WNFR Round Three Highlights

Night number three of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo saw some big changes to the storylines that highlighted the first two rounds.

British Columbia bulldogger, Stephen Culling put together a solid 4.2 second run, good for a share of second (with Stan Branco) and a $21,296 cheque. Coupled with a split of sixth in round two, Culling, riding Tanner Milan’s champion steer wrestling horse, Eddie, has not looked at all like a rookie NFR cowboy and sits 4th in the lucrative aggregate standings. Nick Guy bulldogged his steer in 4.2 seconds to win the round.

At the top end of the world title leaderboard, Canadian and World season leader Dalton Massey continues to lead both the average and the world race. Like Culling, the Oregon cowboy is appearing at his first NFR after setting the all-time PRCA season earnings record.

The bareback riding saw a major shift in the story arc that captivated fans through the first two rounds. The 19-year-old fan favourite, Rocker Steiner, who won the first two rounds in convincing fashion, managed only a 73.5 score to slow some of the momentum in his quest to catch rookie Keenan Hayes who was leading Steiner by $120,000 coming in. Steiner had cut that lead in half but Hayes split 2/3 in the round and more importantly moved past Steiner in the aggregate as Hayes is now 4th while Steiner dropped back to sixth. The round three win went to Mason Clements who was 88.5 on Frontier Rodeo’s Breaking News.

The Team Roping had a few surprises in round three as two of the top three teams (Clint Summers and Jake Long) and reigning champions Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira both took no times. Tonight’s winners were Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin who posted a rapid 3.7 for the win. In the World standings, header Nelson Wyatt (Clanton, Alabama) has gone to the number one spot while heeler Wesley Thorpe of Throckmorton, TX has taken over the world lead in the heeling.

Canadian and 2016 World Champion Jeremy Buhler and his heading partner Rhen Richard from Utah had a tough round three as they caught a leg and broke the barrier for 18.9 to be out of the money.

There have been three go rounds to date at the WNFR and three leader changes in the bronc riding. Tonight it was Montana cowboy Sage Newman moving to number one in the world after making a spectacular ride on the Calgary Stampede’s Weekend Departure. The effort netted Newman 89 points and the $30,706 first place cheque. Kade Bruno is in second place and the three time and reigning World Champion—Canada’s Zeke Thurston—was just out of the money in the round and fell to 3rd place but is only $15,000 back of Newman. And, while it’s early days, Thurston has the advantage as he’s splitting first in the all-important aggregate while Bruno is fifth and Newman holds down eighth. Dawson Hay was best of the Canadian quartet in the bronc riding as he was 85.5 to cash a fifth-place cheque of $7924.

Fellow Canadians Ben Andersen and Layton Green both finished out of the money. On the stock side, Lefty Holman earned the round three third place cheque with an 86.5 on C5 Rodeo’s Macho Man followed by Kade Bruno’s 86 (fourth place) aboard Calgary Stampede’s Y U R Friskey.

Riley Webb reminded fans why he’s number one in the world with a smoking 6.9 second run in the tie-down roping – the fastest of WNFR ’65 so far. The 20-year-old Texan, who earned a small cheque the first night sits fifth in the aggregate. Nine time NFR qualifier Cory Solomon was 7 flat for second spot and $24,268. With consistent placings in the first three rounds, Solomon holds down first in the aggregate. CFR rookie Beau Cooper from Stettler, AB continues to face some adversity with a no time in round three. 

Always popular Lisa Lockhart and her talented equine partner Levee clocked the fastest time to date in the barrel racing event, a speedy 13.51 second run from the top of the ground for the big cheque… her second placing in the first three rounds. The Oelrichs, South Dakota veteran – who is a four time Canadian Champion – has moved to fifth in the World standings and third in the aggregate race. World leader, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, who has a second, a share of fifth and a fourth so far maintains a firm lead overall in the World rankings and is first in the aggregate.

With injury having sidelined Utah superstar Stetson Wright for the remainder of this WNFR, the bull riding is all about whether his buddy and travelling partner, Australian Ky Hamilton, can catch Wright. Hamilton is now 3 for 3 after putting up an 87.5 score to finish second in the round and now sits first in the aggregate. More importantly Hamilton is now less than $30,000 behind the reigning champion. Creek Young, the Rogersville, Missouri talent, won the round with an 89.5, highest score of the finals to date, on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Let’s Gamble while the two Canadians, Jared Parsonage, who won round two, and Jordan Hansen failed to make the eight seconds on this night.