Author Archives: runbikeride

LAS VEGAS — Coming into the National Finals Rodeo, the chances of Culver cowboy Bobby Mote winning a third world title in bareback riding seemed remote.

Mote was $63,000 behind the leader in the world standings, who hadn’t been bucked off a horse all season.

But after an amazing 10 days in which he made up the gap with a series of brilliant performances, Mote is again the world bareback champion.

Mote needed only to stay on his ride for eight seconds to clinch his third world title, but he did much more than that in the 10th and final round. Mote rode Wonderland for 88.5 points to win the round, secure his first NFR average crown and take home the gold buckle. Mote finished $50,846 ahead of Clint Cannon after earning $139,880 in Las Vegas to Cannon’s $33,081. Before the NFR, Cannon set a regular-season earnings record for all Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events.

Mote tried his best not to think about what he needed to do in Round 10 heading into the final day, but it wasn’t easy.

“I’ve honestly tried since last night to not think about today too much, because you can build up quite a bit of anxiety,” said Mote, who set a bareback riding single-season earnings record with $310,219. “Last night, we got finished with the buckle ceremony and Charlie, my boy, came up to me and said, ‘Dad, mom told me not to tell you, but you’re winning the average by 15 points, and all you’ve got to do is stay on tomorrow.’ I said, ‘Charlie, that’s the last thing I need to hear.’ ”

Mote was thrilled to be able to overtake Cannon’s substantial lead thanks to a red-hot NFR.

“The last (world title) I won (in 2007), I had such a lead and had just an OK finals, and if it hadn’t been for Houston, I wouldn’t have won it,” Mote said. “This year, I was chasing Clint (Cannon). Clint won Houston and everything else all year long, went to 100 rodeos and out-rode and out-rodeoed everybody. I had the best chance coming in here to catch him, but it was a tall order. He had some stuff kind of hold him back this week, but he’ll be back. I just praise God that I’m here and that it ended up like it did.” (read more)

LAS VEGAS — Trevor Brazile added two more gold buckles to his collection Saturday night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Brazile, from Decatur, Texas, matched the record of seven all-around titles held by Ty Murray and moved into a tie for third on the overall list with 11 gold buckles.

Brazile won his record-tying seventh all-around title with earnings of $346,779. The tie-down and team roper exceeded $300,000 for the record fourth straight year.

Josh Peek of Pueblo, Colo., was second in the all-around with $245,068, and Clint Robinson of Spanish Fork, Utah, was third with $200,021.

In tie-down roping, Brazile won the world championship with $188,343. It was his second gold buckle in three years in the event.

“The calf roping went pretty good,” Brazile said. “I don’t have any regrets. I had a lead to protect, and I had different strategies.

“In team roping, we (header Brazile and heeler Patrick Smith of Midland, Texas) came out to win as much money as we could. We were first or second (on the earnings lists) in the last two years, and we were just coming in with some severe confidence. We worked hard, but nothing changed other than we had a couple bad breaks that didn’t go our way.”

Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas, won the aggregate title with a time of 84.5 seconds on 10 head and was second to Brazile in the world standings. Cooper just missed breaking Fred Whitfield’s 1997 record of 84.0 on 10 head.

Cooper also won the NFR earnings title with $87,356. He tied for second in round 10 with a time of 7.6, while Tyson Durfey of Colbert, Wash., won in 7.1. Brazile didn’t place with a time of 8.8.

In bareback riding, Bobby Mote of Culver, Ore., took won the round with an 88.5 on Wonderland and claimed his third world championship with an event-record $310,219, the aggregate crown with 847 points over 10 rounds and the NFR earnings title with $139,879. Mote, who broke Will Lowe’s single-season earnings record of $280,227 set in 2006, had at least a share of first place in four of the last five rounds.

Clint Cannon of Waller, Texas, who set a PRCA record for most regular-season money in any event with $233,504, didn’t place with a 79 on Fancy Free in round 10 and finished second in the world standing with $266,585.

Mote won the aggregate race with 830 points on 10 rides.

“I’ve been here four times in the same situation in the 10th round when it was do or die, and I’ve done well a couple times and have messed up a couple times,” Mote said. “Having that experience sure enough helped, but it didn’t make it any easier.”

In steer wrestling, Lee Graves of Calgary, Alberta, claimed the world championship with an event-record $251,031, the aggregate score crown at 45.1 over 10 rounds and the NFR earnings title with $130,458. He was third in the round at 3.5.

Luke Branquinho of Los Alamos, Calif., who led the aggregate score race and was second in the world standings after nine rounds, had a no-time when it was determined that he didn’t have his hand on the steer. He dropped to eighth in the aggregate race, but held on to second in the world with $200,186.

Graves broke Branquinho’s 2008 single-season money record.

“I feel bad about Luke,” Graves said. “He had some bad luck, but he opened the door for me and I capitalized on it. It actually put more pressure on me to go catch my steer and throw him down than actually do something.”

Dean Gorsuch of Gering, Neb., and Jake Rinehart of Highmore, S.D., tied for first in the round with 3.4s.

In team roping, header Nick Sartain of Yukon, Okla., and heeler Kollin VonAhn of Durant, Okla., came from behind to claim the world championship with $186,689 for Sartain and $185,522 for VonAhn. The duo also claimed the aggregate score crown with a time of 59.2 over 10 rounds and the NFR earnings title with $106,292. (read more)

 It definitely came down to the wire!!!  Click here for Average Results

Way to go girls!!

There is a new king of cowboys.

Trevor Brazile is the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo champion and now seven-time All-Around World Champion Cowboy.

“Oh, man,” a relieved Brazile said afterwards. “The only day better than the 10th round is the day after the 10th round. It’s been a tough week.”…(read more)

Jesse Kruse is the first Great Falls athlete to win a rodeo world championship.

The C.M. Russell High graduate earned an 84-point score for an eight-second ride Saturday night and claimed the saddle bronc world title as the 51st National Finals Rodeo concluded.

Kruse finished fifth in the 10th and final go-round, earning $4,423. The 23-year-old also finished fourth in the average, which factors all 10 NFR performances, to win another $20,733.

 Kruse finished the 2009 pro rodeo season with earnings of $194,465. That was far ahead of runner-up Cody DeMoss ($169,739).

 J.J. Elshere, who was bucked off Saturday night, finished third in the world standings with $167,996.

J.W. Harris wrapped up his second straight world bull riding title Friday night despite failing to earn any money during the first nine rounds of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Harris, from May, Texas, equaled a feat accomplished last by bull rider Bill Nelson, who won the 1971 title without earning any money in the finals — then held in Oklahoma City.

Harris broke his right (riding) hand in the second round, and hasn’t completed a qualified ride. Freckles Brown (1962) is the only bull rider to win a world championship without completing a ride at the NFR. After missing four rounds, Harris was bucked off Hawaiian Ivory in the ninth round.

“It’s all the hard work throughout the year,” Harris said. “It just proves that rodeo is 365 days a year. You have to go all year, and I did give myself a cushion in case something did happen I would be all right. I would have liked to finish 10-for-10, but stuff happens.”…..(read more)