orin Larsen had not collected a check at the Wrangler NFR before Tuesday night. That changed in Round 6. The Inglis, Manitoba, cowboy had a 91-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Gazer to win Round 6.
NEWS & NOTES
In bareback riding, Round 6 winner Orin Larsen hopes to build off his 91-point ride, drawing Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Fired Up. Larsen visited the pay window for the first time Tuesday night, he currently sits sixth in the average. Jess Pope, who’s currently leading the average and second in the world standings, rode Fired Up in Round 2 for an 89.5-point ride to secure his second Wrangler NFR victory. Clayton Biglow, who entered the 2021 Wrangler NFR third in the world standings, has a golden opportunity to overcome his tough start after placing in only two of the first six rounds. Biglow will go head-to-head with Calgary Stampede’s Yippee Kibitz. Fellow NFR qualifier Garrett Shadbolt had an 88-point ride on Yippee Kibitz in Round 2 to collect a second-place finish…In the saddle bronc riding, Dawson Hay hasn’t had the start to the NFR he’s wanted, but he’ll have an opportunity to visit the pay window in Round 7. He has drawn C5 Rodeo’s Kitty Whistle. Brody Cress won Round 2 on the horse with an 87.5-point ride. Ryder Wright has won the past two rounds and is in a prime position for success again in Round 7. He’s matched up with J Bar J’s In The Lu. The horse was named the saddle bronc horse of the night in Round 2 after bucking off Stetson Wright…In the bull riding, reigning PRCA World Champion Sage Kimzey has drawn Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Lose Your Bones. Wrangler NFR average leader Parker Breding won Round 2 on the bull with a 90-point ride. Breding has another solid matchup as well in Round 7. After winning Round 2 and Round 4, the Edgar, Mont. cowboy has drawn Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Priefert’s Shaft. That bull led Stetson Wright to the pay window in Round 2.
Record times and scores for the seventh round of the Wrangler NFR:
Bareback riding: 91.5 points, Bobby Mote, 2008; Clayton Biglow, 2019
Steer wrestling: 3.1 seconds, Matt Reeves, 2013
Team roping: 3.6 seconds, Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz, 2009;
Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 2012;
Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 2015
Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 2019
Saddle bronc riding: 92.5 points, Zeke Thurston, 2019
Tie-down roping: 6.7 seconds, Trevor Brazile, 2007;
Cody Ohl, 2013;
Matt Shiozawa, 2015
Barrel racing: 13.40 seconds, Tillar Murray, 2011
Bull riding: 94.5 points, J.W. Harris, 2010
2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – Round 7 Daysheet
Courtesy of PRCA