Daysheet, News and Notes, Round 5
Texas musician Rachel Bradshaw, daughter of NFL legend Terry Bradshaw, is singing the national anthem. Montana Silversmiths is the performance sponsor, and Round 5 is Tough Enough To Wear Pink night.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION, RADIO AND INTERNET
Tonight’s Wrangler NFR will be televised live on The Cowboy Channel (DISH Network channel
232 and DirecTV channel 603) and RFD-TV (Dish Network channel 231 and DirecTV channel
345) from 6:30-9:30 p.m. (CT). All 10 performances of the 2020 Wrangler NFR will be
available via livestream subscription on Cowboy Channel Plus. Visit cowboychannelplus.com to
sign up. The Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping is being livestreamed by
Wranglernetwork.com. The NFBR performances will be at 10 a.m. (CT), Dec. 8-10 at Globe Life Field – the same arena used for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Cowgirls will compete for a record-setting $200,000 purse at this three-day event.
RECORD-TYING RIDE FOR O’CONNELL IN ROUND 4
Bareback rider Tim O’Connell won Round 4 with a 90.5-point ride on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Pop A Top, tying the Round 4 record set by Will Lowe in 2004 and matched by Ty Breuer in 2017. With the win, O’Connell stretched his lead atop the PRCA | RAM World Standings. O’Connell has $174,953, while Kaycee Feild is in second place with $146,917.
RYDER WRIGHT CONTINUES HOT STREAK
Half of the 2020 Wrangler NFR’s saddle bronc riding go-rounds have been won by Ryder Wright. The Utah cowboy won Round 2 with a 90-point ride on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Feather Fluffer and Round 4 with an 89.5-point ride on Vold Rodeo’s Sun Glow. He is No. 2 in the world standings with $194,951, close behind Wyatt Casper who has $207,600.
TALLEY CLAIMS TOP SPOT IN STEER WRESTLING
Steer wrestler Jacob Talley climbed to the top of the world standings by winning Round 4 with a 3.4-second run. The Louisiana cowboy traded spots in the world standings with season-leader Matt Reeves.
NEWS & NOTES
Famously known as the “TV Round,” the fifth go-round of the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presents some of the best horses and bulls of the pen.
Bareback rider Mason Clements has perhaps the best draw of the night with C5 Rodeo’s Virgil, the 2017 and 2019 bareback horse of the year. Three cowboys have won rounds at the NFR on Virgil – Tanner Aus with 88 points during Round 3 in 2016; Tim O’Connell with 91.5 points during Round 3 in 2017; and Clayton Biglow with 93 points during Round 5 in 2018 (tying the NFR’s arena record at the Thomas & Mack Center). More recently, Kaycee Feild posted a 93-point ride on Virgil during The American earlier this year at neighboring AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Winn Ratliff’s luck could turn around tonight in bareback riding as he’s set to ride Northcott Macza’s OLS Tubs Stevie Knicks. This horse provided the horsepower needed for one of the highest-scored bareback rides in ProRodeo history, a 94-pointer with O’Connell at the Cinch Chute-Out in San Angelo, Texas, in February. Biglow also won Round 10 of the 2019 NFR with a 93-point ride on Stevie Knicks.
Chad Rutherford also had a good draw for Round 5’s bareback riding with Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire. This horse ranks close behind on the all-time record list with 93.5 points with Caleb Bennett aboard in Cody, Wyo., in 2019
Tonight’s saddle bronc riding lineup is stacked with broncs frequently found in the winners’ circle of major ProRodeo competitions. Shorty Garrett’s Round 5 draw is one on almost every saddle bronc rider’s wish list – Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman. Medicine Woman has taken four cowboys on round-winning rides at the NFR: Jacobs Crawley with 89 points during Round 5 in 2016; Sterling Crawley with 89 points during Round 5 in 2017; Wade Sundell with 92 points during Round 5 in 2018; and CoBurn Bradshaw with 92 points during Round 10 in 2018.
Wyatt Casper could extend his lead in the saddle bronc riding world standings tonight since he’s set to ride Korkow Rodeos’ Onion Ring, the same horse he won the first round on this year in Arlington at The American. Onion Ring also took Mason Clements to the winner’s circle at the NFR in Round 5 in 2017. Onion Ring has also helped two cowboys win the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo’s final round – R.C. Landingham in 2017 and O’Connell for a split win in 2018.
Bull rider Ky Hamilton could extend his lead in the world standings with Andrews Rodeo’s Cool Arrow. Three months ago, the first and second rounds of the RAM NCFR were won on Cool Arrow: 90.5 points in the first round by Jeff Bertus and 89.5 points in the second round with Ruger Piva.
Brady Portenier could regain some ground in the bull riding average with Rafter H Rodeo’s Nose Bender. The bull helped two cowboys split go-round wins at the 2017 NFR: Sage Kimzey in Round 3 with 91.5 points and Trey Benton III in Round 10 with 88 points. Nose Bender also took Parker Breding for a 90-point ride to win the semifinals of the 2018 RAM NCFR.
Record times and scores for the fifth round of the Wrangler NFR:
| Bareback Riding: | 93 points, Clayton Biglow, 2018 |
| Steer Wrestling: | 3.0 seconds, Steve Duhon, 1986 |
| Team Roping: | 3.6 seconds, Garrett Tonozzi/Kinney Harrell, 2006; JoJo LeMond/Cory Petska, 2010 |
| Saddle Bronc Riding: | 93 points, Billy Etbauer, 2003 |
| Tie-down Roping: | 6.7 seconds, Caleb Smidt, 2016 |
| Barrel Racing: | 13.46 seconds, Carlee Pierce, 2011 |
| Bull Riding: | 92 points, Daylon Swearingen, 2019 |
Below are links to the Round 5 Daysheet and the Round 5 News and Notes for the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Courtesy of PRCA