Trevor Brazile – Photo by Tom Donahue
Trevor Brazile, the 22-time world champion, won the tie-down roping with a 6.8-second run – the fastest Round 1 time in WNFR history.
“That’s sweet, I had no idea,” Brazile said of setting the record.
Trevor Brazile won his 23rd world championship tonight, and he did it in style.
The Decatur, Texas, cowboy clinched the 13th gold all-around buckle of his career when he won the tie-down roping in Round 6 with a 6.6-second run at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Polaris RANGER.
The lightning bolt of a run broke the previous Round 6 record of 6.9 seconds, and was just one-tenth of a second off the arena record time of 6.5 seconds set by Cody Ohl in 2003.
“Rodeo has been so good to me,” Brazile said. “The fans are awesome. I just love everything about the sport and the industry more than anything. It’s just a way of life.”
Entering the night, Brazile just needed to out-earn team roper JoJo LeMond to clinch the all-around gold buckle. He left no doubt with the dominating tie-down roping run.
Brazile moved from sixth to second in the tie-down roping world standings, and trails brother-in-law Tuf Cooper by less than $9,000. Brazile sits fourth in the average race, and if the rodeo ended right now would be collecting gold buckle No. 24.
“I’m as pumped about the 6.6 as I was the all-around championship, because I was close in the calf roping (standings), and good in the average,” Brazile said. “Usually the position I come in in the all-around doesn’t allow me to take chances and risks like that, but now I’m trying to win that calf roping world championship. When you’re protecting a lead sometimes you don’t get to do stuff like that. I’ve got ground to make up.”
The 6.6 also was Brazile’s personal-best WNFR tie-down roping time, surpassing his previous top time of 6.7 seconds when he won Round 7 in 2007.
Brazile has another record night
LAS VEGAS – Trevor Brazile just keeps outdoing himself at the 2015 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Polaris RANGER.
Brazile earned his 23rd gold buckle in Round 6 two nights ago when he clinched the world all-around title by winning the tie-down roping title with a 6.6-second run.
Tonight, he one-upped himself with a 6.5 to tie the arena record and nearly take the lead in the tie-down roping world standings. He trails brother-in-law Tuf Cooper by just $537, and trails only Caleb Smidt in the WNFR average race.
“That’s big,” Brazile said of tying the arena record. “I feel like I’ve made some great team roping runs here, and never had an arena record before (in that event). To think of all the guys who have got it on right here in this arena, to be able to say arena record, that’s special.”
The 6.5 tied Cody Ohl’s time from Round 10 of the 2003 WNFR. The previous Round 8 record was 6.7 by Ryan Jarrett in 2013.
If the rodeo ended right now, Brazile would win his fourth tie-down roping world title – and first since 2010 – which would make him a 24-time world champion. This was Brazile’s 63rd National Finals go-round win, in all events combined.
“I made up three seconds in the average, but I could’ve just as easily made up 2.8 seconds with two wraps (instead of one),” he said. “It’s just one of those things where we’re in Vegas and that’s (taking risks) part of it. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the blackjack table or the Thomas & Mack on the dirt, you have to know when to gamble.”
