Saddle Bronc Rider Ryder Wright Wins Round 6

PRCA Photo by Roseanna Sales
PRCA Photo by Roseanna Sales

LAS VEGAS – Reigning world champion saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright has found his groove.
 
The Milford, Utah, cowboy won Round 6 with an 89.5-point ride on Hi Lo Pro Rodeo’s Border Town at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
 
It was Wright’s second consecutive round win and upped his 2021 NFR earnings to $84,459. He leads the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $266,353. Wright owns the Round 6 record with his 90.5-point trip on Hi Lo Pro Rodeo’s Billie last year at the NFR at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Read MoreSaddle Bronc Rider Ryder Wright Wins Round 6

Bareback Rider Kaycee Feild Makes Prca History With Round 5 Win

PRCA Photo by Rod Connor
PRCA Photo by Rod Connor

LAS VEGAS – History doesn’t have to wait any longer for Kaycee Field.
 
The five-time and reigning bareback riding world champion is the all-time PRCA record holder in bareback riding round wins at the National Finals Rodeo with 26 surpassing Bobby Mote.
Feild etched his spot in history by winning Round 5 with a 91-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Famous Dex at the 2021 Wrangler NFR presented by Teton Ridge Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Read MoreBareback Rider Kaycee Feild Makes Prca History With Round 5 Win

Wade Sundell Flashes Championship Form With Round 4 Win

PRCA Photo by Clay Guardipee
PRCA Photo by Clay Guardipee

LAS VEGAS – Making his first appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge since 2018, Wade Sundell showed he’s still an elite saddle bronc rider Sunday.
 
Sundell, the 2018 world champion, won Round 4 with an 89.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Bet the Ranch before 16,851 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.
This was his first NFR round win since Round 5 in 2018.

Read MoreWade Sundell Flashes Championship Form With Round 4 Win

Tegan Smith Captures Round 3 Win in Record-breaking Fashion

PRCA Photo by Phill Kitts
PRCA Photo by Phill Kitts

LAS VEGAS – Saddle bronc rider Tegan Smith won his first career round in record-breaking fashion.

The Iowa cowboy had a 91-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Yesterday’s Delivery to claim the Round 3 victory at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge before 17,153 spectators at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Smith broke the Round 3 record, which was established by Allen Boore with his 90.5-point ride on the same horse – Yesterday’s Delivery.

Read MoreTegan Smith Captures Round 3 Win in Record-breaking Fashion

Bareback Rider Jess Pope Captures Second Straight Round Win

PRCA Photo by Rod Connor
PRCA Photo by Rod Connor

LAS VEGAS – Jess Pope has found a liking for rodeo’s biggest stage.
 
The Waverly, Kan., cowboy keeps on winning as he claimed his second round victory in a row with his 89.5-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Fired Up at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge.
Pope was thrilled with his ride before 16,860 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.

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Tie-down Roper Shane Hanchey Captures Emotional Round 1 Victory

PRCA Photo by Phill Kitts
PRCA Photo by Phill Kitts

LAS VEGAS – Less than two weeks before the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, tie-down roper Shane Hanchey was dealt some adversity.
The primary horse Hanchey was aboard all season – TJ – passed away. The horse was owned by Logan Bird.
Hanchey said the loss wouldn’t set him back at the Wrangler NFR and it didn’t – at least for Round 1.
The Sulphur, La., native clocked a 7.4-second run to win the round before 16,804 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Read MoreTie-down Roper Shane Hanchey Captures Emotional Round 1 Victory

Egusquiza and Koontz Split $154K at First-Ever Spring BFI

BFI Photo by Performance Horse Photography
BFI Photo by Performance Horse Photography

Fans watched the greatest jackpot team roper in history extend his record of wins and break the all-time earnings record at the world’s richest pro roping Sunday night in Oklahoma.
Kory Koontz, 49, of Stephenville, Texas, clinched victory at the Wrangler Bob Feist Invitational (BFI) presented by Yeti for the record third time, riding a horse he raised and nursed back to health after a horrific auto accident a year ago. Exactly 25 years after Koontz won back-to-back BFI titles with Rube Woolsey and Matt Tyler, he and Manny Egusquiza Jr. roped six steers in 46.48 seconds to earn $150,000 cash and epic prizes.

Read MoreEgusquiza and Koontz Split $154K at First-Ever Spring BFI

Clay Smith Takes the Round 1 Win at Cinch Timed Event

Photo courtesy of Lazy E Photo by James Phifer
Photo courtesy of Lazy E Photo by James Phifer

With 57.8 seconds on five runs—one each in heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping—two-time World Champion Team Roper Clay Smith took the Round 1 victory lap around the gargantuan Lazy E Arena on opening night at the 2021 Cinch Timed Event Championship. The guy who won back-to-back gold heading buckles in 2018 and ’19 got off to a great start, and grinned at evening’s end saying that competing in Rodeo’s Ironman is “almost a vacation” compared to getting ready for it.

Read MoreClay Smith Takes the Round 1 Win at Cinch Timed Event

“King of Cowboys” and world’s best female among contenders

Photo by Larry Fulgham Photo
Photo by Larry Fulgham Photo

“Gunners” – or the first team out at the 44th edition of the Bob Feist Invitational (BFI) on March 14 – will be two of the wiliest veterans in the game. Not only has each man already won the BFI, but each has also ridden at least one horse awarded as the best of the event. Hall-of-Famer J.D. Yates, a 21-time NFR roper who won the BFI in 2010 with Jay Wadhams, will turn the first steer for eight-time NFR heeler Cody Cowden, who won “the Feist” in 1997 with Bobby Hurley.

Read More“King of Cowboys” and world’s best female among contenders