Koby Radley’s 92-point ride snares bull riding title

But the 2018 PRCA Bull of the Year met his match Saturday night.

Montpelier, La., cowboy Koby Radley registered an electric 92-point ride on Spotted Demon to win Round 3 at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo before 16,831 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“I don’t know – but I knew a lot of it was the bull,” Radley said about his ride, which was a career best. “He has been around a long time and I’d seen a lot of good guys get on him and a lot of good guys get bucked off him.

“It’s huge to ride Spotted Demon and to be 92 on him and win a round on him. To be able to ride one of the greatest bulls of all time is great. You are on Cloud 9; he was stout and all there, and I felt all 92 points out of him.”

Radley – counting ground money – earned $33,560 for his victory.

“It’s great,” Radley said of the big payday. “This is the rank pen and the best bulls in the world, and everyone who rode here had their hands full.”

Radley made his Wrangler NFR debut a year ago but didn’t win a round.

“I didn’t get a round win last year, and that was one of my goals this year,” Radley said. “It’s huge for my confidence to get a big win early in the Finals.”

Chase Brooks ties Round 3 saddle bronc riding record

 Chase Brooks won his first round of the 2019 Wrangler NFR with a Round 3 record-tying ride.

The Deer Lodge, Mont., cowboy had a 90-point ride on Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Lunatic Party.

Brooks shares the Round 2 record with ProRodeo Hall of Famer Billy Etbauer, who had 90-point rides in 1999 and 2005, and Isaac Diaz, who did it in 2018.

“Yeah, it was nice to have one that was that much fun,” Brooks said of Lunatic Party. “(Friday night) was a lot of work, and I came up a little short.

“Oh, man, that’s awesome (to tie the record). Shoot, it’s cool to have my name by those guys. I’ve watched them since I was starting and looked up to them.”

Between the 2018 Wrangler NFR and this year’s Finals, Brooks has been on a roll, winning three of the last seven rounds.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “It’s nice to do one by myself, because I split every other (round win). It’s good to get one alone.”

Tuf Cooper tops tie-down ropers

Tuf Cooper, a three-time, tie-down roping world champion, knows how to win at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Cooper added to his Wrangler NFR success by winning Round 3 with a 6.9-second run.

Cooper earned a $26,231 check for his win. He’s sixth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $141,823. He’s also leading the average with a 24.5-second time on three head.

Cooper, who won the 2017 all-around world title, is third in the all-around standings after three rounds.

“It’s every cowboy’s dream to compete here, and winning a round feels amazing,” Cooper said. “I felt relaxed and was able to get the start that I wanted, so that helped out.”

Although Cooper is a Wrangler NFR veteran, he still enjoys soaking in the experience.

“Vegas is Cowboy Town during the NFR, it’s amazing,” Cooper said. “Our whole family is here and the entire Western industry. If you’re not here and read this, you’ve got seven nights to get out here. It’s a 10-day marathon, each night you’ve got to do your best. Every night you’ve got to rope better than all the other guys.”

Bareback rider Tanner Aus takes win with 90-point ride

The rematch for Tanner Aus was as good as the first.

After winning Rodeo Corpus Christi (Texas) with a 90-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage in April, it was more of the same for Aus and Full Baggage in Round 3 of the Wrangler NFR.

Aus had a 90-point trip on Full Baggage to win the round and earn $26,231.

“I would like to keep this 90-point streak going with that horse,” Aus said. “I was really excited to see that I had that one. That was a great horse to have in this pen. There were a lot of strong horses out (Saturday night), horses that strike fear into the hearts of men. I had a little history with that horse, and I was thankful. It feels good. You can’t stub your toe on him.”

The ride was everything Aus thought it would be – and more. Full Baggage was the PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year in 2011 and 2013.

“It kind of felt like it was all I could do to keep up with him to be honest,” Aus said. “It was a fight to the end, and he got to the fence right there at the whistle and it timed out perfectly. It was one of those where you don’t know what the score is going to be. I was thankful to hear it (the score). I’m kind of getting things rolling this week. It was a tough first couple of rounds, and now I got something good.”

Aus received a no score in Round 1 and failed to place in Round 2.

Team ropers Wade/Davison claim second win in three rounds

Team ropers Tyler Wade and Cole Davison have already had a stout Wrangler NFR, and only three rounds have been completed.

Wade/Davison won Round 1 with a 4.0-second run, then went out Saturday night and recorded a 3.7-second run to capture the Round 3 victory.

“The money is awesome, and we have $62,000 won already and that is a good feeling,” Wade said. “It’s nice to have that much in the third round, but right now it’s too early to talk averages.”

Davison also is happy about the way things are unfolding for his team.

“Obviously, we are here to catch every one of them, and nobody thinks about the average until the end of the week because there’s so much money,” Davison said. “This is a humbling sport, so I just try to stay even keeled.”

Wade and Davison know their respective horses are fueling their victory binge.

“I rode my new bay named Spur,” Wade said. “This is his fifth steer with me in a rodeo setup, but he’s 12 years old now and was used for roping before by his previous owner. We did a lot of practice with him and he is taking it well. I was a little nervous about the crowd and sounds, but he’s doing great so far, and I hope he keeps it up.”

Davison also praised his mount.

“I was riding Apollo Oak,” Davison said. “I bought him from Rhen Richard. He (Apollo Oak) is pretty spot on, and I didn’t do a good job of getting out, but he reads the cow well.”

Steer wrestler Hunter Cure claims title

Hunter Cure, a two-time PRCA world champion steer wrestler, grabbed the headlines Saturday night.

The Holliday, Texas, cowboy won the round with a 3.8-second run. The victory came after Cure had a wild Round 2 run where he flipped over and still registered an 8.9-second time.

“It feels good to actually break the ice at any point in the week and get your first check, and it’s pretty sweet following up a pretty unique run from (Friday night) to a first-place run (Saturday night). It’s kind of a daylight and dark kind of thing.”

Cure used his Friday run as a learning tool.

“My hazer, Lee Graves, and I took about five minutes (Friday) when we finally got the right angle of both horses and the steer,” Cure said. “We frame-by-framed it until we figured out where our deficiencies were and got up this morning and tried to work on those.”

Cure was quick to credit his success to Graves, who won steer wrestling world championships in 2005 and 2009.

“You can’t replace a two-time world champion steer wrestler, but also a man who’s hazed over 100 steers in this building,” Cure said. “So, I’m very fortunate to have him in my corner.”

Amberleigh Moore is tops in barrel racing

Barrel racer Amberleigh Moore is back on track.

After knocking down a barrel in Round 1, she picked up an $11,000 check in Round 2.

In Round 3, Moore claimed the title with a 13.62-second run.

“Paige (Moore’s horse) just loves this arena so much,” Moore said. “She came in the first night, and she was so excited to be here that I think she got too excited. She over-worked and lost me. She came back (Friday night) and played it safe, which was fine because we picked up a check. Then tonight, I knew she’d come back and tighten it up, and I just had to be ready to let it roll.”

Moore said her Wrangler NFR experience is paying off.

“Being that it’s my fourth year here and it’s Paige’s 33rd run in that arena, we both know every inch of that arena, and I just have to be ready for it every step of the way,” Moore said.

Third Performance Results, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019

Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

Bareback riding: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage, $26,231; 2. Trenten Montero, 89, $20,731; 3. Kaycee Feild, 88, $15,654; 4. Tim O’Connell, 87, $11,000; 5. Clayton Biglow, 86, $6,769; 6. Caleb Bennett, 84, $4,231; 7. Steven Dent, 82; 8. Tilden Hooper, 79.5; 9. Richmond Champion, 79; 10. Taylor Broussard, 76; 11. Orin Larsen, 75; 12. Clint Laye, 71; 13. Austin Foss, Ty Breuer and Jake Brown, NS. Average standings: 1. Tim O’Connell, 264.5 points on three head; 2. Trenten Montero, 263.5; 3. Richmond Champion, 259.5; 4. Clayton Biglow, 258.5; 5. Kaycee Feild, 252.5; 6. Steven Dent, 252; 7. Taylor Broussard, 246.5; 8. Clint Laye, 246; 9. Tilden Hooper, 244; 10. Orin Larsen, 239; 11. Caleb Bennett, 174 points on two; 12. Tanner Aus, 172.5; 13. Ty Breuer, 171; 14. Austin Foss, 167.5; 15. Jake Brown, 86.5 points on one. World standings: 1. Clayton Biglow, $219,452; 2. Kaycee Feild, $201,859; 3. Orin Larsen, $185,558; 4. Richmond Champion, $182,714; 5. Tim O’Connell, $161,668; 6. Tilden Hooper, $158,559; 7. Caleb Bennett, $140,857; 8. Trenten Montero, $137,719; 9. Clint Laye, $128,954; 10. Tanner Aus, $117,826; 11. Ty Breuer, $107,584; 12. Jake Brown, $105,068; 13. Steven Dent, $103,799; 14. Austin Foss, $102,895; 15. Taylor Broussard, $93,502.

Steer wrestling: 1. Hunter Cure, 3.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Will Lummus and Tyler Pearson, 4.1, $18,192 each; 4. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, J.D. Struxness and Bridger Chambers, 4.3, $7,333; 7. Matt Reeves, 4.4; 8. Cameron Morman, 4.7; 9. Ty Erickson, 4.8; 10. (tie) Riley Duvall and Kyle Irwin, 5.7; 12. Tanner Brunner, 6.6; 13. Scott Guenthner, 7.4; 14. Dakota Eldridge, 13.6; 15. Stetson Jorgensen, 16.0. Average standings: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 12.0 seconds on three head; 2. J.D. Struxness, 12.4; 3. Matt Reeves, 13.6; 4. Cameron Morman, 14.4; 5. Riley Duvall, 15.3; 6. Hunter Cure, 17.4; 7. Bridger Chambers, 22.3; 8. Tyler Pearson, 23.4; 9. (tie) Stetson Jorgensen and Dakota Eldridge, 24.3; 11. Kyle Irwin, 24.6; 12. Scott Guenthner, 29.9; 13. Ty Erickson, 32.5; 14. Will Lummus, 8.4 seconds on two; 15. Tanner Brunner, 16.6. World standings: 1. Ty Erickson; $156,081; 2. Tyler Waguespack, $147,464; 3. Hunter Cure, $140,799; 4. J.D. Struxness, $134,150; 5. Scott Guenthner, $128,545; 6. Stetson Jorgensen, $127,015; 7. Dakota Eldridge, $117,334; 8. Will Lummus, $115,998; 9. Bridger Chambers, $114,554; 10. Tyler Pearson, $112,712; 11. Kyle Irwin, $97,703; 12. Matt Reeves, $96,259; 13. Riley Duvall, $95,963; 14. Cameron Morman, $88,114; 15. Tanner Brunner, $84,950.

Team roping: 1. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 3.7 seconds, $26,231 each; 2. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 3.9, $20,731; 3. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 4.0, $15,654; 4. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.6, $11,000; 5. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 4.7, $6,769; 6. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 5.1, $4,231; 7. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 8.9; 8. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 14.0; 9. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 14.5; 10. Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 14.8; 11. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, Clay Tryan/Jake Long, Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, NT. Average standings: 1. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 13.5 seconds on three head; 2. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 14.0; 3. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 14.9; 4. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 19.9; 5. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 25.1; 6. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 28.0; 7. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 29.1; 8. Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 34.2; 9. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 7.7 seconds on two; 10. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 9.4; 11. Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, 10.5; 12. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 13.6; 13. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 13.8; 14. Clay Tryan/Jake Long, 4.6 seconds on one; 15. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 19.0. World standings (headers): 1. Clay Smith, $186,743; 2. Kaleb Driggers, $153,558; 3. Tyler Wade, $135,856; 4. Clay Tryan, $133,896; 5. Brenten Hall, $130,657; 6. Riley Minor, $125,418; 7. Cody Snow, $120,707; 8. Coleman Proctor, $114,318; 9. Chad Masters, $112,298; 10. Ty Blasingame, $111,490; 11. Matt Sherwood, $111,166; 12. Erich Rogers, $99,653; 13. Luke Brown, $97,055; 14. Tate Kirchenschlager, $93,071; 15. Jake Cooper, $90,524. World standings (heelers): 1. Junior Nogueira, $150,877; 2. Jade Corkill, $144,869; 3. Jake Long, $137,627; 4. Cole Davison, $134,371; 5. Chase Tryan, $128,076; 6. Brady Minor, $125,418; 7. Kyle Lockett, $124,384; 8. Hunter Koch, $119,269; 9. Ryan Motes, $119,166; 10. Joseph Harrison, $115,047; 11. Travis Graves, $113,165; 12. Wesley Thorp, $112,950; 13. Paul Eaves, $101,562; 14. Caleb Anderson, $89,723; 15. Tyler Worley, $88,524.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Chase Brooks, 90 points on Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Lunatic Party, $26,231; 2. Zeke Thurston, 89.5, $20,731; 3. Dawson Hay, 88.5, $15,654; 4. Brody Cress, 88, $11,000; 5. (tie) Spencer Wright and Jake Watson, 87, $5,500 each; 7. Ryder Wright, 86.5; 8. Jesse Wright, 85.5; 9. Jacobs Crawley, 84.5; 10. Mitch Pollock, 84; 11. Rusty Wright, 83.5; 12. Colt Gordon, 82.5; 13. Sterling Crawley, Bradley Harter and J.J. Elshere, NS. Average standings: 1. Brody Cress, 252 points on three head; 2. Rusty Wright, 250.5; 3. Zeke Thurston, 177.5 points on two; 4. Chase Brooks, 176; 5. Jesse Wright, 175; 6. Spencer Wright, 173; 7. Dawson Hay, 171.5; 8. Jacobs Crawley, 169; 9. Colt Gordon, 162; 10. Jake Watson, 87 points on one; 11. (tie) Ryder Wright, Bradley Harter and J.J. Elshere, 86.5; 14. Mitch Pollock, 84; 15. Sterling Crawley, NS. World standings: 1. Ryder Wright, $234,488; 2. Zeke Thurston, $233,953; 3. Chase Brooks, $159,847; 4. Rusty Wright, $148,923; 5. Jacobs Crawley, $146,666; 6. Brody Cress, $145,205; 7. Spencer Wright, $142,938; 8. Jesse Wright, $132,736; 9. Bradley Harter, $127,543; 10. Dawson Hay, $125,965; 11. Sterling Crawley, $124,427; 12. Jake Watson, $124,291; 13. J.J. Elshere, $119,003; 14. Mitch Pollock, $109,542; 15. Colt Gordon, $101,071.  

Tie-down roping: 1. Tuf Cooper, 6.9 seconds, $26,231; 2. Shane Hanchey, 7.1, $20,731; 3. (tie) Ty Harris and Shad Mayfield, 7.3, $13,327; 5. Tyler Milligan, 7.6, $6,769; 6. Taylor Santos, 7.9, $4,231; 7. Rhen Richard, 8.5; 8. Haven Meged, 8.6; 9. Tyson Durfey, 9.1; 10. Adam Gray, 9.2; 11. Marty Yates, 9.4; 12. Michael Otero, 10.5; 13. Cooper Martin, 11.0; 14. Caleb Smidt, 15.7; 15. Riley Pruitt, 16.7. Average standings: 1. Tuf Cooper, 24.5 seconds on three head; 2. Taylor Santos, 24.7; 3. Marty Yates, 25.1; 4. Haven Meged, 25.5; 5. Shad Mayfield, 25.6; 6. Tyson Durfey, 26.2; 7. Michael Otero, 28.2; 8. Rhen Richard, 29.5; 9. Tyler Milligan, 33.6; 10. Cooper Martin, 34.5; 11. Caleb Smidt, 35.1; 12. Adam Gray, 37.4; 13. Riley Pruitt, 40.6; 14. Shane Hanchey, 14.7 seconds on two; 15. Ty Harris, 17.8. World standings: 1. Shane Hanchey, $159,158; 2. Haven Meged, $158,860; 3. Marty Yates, $146,431; 4. Caleb Smidt, $141,900; 5. Taylor Santos, $141,869; 6. Tuf Cooper, $141,823; 7. Tyson Durfey, $137,263; 8. Tyler Milligan, $134,974; 9. Shad Mayfield, $127,075; 10. Ty Harris, $120,976; 11. Michael Otero, $111,924; 12. Riley Pruitt, $109,535; 13. Adam Gray, $102,173; 14. Rhen Richard, $98,661; 15. Cooper Martin, $96,260.

Barrel racing: 1. Amberleigh Moore, 13.62 seconds, $26,231; 2. Emily Miller, 13.63, $20,731; 3. Dona Kay Rule, 13.68, $15,654; 4. Jessica Routier, 13.84, $11,000; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 13.88, $6,769; 6. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 13.90, $4,231; 7. Nellie Miller, 13.93; 8. Lisa Lockhart, 13.94; 9. Hailey Kinsel, 13.96; 10. Lacinda Rose, 13.99; 11. Shali Lord, 14.11; 12. Stevi Hillman, 14.18; 13. Jennifer Sharp, 14.19; 14. Cheyenne Wimberley, 14.31; 15. Ericka Nelson, 19.03. Average standings: 1. Emily Miller, 41.00 seconds on three runs; 2. Dona Kay Rule, 41.45; 3. Lisa Lockhart, 41.49; 4. Jessica Routier, 41.71; 5. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 41.80; 6. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 41.86; 7. Nellie Miller, 41.89; 8. Shali Lord, 42.04; 9. Jennifer Sharp, 42.27; 10. Lacinda Rose, 42.73; 11. Hailey Kinsel, 46.35; 12. Stevi Hillman, 46.69; 13. Ericka Nelson, 47.06; 14. Cheyenne Wimberley, 47.60; 15. Amberleigh Moore, 51.21. World standings: 1. Lisa Lockhart, $181,313; 2. Hailey Kinsel, $179,597; 3. Nellie Miller, $175,611; 4. Emily Miller, $170,760; 5. Dona Kay Rule, $148,392; 6. Amberleigh Moore, $140,290; 7. Stevi Hillman, $130,989; 8. Jessica Routier, $123,082; 9. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $122,273; 10. Shali Lord, $121,776; 11. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, $114,269; 12. Jennifer Sharp, $107,254; 13. Ericka Nelson, $103,433; 14. Cheyenne Wimberley, $100,361; 15. Lacinda Rose, $98,936.

Bull riding: 1. Koby Radley, 92 points on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Spotted Demon, $33,564; 2. Jordan Hansen, 90, $28,064; 3.Trey Benton III, 89.5, $22,987; 4. Stetson Wright, Sage Kimzey, Trevor Kastner, Josh Frost, Tyler Bingham, Jeff Askey, Garrett Smith, Daylon Swearingen, Jordan Spears, Trey Kimzey, Clayton Sellars, Boudreaux Campbell, NS. Average standings: 1. Jordan Hansen, 179.5 points on two head; 2. (tie) Koby Radley and Garrett Smith, 178.5; 4. Boudreaux Campbell, 174.0; 5. Sage Kimzey, 172; 6. Stetson Wright, 92.5 points on one; 7. Tyler Bingham, 90; 8. Trey Benton III, 89.5; 9. Clayton Sellars, 84.5; 10. Jordan Spears, 82.5, 11. Trevor Kastner, Josh Frost, Jeff Askey, Daylon Swearingen, Trey Kimzey, NS. World standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, $290,271; 2. Stetson Wright, $188,652; 3. Boudreaux Campbell, $180,489; 4. Garrett Smith, $171,769; 5. Jordan Hansen, $163,811; 6. Trevor Kastner, $159,100; 7. Koby Radley, $158,118; 8. Trey Benton III, $155,264; 9. Tyler Bingham, $153,181; 10. Clayton Sellars, $139,191; 11. Jordan Spears, $131,548; 12. Josh Frost, $129,561; 13. Jeff Askey, $123,694; 14. Daylon Swearingen, $121,837; 15. Trey Kimzey, $118,160.

All-Around Standings: 1. Stetson Wright, $219,230; 2. Clay Smith, $197,595; 3. Tuf Cooper, $195,986; 4. Caleb Smidt, $155,190; 5. Trevor Brazile, $129,754; 6. Landon McClaugherty, $112,119; 7. Steven Dent, $111,577; 8. Rhen Richard, $104,653; 9. Josh Frost, $92,732; 10. Daylon Swearingen, $80,920.