Kade Bruno Leading in Saddle Bronc Riding
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno came to his first RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo ready to compete against the best cowboys in the world.
The Challis, Idaho, cowboy is proving he belongs.
Bruno had an 86.5-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Beaver Trail on Friday morning in the first round, which was good for second place and a $3,872 check.
The Columbia River Circuit cowboy followed that with an 87.5-point ride on Korkow Rodeo’s Joker Poker at Silver Spurs Arena, Friday night to take the second-round lead and hold down the top spot in the average with 174 points.
“This is the best rodeo day of my life,” said Bruno, 20. “I’m just happy to be here and take it all in. It’s a pretty cool experience and things are going well. I just hope to stay on a roll.”
Bruno wasn’t in the top 50 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings before Kissimmee, but that will change.
“The difference for me right now is I have been getting on all winter,” he said. “These weren’t my first couple of rides when I came down here (to Kissimmee). I’ve been to around 15 rodeos this year and I had a rough start, but the past two to three weeks I started picking it up and drawing better, and it’s just been a lot of fun. Growing up I’ve always wanted to make the NFR. I was sitting out of the standings, which was OK because there are a lot of rodeos left this year, but to come down here and put on a couple good rides and jump in the standings will be nice.”
The second round kicked off Friday night and concludes Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (ET). The semifinals and finals are slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night. Contestants are vying for their share of the $507,000 purse.
“Hopefully I can draw good (in the eight-man semifinals) and have fun, and if it’s meant to be for me to get to the four-man finals it’s meant to be,” Bruno said.
Young leads tie-down roping round, average
Tie-down roper Trey Young posted a 7.7-second run Friday night to grab the lead in the second round. He also leads the average with 16.6 seconds on two head.
“I’ve been drawing good and catching them,” said Young, competing out of the Badlands Circuit. “I’m just going to go out there Saturday, do my job and see what happens.”
Young is riding Fozzy, 13.
Brown soaring down south
Jesse Brown had a heck of a day in the Florida sunshine on Friday.
A few hours after posting the top time of the first round, the Oregon steer wrestler duplicated the feat for the first half of the second round.
Brown stopped the clock in 4.7 seconds Friday night to take the lead in the second round. Paired with his 3.7 from earlier in the day and Brown is in the lead for the average with a time of 8.4 seconds.
“I feel good,” said Brown, 28, who made his NFR debut in December. “Who knows how good that (4.7-second run) will do in the second round because there are a bunch of good guys up Saturday afternoon. It should give me another one (round), and that’s what you want to do is get in that eight-man semifinals.
“Riding Tyson (Curtis Cassidy’s horse) takes the pressure away because he’s so good. This is my third time I’ve been to the RAM Finals and I did terrible the first two times. This is the first time I’ve got a chunk of money here.”
Benton perfect through two rounds
Bull rider Trey Benton went 2-for-2 Friday to grab the lead in the second round and guarantee himself a spot in the eight-man semifinals at the RAM NCFR.
The Richards, Texas, cowboy had an 85-point ride on Painted Pony Championship Rodeo’s Cocktail Diarrhea to win the first round of the RAM NCFR Friday morning and earned a $5,202 check.
Benton, who qualified for the NFR in 2012-14, 2017-19, kept his momentum going Friday and took the lead in round two with an 84.5-point ride on Korkow Rodeo’s Standard Tuesday.
“The ride tonight was a little tougher,” said Benton, 29. “I knew that bull and he was kind of whippy. I just kept doing my thing, and when he changed directions, it made it difficult because you have so much momentum going one way and it goes back the other way. Luckily, I handled it by the time eight seconds was there, and on to the next one.”
Benton arrived in Kissimmee 12th in the world standings with $15,275.
“I prefer getting on two bulls this way (with a morning and evening performance) rather than sit there and wait,” he said. “Even if I didn’t have a good one in the morning, you come back that night and repetition is everything. You don’t have time to think about this sport. You’re going at it and your last bull ride is a lot of it because you’re going off reaction time. You like to keep the momentum going. My goal all weekend has been to ride four bulls. If I ride four bulls that’s fine with me wherever I end up.”
Lamb in control with 87
Bareback rider Kody Lamb notched an 87-point ride on The Cervi Brothers’ Control Freak, Friday night.
“I was on that horse in San Antonio last year in the semifinals, but he didn’t spin like he did (Friday night),” said Lamb, who is representing the Maple Leaf Circuit. “I was glad he was a little bit harder to ride today and I was able to get the job done.”
Lamb had no luck in the first round Friday morning. Lamb was having the best season of his PRCA career in 2020, but it ended abruptly for the Sherwood, Alberta, cowboy when he suffered a sports hernia at the Westcliffe (Colo.) Stampede, July 18.
Lamb was 17th in the world standings when he was sidelined. He was hurt when he was bucked off Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Shamrock.
“It’s fantastic to do well here (in Kissimmee),” said Lamb, 26. “I’m coming off that injury and I’m getting off to a slow start. As much money that was added here it was really good to have a good ride.”
Egurrola/Nowlin take second-round lead
Team ropers Pedro Egurrola and Trevor Nowlin grabbed the lead with a 4.9-second run in the second round.
After registering a 9.9-second time in the first round Friday morning, Egurrola/Nowlin bounced back to take the lead in round two.
The duo from the Turquoise Circuit is making its RAM NCFR debut. Egurrola was riding his horse Johnny, 15, and Nowlin was aboard Pistol, 15.
“We’re very excited to be here and make a run like that,” Egurrola said.
Nowlin agreed.
“That was definitely an improvement on our first run,” Nowlin said. “Hopefully we will be able to move on to the eight-man semifinals.”
Routier goes 14.74 to lead the way
Jessica Routier and her horse Missy, 10, combined for a 14.74-second run and a second-round lead.
“Our barrels were just a little bit tighter than they were earlier today and we were top of the ground versus bottom this morning, so I think that helped us out a little bit as well,” said Routier, of the Badlands Circuit. “I have a lot of success here at the RAM Finals. I was second in 2018 and 2019 and was third in 2020. We have been close. We are just going to take it one barrel at a time, you can’t get too far ahead of yourself.”
Prairie Circuit leading projected team standings
Midway through the second performance, the Prairie Circuit climbed into the lead in the projected team standings.
Heading into the Friday night perf, the Prairie Circuit was in third place. But the projected earnings after the first half of the second round had the circuit climb to the top of the leaderboard.
The circuit that wins the team competition gets a $500 bonus for each athlete from that circuit competing at the finals.
“The money counting in the world standings here is huge, and I like the circuit deal and you’re on a team,” said Jesse Brown, part of the Columbia River Circuit, which led after the first round. “I think that’s cool and I’m definitely rooting for the guys in the Columbia Circuit.”
Courtesy of PRCA