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In front of a sold-out crowd of 17,683, Brazile won his first tie-down roping average and first team roping gold buckle en route to becoming just the third cowboy in PRCA history to become a multiple Triple Crown winner. He joined ProRodeo Hall of Famers Jim Shoulders (1956-58) and Everett Bowman (1935, 1937) with that distinction and became the first contestant in ProRodeo history to earn $500,000 in a single season with his $507,921.

"It means so much to me, because I think everything has got so specialized," said Brazile, who now has a total of 14 world titles. "Nobody shows up and does three events on the same horse anymore, because it's so competitive. That's why I work my tail off every year, because of the respect I have for my competition. I don't take these championships lightly, because I know how tough the field was. I've been blessed."

Brazile joined Bowman as the only cowboys to win Triple Crowns with two different event combinations, as his first trifecta came in the all-around, tie-down roping and steer roping four years ago. Brazile pocketed $211,509 at the Wrangler NFR, a PRCA record for the most money won at a single rodeo, and far more than the previous record of $149,099 he set in 2008. Because of those earnings, Brazile won the Wrangler NFR's all-around title and also earned the inaugural Ram Top Gun Award - which included the keys to a 2011 Ram 3500.

Brazile and Smith, the 2005 world champion heeler, won the team roping world championship ahead of Clay Tryan and Travis Graves. They had a 7.5-second run in Round 10 and placed in eight of 10 rounds in Las Vegas on their way to the world titles.

Brazile and Smith earned a whopping $120,419 at the Finals to become the first team ropers to eclipse the $200,000 in season earnings and jump from eighth to first in the PRCA World Standings. Brazile finished with $201,392, with Tryan in second with $184,739. Smith tallied $202,189, while Graves was second with $185,784.

"When I won the team roping, that was something they weren't expecting me to do at all," said Brazile, who did not lead the heading standings during the season until the end of Round 10. "Then that put even more pressure on me in the calf roping; I'd already done it where they didn't expect me to, I sure couldn't screw it up where they thought it was a lay-up."

Their money totals broke the previous team roping single-season earnings record of $189,568 set by Matt Sherwood and Randon Adams in 2008.

"What a difference a year makes," Smith said. "Last year was a humbling experience. We came out here third in the world last year, had a great chance at a title and left here with $2,700. This year, we came out here eighth without really any chance and ended up winning the world title. It was an exciting and fun week, and I'm grateful to be standing here."

Luke Brown and Martin Lucero won the Wrangler NFR average with a 65.5-second 10-head total and climbed to third in the world after finishing as the only team with 10 qualified runs. Chad Masters and Jade Corkill won Round 10 with a 3.9-second run, seven-tenths of a second ahead of Keven Daniel and Caleb Twisselman.

In the tie-down roping, Brazile finished with $233,827 to claim his third gold buckle in that event in four years (2007, 2009), with his brother-in-law, Tuf Cooper, in second with $203,968. Brazile's Wrangler NFR average crown came after he won one round and placed in at total of four rounds to finish with a 10-head time of 88.6 seconds. Cooper, who won Round 10 with a rodeo-best 6.9-second run, was second in the average with a 96.7-second total.

Cooper won an event-best $96,599 in Las Vegas and finished second to Brazile in the PRCA World Standings for the second consecutive year.

Bareback rider Bobby Mote, who came into this year's Wrangler NFR in fifth place in the PRCA World Standings, won his fourth world title after finishing second in the average behind Justin McDaniel. Mote, of Culver, Ore., won two rounds and placed in seven en route to $115,099 in Wrangler NFR earnings and another gold buckle with a $204,484 total for the season.

"It's been a lot of fun, and it's just been a great year," said Brazile, who clinched his eighth career all-around gold buckle in Round 2. "I can't begin to describe how blessed I've been all year. It's carried right into the NFR. Tomorrow night is a big night. I'm trying to pull off a Triple Crown. I'm going to have my hands full, but it's on my mind..

"Man, I've got to thank that Ram Top Gun Award for some of that. It's put a whole new perspective on this NFR. I've come out here and roped for championships, and it changes things. There are a lot of times where you're roping for a championship and you don't take chances. You'll take a lot of chances for a Ram truck."

Brazile will be looking to become the first multiple Triple Crown winner since Jim Shoulders (1956-58) and just the third in history. He could also become the first cowboy since Everett Bowman in the mid-1930s to complete a Triple Crown with two different combinations of events. His 2007 Triple Crown came in the all-around, tie-down roping and steer roping.

Brazile is in the driver's seat along with partner Patrick Smith in the team roping and also in the tie-down roping heading into Round 10. He finished second to Ryan Jarrett (7.1) in the tie-down roping with a 7.2-second run in the ninth round, leads the PRCA World Standings and is second in the tie-down roping average.

Jarrett, of Summerville, Ga., won for the first time at this year's Wrangler NFR.

"Oh, it's good, for sure," Jarrett, who was riding a horse named Batman he bought last spring, said of his round win. "Any time you win anywhere - especially at the NFR - it's good. It's exciting, and I can't wait to go to the South Point. I just wanted to get a good start, go through the motions, put a wrap and a hooey on him and see what happens."

Bull rider J.W. Harris stayed red hot in Round 9, finishing second to 2007 World Champion Wesley Silcox with an 89.5-point ride aboard Four L & Diamond S Rodeo's Insaniac to clinch his third consecutive world championship. The Mullin, Texas, cowboy became the first bull rider since Don Gay (1979-81) to win three straight gold buckles and has already clinched the Wrangler NFR average and the $44,910 that comes with it.

"It has been an awesome run here," said Harris, who has covered two more bulls (seven) than any other bull rider in Las Vegas. "It's an honor just to have your name in the same sentence as Don Gay. He's the greatest bull rider there ever has been. It's an honor, but it still doesn't feel right, but I'll take it.

"Now I can breathe little bit and relax. I came out here and did what I was supposed to do - stay on bulls. I didn't worry too much about what was going on with the world standings. I didn't even know I was in first place until Donnie (Gay) came in the locker room and was talking about it. I had the mindset that I'm going to come out and ride 10. It's been the best NFR I have ever had."

Harris, who was unable to ride in five out of 10 rounds at last year's Wrangler NFR, will break B.J. Schumacher's Wrangler NFR earnings record of $142,644 for bull riding from 2006 at the conclusion of Round 10.

Silcox won his first round of this year's Finals with a 90-pointer on Silverado Rodeos' Playmate.

"I feel really good," Silcox said. "Things could be better, but you know things could be worse, too. I just have had some bad luck. I did make a couple of good rides earlier in the week. Things kind of went cold, so it was nice to win the ninth round. I'm excited. It's feels like the first time I ever won a round here."

Calculators will be in use quite a bit during Round 10, including in the team roping. PRCA World Standings leaders Clay Tryan and Travis Graves won Round 9 in 4.2 seconds to hold onto their top spots, but the team of Brazile and Smith were second in the round in 4.3 seconds and remained second in the Wrangler NFR average standings.

 
The Equine Network and Spin To Win Rodeo magazine are partnering with Cinch to bring you these behind-the-scenes interviews from rodeo legends and leaders. Tuf Cooper, Nick Sartain, Cody Ohl, Fred Whitfield, Cody DeMoss and Luke Branquinho highlight a list of 10 of the leading cowboys in the sport of rodeo.

> Read EquiSearch.com's coverage of NFR 2010

 
The Equine Network and Spin To Win Rodeo magazine are partnering with Cinch to bring you these behind-the-scenes interviews from rodeo legends and leaders. Tuf Cooper, Nick Sartain, Cody Ohl, Fred Whitfield, Cody DeMoss and Luke Branquinho highlight a list of 10 of the leading cowboys in the sport of rodeo.

> Read EquiSearch.com's coverage of NFR 2010

 
The Equine Network and Spin To Win Rodeo magazine are partnering with Cinch to bring you these behind-the-scenes interviews from rodeo legends and leaders. Tuf Cooper, Nick Sartain, Cody Ohl, Fred Whitfield, Cody DeMoss and Luke Branquinho highlight a list of 10 of the leading cowboys in the sport of rodeo.

> Read EquiSearch.com's coverage of NFR 2010

Ohl is one only of three men - along with Billy Etbauer and Fred Whitfield - to earn more than $1 million at the Wrangler NFR alone, and he's not done yet.

"I'm a little mad at stubbing my toe last night, so I really had a little extra oomph in there to really capitalize tonight," Ohl said. "Last night, I missed, and my rope was a little too stiff. Tonight, I had it just a little too limber and got ahead of it. I kind of skipped (the rope) on that calf instead of roping it sharp, but (2009 AQHA/PRCA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year) Pearl cleaned it up like she always does."

Ohl trails Trevor Brazile in the PRCA World Standings $175,077-$153,325, but is 11th in the Wrangler NFR average. He has now earned more money in eight days in Las Vegas ($76,827) than he did during the entire regular season ($76,498).

"I got a little frustrated, and when I get frustrated, it seems like it really drives me to make a statement on the very next calf," Ohl said. "That calf, they were 10.9 on him, so I knew I had to put all the wraps on him. I had to do everything deliberately, and we ended up surviving."

The first tie in the bareback riding featured a pair of world champions. Three-time and reigning World Champion Bobby Mote spurred Growney Brothers Rodeo's Moulin Rouge for 86 points on the horse's final trip, and 2008 World Champion Justin McDaniel matched that score on Andrews Rodeo's Cool Water.

Both cowboys drew horses they'd had success on in the past, and they made the most of their reunions.

"I've had that horse a lot," Mote said. "She's from up in my circuit, and that's probably the eighth time I've been on her. I've never been on her when I thought I had her knocked out, because she bucks so hard. Tonight was her last trip, and it's an honor for me to be able to get on her."

McDaniel, of Porum, Okla., is no stranger to winning on Cool Water on a big stage.

"I had that horse last year in the third round and split that round with Jason Havens," McDaniel said. "Cool Water is a bucker and is the one I wanted in this pen. I barely got by him, but it worked out. It's finally good to get a big check, and I'm looking forward to these next two rounds."

Mote and McDaniel will both figure in the gold buckle battle. McDaniel leads the Wrangler NFR average and is sixth in the world standings, while Mote, of Culver, Ore., is second in the average standings and third in the world.

On a sad note, bareback rider Matt Bright suffered a lumbar fracture when Carr Pro Rodeo's Real Deal reared up in the chute and slammed him against the chute wall. He is out for the remainder of the Wrangler NFR and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of action.

After being held out of the pay window for four rounds, steer wrestler Jule Hazen broke through with his first Wrangler NFR go-round victory of his career (in his second appearance in Las Vegas) by stopping the clock in 3.6 seconds. The Ashland, Kan., bulldogger finished one-tenth of a second ahead of Canada's Cody Cassidy - on Canada Night - and two-time World Champion Luke Branquinho.

"I've been waiting my whole life to be sitting here talking about this," Hazen said. "This week has been tough, so to get that out of the way is a relief. I had a burden. It was just hanging over me, and I couldn't get rid of it. With that particular steer, it's one I had out in California when I was in a slump, and I ended up winning a round when I drew him. He's kind of slump-buster, I guess you could say."

Branquinho continues to lead the PRCA World Standings and is fourth in the average, while Billy Bugenig leads the average but is 10th in the world. Dean Gorsuch, the 2006 world champion, stands second in the average and third in the world and should have a say in who emerges with the bulldogging gold buckle in two days.