WNFR: Round 7 Highlights and Dollar Talk

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round 7 Highlights and Dollar Talk

By Bobbi LeAnn

Going into round seven, Sherry Cervi remains on pace to become just the fifth barrel racer in history to earn checks in all 10 rounds of the Wrangler NFR, and that level of consistency has allowed her to keep the lead in the race for the Ram Truck Top Gun Award, which goes to the contestant who wins the most money in a single event here. Her total is $70,413 after six rounds has her $3,406 ahead of bull rider J.W. Harris in second with rookie barrel racer Taylor Jacob third. Tie-down ropers Shane Hanchey and Cody Ohl round out the top five.

Three PRCA cowboys are in position to surpass $1 million in career earnings tonight. Team roper Cesar de la Cruz of Tucson, Arizona would need to finish first or second in Round 7 to reach seven figures and bull rider Steve Woolsey of Payson, Utah, would need a top-three finish to hit the milestone. Any check at all would do it for tie-down roper Scott Kormos of Teague, Texas, he sits with $999,563. The overall human success rate thus far has been 43.3 percent through six rounds. That is the highest-rate of qualified rides going back to 1996.

Just because Trevor Brazile locked up his record 19^th world championship last night, doesn’t mean he’s done breaking records or making history. His win with Patrick Smith in the team roping last night extended his record of career National Finals round wins to 55 and he moved past $3000,000 for a record seventh time with an outside chance to become the first man to surpass $5 million in career earnings before the week is out. He has maintained remarkable balance between his two events here, with $29,447 in team roping and $27,945 in tie-down roping for a total of $57,392. That brings his career total to $4,915,882, which is $84,118 shy of the mark with four rounds and the average checks yet to be disbursed. Brazile and Smith are eighth in the average standings in the team roping and Brazile is fourth in tie-down roping average. If Brazile were to emerge as the tie-down roping world champion, it would give him his third Triple Crown in seven years and allow him to join Jim Shoulders as the only cowboys in history with three Triple Crowns.

To begin round seven of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Kaycee Feild opened the bareback event with stellar performance. Although Kaycee Feild hadn’t won a round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo until the seventh round, it didn’t lessen the joy for the two-time defending world champion bareback rider. Feild moved to first in the average with his 83- point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Shadow Warrio before 17,416 fans at the Thomas and Mack Center. He also passed four-time  champion Bobby Mote for first in the world standings with $168,251. He leads Mote- who missed out his horse in round six and has little chance of winning and average check- by more than $14,000 and third-place Will Lowe, a three-time champion, by nearly $22,000. Feild is trying to become the first bar4eback rider to win three consecutive world championships since ProRodeo Hall of Famer Joe Alexander earned five straight from 1971-1975. Alexander followed that with two regular-season championships (1976-1977), in years the world title was decided by solely performances at the NFR.

Matt Reeves grabbed a piece of history when he won the steer wrestling in 3.1 seconds, breaking the round-seven record by one-tenth of a second that was jointly held by Rod Lyman and Cash Myers. The arena recor is 3.0 seconds set by Steve Duhon in 1986 and equaled by Bryan Fields in 2001. Reeves has won #37,260 at this year’s Wrangler NFR an moved into second place in the world standings at $127,626, just $1745 behind Martin. Reeves, who had a no-time in Round six, is ninth in the average. Bray Armes, who leads the average by 2.7 seconds over world standings leader Casey Martin, was second in the round with 3.9 seconds.

 World team roping standing leaders Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill tied for the round win with Dustin Bird and Paul Eves in a quick run of 4.1 seconds.

The amazing Cody Ohl claimed his fourth round win of the week, his third outright, in the tie-down roping and equaled Trevor Brazile’s round-seven record of 6.7 seconds. Ohl has won $72,566 in the first seven rounds, and holds a lead of $20,626 over two-time defending champ Tuf Cooper, who missed his calf with his first loop and had to climb back on his horse and use his second rope to get a time of 22.4 seconds. It was Ohl’s 48^th tie-down roping round win, extending his own record, and his 51^st overall tying saddle bronc rider Billy Etbauer for second place overall, four behind Brazile. Brazile took second in the round in 7.3 seconds, and moved up to fourth in the average. The 19-time world champion was also second in the team roping in round 7; it was the first time a cowboy had won a check in the same night in two events since Brazile did it in 2010.

Jake Wright won his third round in the 2013 Finals with 84.5 points. He had to sweat out three re-rides by Cort Scheer, who finally posted 80.5 points and claimed third place. Wright moved into first place in the world standings-ahead of his older brother, Cody, a two-time world champ- and also improved to third in the average. Jake Wright, 23, is trying to win his first world title, the year after his twin brother, Jesse, won his first crown. Cody Wright is second in the world - $2,661 behind Jake- while Jesse Wright is fifth in the standings

Barrel racer Taylor Jacob didn’t match her WNFR record run of 13.37 seconds from round six, but did win in 13.47 seconds, her fourth victory in seven rounds. The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Rookie of the Year has equaled or broken every round record in her four wins. Sherry Cervi, who has earned a check in every roundand has two round wins, leads the avers and is first in the world with $222,638, more than $30,000 ahead of defending champ Mary Walker. Jacob has climbed to third in the standings with $164,484 but is sixth in the average, 8.86 seconds behind Cervi after hitting barrels and incurring penalties in the first two rounds.

 Only five bull riders stayed on for eight-seconds- have as many as round six- and defending World Champion Cody Teel was the winner, going for 85 points. Teel moved into second place in the average and second in the world standings, but is more than $55,000 behind J.W. Harris.

Concluding round seven, Jacob now leads the Ram Truck Top Gun Award standings with $82,432. Cervi is second with $74,220. Ohl is third, followed by Jake Wright with $68,810, Hanchey with $68,359, and two-time world champ Harris with $67,007.