Round 10 News and Notes
Round 10 – Dec. 16, 2023 Round 10 Daysheet
Gold Night is the opening act, and the national anthem will be performed by country singer Kameron Marlowe. Wrangler is the performance sponsor. It also is Wrangler National Patriot Night.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION AND INTERNET
The 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® presented by Teton Ridge will conclude Dec. 16 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 is on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners, and online at cowboychannelplus.com.
KY HAMILTON CLINCHES FIRST CAREER BULL RIDING WORLD TITLE
The emotional rollercoaster ride that was the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for bull rider Ky Hamilton will end with a gold buckle. The emotional rollercoaster ride that was the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge for bull rider Ky Hamilton will end with a gold buckle.
Hamilton, who sits atop the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $516,667, clinched his first career PRCA World Championship on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Hamilton, who is a native of Mackay, Australia, is the first Australian to capture a PRCA Bull Riding World Championship.
Hamilton joins ProRodeo Hall of Famers Dave Appleton (all-around, 1988) and Glen O’Neill (saddle bronc riding, 2002) as the only native Australians to win PRCA World Championships. Although Hamilton was given a re-ride in Round 9 – which he is scheduled to take as the first bull out in Round 10 Saturday night – he clinched the world crown based on how things folded in Round 9. No bull rider in the field can surpass Hamilton atop the world standings even if a cowboy was the lone rider in Round 10 ($99,053) and won the average ($78,747).
Hamilton is scheduled to get on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Dark Thoughts as his re-ride bull from Round 9 as the first competitor in Round 10 and then he will be the last rider out for Round 10 aboard Rafter G Rodeo’s Western Haulers Hurricane. If Hamilton, who is first in the average, wins the NFR average he will be the first Australian to do so since Greg Potter of Ridgelands, Queensland, Australia, accomplished the feat with 502.5 points on six head in 2003.
NEWS & NOTES
Bareback rider Keenan Hayes will try to become to the first Resistol Rookie in the event to win a PRCA World Championship. He will go head-to-head with J Bar J’s Straight Ringer in Round 10. Kaycee Feild registered an 89-point ride on the horse in February in Fort Worth, Texas. Jess Pope is looking to make history himself. Pope, who’s still in the world title hunt, has a golden opportunity to make it four straight NFR Average titles on Saturday night. He will matchup with Frontier Rodeo Co.’s Gun Fire. The horse was named the Bareback Riding Stock of the Night in Round 5 after his trip with Orin Larsen…Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston eyes a second-straight PRCA World Championship, his fourth overall. The Canadian cowboy has placed in seven of the nine rounds thus far, including four go-round wins. In his final matchup, Thurston will face off against Calgary Stampede’s Dandy Delight. Fellow rider Damian Brennan rode the Canadian horse earlier this week, notching a fourth-place finish. Sage Newman has other plans, sitting roughly $31,000 behind Thurston in pursuit of his first world title. The 25-year-old drew Andrews Rodeo’s All or Nothin Saturday night. In Round 5, Ryder Wright claimed a second-place finish on the bucking horse with an 89.5-point trip. In saddle bronc riding Chase Brooks is out of Round 10 with a left hamstring strain…Bull rider Ky Hamilton looks to nab a clean sweep as he closes in on his first PRCA World Title. The Australian sits atop the average leaderboard with 514.5 points on six head, needing a qualified ride to clinch the average title. Hamilton also sits second in the RAM Top Gun Standings, trailing barrel racer Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi by a mere $1,733. The 23-year-old will hop on Rafter G Rodeo’s Western Haulers Hurricane, hoping to be the first rider to land a qualified ride on the bull in its career. Sage Kimzey has a chance to spoil part of Hamilton’s night, needing a 78-point ride and the Australian to be bucked off to clinch his fourth NFR Average title. The seven-time PRCA World Champion has shined in Las Vegas, claiming two go-rounds wins in five trips to the pay window. Kimzey will go toe-to-toe with Outlaw Buckers Rodeo’s Blue Magic, a bull making its first appearance at the NFR this year.
Record times and scores for Round 10 of the 2023 Wrangler NFR:
Bareback Riding: 93 points, Clayton Biglow, on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Nicks, 2019
Steer Wrestling: 3.2 seconds, Tyler Waguespack, 2017
Team Roping: 3.5 seconds, Dustin Egusquiza/Travis Graves, 2021
Saddle Bronc Riding *93 points, Billy Etbauer, on Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Cool Alley, 2004; Stetson Wright, on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Ricky Bobby, 2021
Tie-Down Roping: 6.5 seconds, Cody Ohl, 2003
Barrel Racing: 13.17 seconds, Hailey Kinsel, 2017
Bull Riding: *96 points, Cody Hancock, on Diamond G Rodeo’s Mister USA, 2001