November 4, 2011? Kaycee Feild of Payson, Utah, became just the second bareback rider in Wrangler National Finals Rodeo history to win each of the first three rounds of the Finals when he marked 90.5 points on Mosbrucker Rodeos? Magic Wars in front of 17,430 fans in Round 3 on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
That same horse carried Will Lowe to an NFR-record-tying 91.5-point ride in 2007, so Feild knew he had enough horsepower to get the job done. Still, it looked like his round-winning streak was in jeopardy when Steven Dent turned in an 89.5-point ride aboard Frontier Rodeo?s Full Baggage ? the top bareback horse of the 2010 Wrangler NFR and the 2011 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year.
?I probably would have thought I had it won if I was in Steven Dent?s place,? Feild said. ?That (89.5) was up there, and I had to try that much harder.?
The win tied Feild with John Edwards, who won the first three rounds of bareback riding at the 1969 NFR. No bareback rider has ever won the first four rounds of the Finals in the same year. With a nearly $50,000 lead in the world standings and an 11-point lead in the average race, Feild has no plans of letting off the gas in the remaining seven rounds.
?Heck no, I’m going to go out there and be as aggressive as I can and give it 110 percent every jump until I hear the whistle. I?d like to get this thing wrapped up a few nights before it’s over. I’m going to let loose out there anyway, but that would be pretty relieving.?
Feild has now won $53,654 in just three nights in Las Vegas.
?My confidence is pretty high,? he said in a bit of understatement. ?But I know I need to come here tomorrow and not let my confidence take over. I need to come here and go for first every time, like everyone else.?
After a slow start to his Finals, Cory Solomon won the tie-down roping with a 7.6-second run. The Wrangler NFR rookie posted the time early in the round and then had to wait out 11 other ropers to see if it would hold up for his first Finals check.
?Last night and the night before, I had a game plan coming in here, and it really didn’t work out. I was walking out last night, and Trevor (Brazile), he just stopped me and told me, ?Hey, you come here and you work and work to get here. When you get here, it doesn’t always work out, but don’t change the way you rope, the way you got here.? That made me feel good, so I stuck with the way I rope.?
Solomon?s first Wrangler NFR check was a good one ? $17,885 ? and has him sitting seventh in the world standings.
Bull rider Jacob O?Mara ? the youngest competitor in the field ? won his first round at the Wrangler NFR with an 88.5-point ride on Four L & Diamond S Rodeo?s Big Iron. The bull finished second in PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year voting in 2011. O?Mara picked up $17,885 and moved to first in the average race with 174.5 points on two head. He?s currently third in the world standings — $67,071 behind world standings leader Shane Proctor.
?I?ve been watching this bull go and have been waiting for this moment all year,? O?Mara said of drawing Big Iron. ?For it to happen at the Finals, with as much excitement as there is here, was awesome.?
Shawn Greenfield of Lakeview, Ore., won Round 3 to pick up his second check of the week in the steer wrestling. His 3.5-second run was three-tenths of a second better than world standings leader Luke Branquinho and put $17,885 in his wallet to push his Wrangler NFR earnings to $26,971.
He won the round on fellow NFR qualifier Todd Suhn?s horse, Maximus.
?It’s huge having Max here to get on, and I appreciate Todd letting me get on him in this situation,? said Greenfield, who also had Suhn hazing for him on Saturday. ?I had a great steer, and I got a great start. Max worked great for me.?
Branquinho of Los Alamos, Calif., took second for the second consecutive night and stretched his world standings lead to more than $10,000 over Jason Miller, who moved to second with a split of third place on Saturday.
Turtle Powell and Jhett Johnson continued their stellar week in team roping as they tied for the Round 3 win with Kaleb Driggers and Brad Culpepper. Both teams stopped the clock in 4.1 seconds and each of the four ropers added $16,010 to their season totals.
Powell of Stephenville, Texas, and Johnson of Casper, Wyo., maintained the top spot in the average ? which they took hold of in Round 2 ? and moved to fourth in their respective header and heeler standings after entering the NFR in 13th and 12th place. Powell and Johnson have won $40,817 each in their first three days in Las Vegas after splitting second place in each of the first two rounds.
?That’s the first one in 53 steers,? Powell said of the round win. ?I?ve waited a long time to take that victory lap, and it felt great.?
Powell and Johnson plan to keep running at go-round wins ? for now.
?We won?t change anything until maybe Round 9 or 10, if we’re in position to win the average by backing off a little,? Johnson said. ?If things are working like they have been so far, we’ll just keep running the same play.?
Utah saddle bronc rider Jesse Wright has been steadily on the rise in the rodeo?s first three rounds. After failing to place with a 79.5-point ride in Round 1, he rallied with an 86-point trip in Round 2 to take second-place money.
In Round 3 on Saturday, he went one better, winning the round with an 88.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo Company?s Tip Off. The $32,019 he’s won in the first three rounds leads all saddle bronc riders, and he’s moved up a spot to fourth in the world standings since the Finals began.
?I’m riding for that world title just like everyone else here is doing, and I’m just trying to ride the best I can,? said Wright, whose brother ? two-time World Champion Cody Wright ? sits two spots ahead in the world standings. ?(Placing second on Friday) got me rolling; it made me feel pretty good. It’s just like blackjack ? keep ?em coming, keep ?em coming.?
The barrel racing has been unpredictable, to say the least; four cowgirls have ridden their way to first-place money in the first three rounds. The top two barrel racers coming in, Brittany Pozzi and Lindsay Sears, split the Round 1 win, while Lisa Lockhart claimed the top spot in Round 2.
In Round 3, it was Jane Melby?s turn in the spotlight. The first Minnesota barrel racer in Finals history turned in the fastest run of the week ? 13.83 seconds ? to win the round over Pozzi. After tipping a barrel in Round 2, Melby bounced back nicely.
?It’s just an incredible feeling,? said Melby, who is riding 7-year-old Beauty. ?First out on the ground, end up first. Have to sweat it out for the other 14 to run.?
Round 4 of the Wrangler NFR will be a rare matinee performance to accommodate the running of the Rock ?n? Roll Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday evening. The rodeo performance will begin at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.
Third round
Bareback riding: 1. Kaycee Feild, Payson, Utah, 90.5 points on Mosbrucker Rodeo’s Magic Wars, $17,885; 2. Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 89.5, $14,135; 3. Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 85, $10,673; 4. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 84.5, $7,500; 5. Brian Bain, Culver, Ore., 82, $4,615; 6. Jason Havens, Prineville, Ore., 80, $2,885; 7. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., 79.5; 8. Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas, 79; 9. Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas, 78.5; 10. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 77.5; 11. Matt Br ight, Azle, Texas, 76; 12. Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 73; 13. (tie) Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas; Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore., and Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., NS.
Steer wrestling: 1. Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore., 3.5 seconds, $17,885; 2. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 3.8, $14,135; 3. (tie) Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., and Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo., 4.4, $9,087 each; 5. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 4.5, $4,615; 6. Stockton Graves, Newkirk, Okla., 4.6, $2,885; 7. Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla., 4.8; 8. Seth Brockman, Wheatland, Wyo., 5.0; 9. Todd Suhn, Hermosa, S.D., 5.4; 10. Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 5.6; 11. (tie) Billy Bugenig, Ferndale, Calif., and Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D., 5.7 each; 13. Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls, Texas, 20.2; 14. (tie) Olin Hannum, Malad, Idaho, and Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., NT.
Team roping: 1. (tie) Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga./Brad Culpepper, Poulan, Ga., and Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas/Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 4.1 seconds, $16,010 each; 3. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas/Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas, 4.4, $10,673; 4. (tie) Matt Sherwood, Pima , Ariz./Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz., and Colby Lovell, Madisonville, Texas/York Gill, Memphis, Tenn., 4.5, $6,058 each; 6. Spencer Mitchell, Colusa, Calif./Broc Cresta, Santa Rosa, Calif., 4.6, $2,885; 7. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas/Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas, 6.0; 8. Jake Barnes, Scottsdale, Ariz./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas, 12.3; 9. Brady Tryan, Huntley, Mont./Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 19.5; 10. (tie) Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz.; Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont./Travis Graves, Jay, Okla.; Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas; Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn./Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev.; Brandon Beers, Powell Butte, Ore./Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M., and Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash./Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., NT.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo Company’s Tip Off, $17,885; 2. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., 85.0, $14,135; 3. (tie) Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., and Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 83, $9,087 each; 5. Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, 82.5, $4,615; 6. Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn., 80, $2,885; 7. Jacobs Crawley, College Station, Texas, 78.5; 8. Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas, 71; 9. Ty Atchison, Jackson, Mo., 65; 10. (tie) Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D.; Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La.; Chuck Schmidt, Keldron, S.D.; Sam Spreadborough, Snyder, Texas, and Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont., NS. Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La., did not compete.
Tie-down roping: 1. Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 7.6 seconds, $17,885; 2. (tie) Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, and Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.8, $12,404 each; 4. Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 7.9, $7,500; 5. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas, 8.0, $4,615; 6. (tie) Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas; Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., and Scott Kormos, Teague, Texas, 8.4, $962 each; 9. Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 8.8; 10. Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 8.9; 11. (tie) Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, and Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas, 9.3 each; 13. Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash., 10.3; 14. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, 11.8; 15. Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 12.0.
Barrel racing: 1. Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 13.83 seconds, $17,885; 2. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 13.99, $14,135; 3. (tie) Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., and Angie Meadors, Blanchard, Okla., 14.00, $9,087 each; 5. Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, 14.01, $4,615; 6. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 14.02, $2,885; 7. Jeanne Anderson, White City, Kan., 14.17; 8. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 14.22; 9. Tammy Fischer, Ledbetter, Texas, 14.25; 10. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 14.27; 11. Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 14.33; 12. Jill Moody, Letcher, S.D., 14.36; 13. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas, 18.73; 14. Jody Sheffield, Ogden, Utah, 19.09; 15. Britany Fleck, Mandan, N.D., 19.39.
Bull riding: 1. Jacob O’Mara, Prairieville, La., 88.5 points on Fourl L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Big Iron, $17,885; 2. Cody Whitney, Asher, Okla., 88.0, $14,135; 3. (tie) J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas, and Tate Stratton, Kellyville, Okla., 87.5, $9,087 each; 5. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 85.5, $4,615; 6. Tyler Willis, Wheatland, Wyo., 83.5, $2,885; 7. Trevor Kastner, Ardmore, Okla., 81.5; 8. (tie) Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash.; Wesley Silcox, Santaquin, Utah; Clayton Foltyn, El Campo, Texas; Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas; Clayton Savage, Cheyenne, Wyo., L.J. Jenkins, Porum, Okla.; Seth Glause, Cheyenne, Wyo., and Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, NS.
