Round 3 News and Notes – Dec. 10, 2023
Tonight is Memorial Night. Musician Kodi Lee, an America’s Got Talent winner, is the opening act, and country singer Casey Kearney will be performing the national anthem. Polaris Ranger is the performance sponsor.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION AND INTERNET
The 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® presented by Teton Ridge airs nightly from Dec. 10-16 at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. (EST). There also will be a matinee performance at 12 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 13. 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.
WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO STARTED DEC. 8 WITH ADDITIONAL ROUND HELD TO BE HELD ON MORNING OF WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13
The Las Vegas Events Board of Trustees and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Board of Directors announced Dec. 7 that the first round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® would be held on Friday, Dec. 8 at 5:45 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center instead of the original start date of Dec. 7. To maintain the tradition of the ten rounds of the NFR, an additional make up-round has been added on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. There will be no public access to this round. Due to the tragic events that occurred on the UNLV Campus on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the original starting date was cancelled.
SUPERSTAR STETSON WRIGHT TO MISS REMAINDER OF WRANGLER NFR WITH HAMSTRING INJURY
Rodeo superstar Stetson Wright’s 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is over. Wright, a seven-time world champion – all-around (2019-22), bull riding (2020, 2022) and saddle bronc riding (2021), will miss the remainder of the NFR because of a right hamstring strain. Wright was competing in saddle bronc riding and bull riding. “He said he’s out for the remainder of the rodeo,” Justin Sportsmedicine Medical Director Dr. Tandy Freeman said. “We filled out a doctor’s release for the remaining eight rounds. He’s not going to try and come back in two rounds or five rounds, he’s through.” During Round 2 Saturday night, Wright was bucked off Big Rafter’s Wild Valley in saddle bronc riding. Wright didn’t attempt to get on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Bloomer’s Midnight Rider, the bull he drew in Round 2. Wright is on the verge of clinching his fifth all-around world title. He has $479,621 and Nelson Wyatt is second with $182,612. Wyatt, a team roping header, is competing at the NFR with heeler Jonathan Torres. Wright remains first in the bull riding PRCA | RAM World Standings with $378,630. Wright is third in the saddle bronc riding standings.
TEAM ROPERS SUMMERS/LONG STAY HOT, MAKE IT TWO CONSECUTIVE ROUND WINS
Make it two-for-two in record-breaking fashion for team ropers Clint Summers/Jake Long before 17,693 fans Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Summers/Long won again with Round 2-record tying run of 3.8 seconds. The duo won Round 1 with a 4.2-second run. “(Saturday night) I felt like we had a great steer, even better than last night. I got the start that I really wanted to get, roped the horns, and Jake did what he does best,” Summers said.
NEWS & NOTES
No. 1-ranked bareback rider Keenan Hayes gets on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage in Round 3. The two met in May for 83.5 points in Guymon (Okla.). Jayco Roper will look to reach the pay window again on Sunday, matching up with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s San Angelo Sam. NFR bareback rider Leighton Berry was 91 points on the horse at the Parker County Sheriffs Posse Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo…Saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright aims to collect his second check tonight. He squares off with Korkow Rodeos’ Joker Poker. Last December, the bucking horse notched a pair of 88.5-point rides at the NFR, including a Round 3 ride by his brother, Stetson Wright. Layton Green is still searching for his first check, and he will get on Frontier Rodeo’s Moon Shadow, a horse that’s produced an average score of 86.5 points in three qualified rides…Bull rider Ky Hamilton attempts to extend his lead in the average as the only cowboy to ride both his bulls. He drew a familiar face in Round 3, pairing up with Legacy Pro Rodeo LLC’s Angels Landing. The two met back in September in St. George, Utah, boasting a 93-point ride. NFR rookie T Parker is still pursuing his first paycheck, matching up with Frontier Rodeo’s Bad John. Parker has ridden the bull twice this season, including an 89.5-point trip at the Lawton (Okla.) Xtreme Bulls and Mo Betta Celebrity Skeet Shoot..
Record times and scores for Round 3 of the 2023 Wrangler NFR:
Bareback Riding 91.5 points, Justin McDaniel, on J Bar J Ranch’s Delta Ship, 2007; Tim O’Connell, on C5 Rodeo’s Virgil, 2017; Kaycee Feild, on Calgary Stampede Xplosive Skies, 2020
Steer Wrestling 3.1 seconds, Ricky Huddleston, 1985
Team Roping 3.6 seconds, Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 2022
Saddle Bronc Riding 90.5 points, Allen Boore, on Calgary Stampede Yesterday’s Delivery, 2020; Lefty Holman, on Vold Rodeo Company’s Sun Glow, 2022
Tie-Down Roping 6.6 seconds, Cody Ohl, 2014
Barrel Racing 13.11 seconds, Hailey Kinsel, 2017
Bull Riding 94 points, Colby Yates, 2002