Wrangler NFR 2011 Round 2

If only there was a Montana Silversmith buckle for “WNFR Number One Cowboy of the Night” given out each perf- there’s a reason Dusty Tuckness is voted as the top bull fighter and he showed the crowd why in round 2. Tuckness saved a lot of cowboys from injuries last night and in doing so sacrificed his own body as the “bull bait”. Rodeo fans praise the top bull riders of the world but sometimes forget that without these bull fighters taking the blows there’s no way the top 15 cowboys would be able to ride 10 days in a row.

Bull rider Chandler Bownds, not even old enough to enjoy a cold Coors Banquet, came out of the chute spun hard and fast to the left on Robinson Pro Rodeos RMEF Bugle to win it with a 91 point ride. This 150 pound youngster made a great comeback from round one’s no score.

Day two of tough luck in the team roping! Between the broken barriers, one leg catches, and missing on the headers side- if the team could just have a smooth run they were in the money. Champion of the World, Trevor Brazile, and Midlands Patrick Smith took the first place check with a 4.1 to be 10 flat on 2.

World Champion Dean Gorsuch’s steer decided to give him a run for his money! Despite his valiant efforts to wrestle this trickster to the ground, even if it meant dirt skiing while holding onto his tail, Gorsuch didn’t have any luck. Leave it to the OUTSTANDING JESSE to do it again! Trevor Knowles slammed one to the dirt in a blink of an eye with a 3.3 second run. What a pair these two have made- two first-place Montana buckles in two days.

Taking the first place check home on round 1 of the bareback riding was nice, but taking home the first place check on round 2 as well is a huge boost! Kaycee Field thus far has been unbeatable. With an 87.5 point ride on JK Rodeo Company’s bucking horse Molly, Kaycee Field is keeping his “WNFR Round 2” winning status after winning this round in the 2010 Finals as well.

Same sort of luck for the tie down roping champ Cody Ohl who roped a 7.1 to win round 2 to follow his round 1 title. As he throws his Resistol high in the air, this run marks the 42^nd round winning title for Ohl- more than any other tie down roper in the history of the sport.

It didn’t take long for the UNLV Thomas and Mack Center’s dirt to speed up in the barrel racing! Lisa Lockhart on the lovely buckskin horse clocked the first 13 second pattern of the 2011 WNFR with a 13.95- a definite pick up from the night before where she hit a barrel. The beautiful Angie Meadors came in second with a 14 second flat.
Improving his score by over 10 points, Chuck Schmidt moved up in the average with his win of $17,885 on his ride verses Bar T Rodeo’s Son of Sadie. The beloved Cody DeMoss was stepped on after not completing his 8 second ride and was seen by the Justin Sports Medicine Team immediately. He did walk out of the arena and hopefully will be fine for round 3.

Round 3 kicks off at the Thomas and Mack at 7pm [Vegas time]. Make sure to watch it live on GAC- the exclusive TV broadcaster of the WNFR.