Park City, Kan.: (October 29, 2010) – Pro rodeo’s divisional title for regional championships kicked off tonight with the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The best rodeo talent from Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska came together to compete for over $100,000 in prize money.
“When you’re hot, you’re hot”
Caine Riddle scored 81 points in the bareback riding to win the first go-round of action at the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo.
The Vernon, Texas cowboy has been hot lately. His rodeo season started slow but after “Cowboy Christmas”, the Fourth of July, things improved. “I’ve been drawing good, and even when I haven’t been drawing good, I’ve been riding good,” the cowboy said. “It keeps my confidence up. My dad’s always told me, when you’re hot, you’re hot, and I’ve been pretty hot this fall.” He rode the New Frontier Rodeo Co. horse Angel Eyes.
Riddle is about $3100 behind the leader, DV Fennell, Neosho, Mo.
Broncs Dominate over Cowboys in Saddle Bronc Riding
The saddle bronc riding was turned upside down tonight, with eight of the twelve bronc riders bucking off their first horse, essentially eliminating them from the average race. Casey McGooden, Doniphan, Neb. won the go-round with 73 points on the horse 507, Miss Molly, of the Frontier Rodeo Co. With over half of the bronc riders not going to make three qualified rides, the Circuit Finals has turned into a go-round race, with more importance placed on winning each round than on winning the average. A cowboy must make the highest scores in each round to win the all important average, which is the highest scores on three go-rounds.
Jesse James Kirby, the 2009 Prairie Circuit champion, entered the Finals in first place with $12,247 won, and even after getting bucked off his horse tonight, will more than likely win this year’s title. Coming in with a $4,000 lead over the number two man, Weston Ireland, can be both advantage and disadvantage. “It’s a lift off my shoulders (to be in the lead) yet I still wanted to win back to back average titles because those mean a lot, too. When a guy comes in with a comfortable lead, it almost seems like you let your guard down a little because you don’t have anybody right there chasing you.”
Bulls Eight, Cowboys Four
The bulls won over the bull riders tonight, with only four bull riders making the buzzer. Cody Atwood, Decatur, Texas, came out on top with a score of 89 points on the bull 686 Pops, of the Mo Betta Rodeo Co. Atwood is in his first year of pro rodeo, and even though he competed alongside two National Finals Rodeo qualifiers, with one of them being a world champion (Dustin Elliott in 2004), it didn’t bother him. “I don’t really pay attention to anybody else. I just worry about myself,” he said.
Results from Tie-down Roping, Steer Wrestling and Barrel Racing
The Butler brother team of Cody and Chuck, both of Sanger, Texas, were the fast time in tonight’s team roping, with a time of 5.8 seconds. They come into the Finals in ninth place, with virtually no chance of winning the year end title. The number one team, Casper May and Derrick Peterson, missed their first steer, which took them out of the average race, the fastest times on three runs. The average will pay the top four places, for a total of $4,074.
In the tie-down roping, Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., won the go-round with a time of 8.1 seconds, and Oklahoma cowboy Sean Mulligan won the steer wrestling with a 3.3 second time.
The second night of competition begins tomorrow night at 2:30 pm, with the third and final round tomorrow night at 7:30 pm, when Prairie Circuit champions will be crowned. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, visit www.HartmanArena.com and click on the rodeo button.
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Caine Riddle rides a bareback horse at the 2010 Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Park City, Kan. He was the high score for the first performance, with 81 points. Photo courtesy Vance Frick.
Results, 1st Go-Round Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo
October 29, 2010
Bareback Riding
1 Caine Riddle, Vernon, TX 81 points on Angel Eyes, New Frontier; 2/3 tie Yance Day, Ft Scott, KS 78 points and James Bond, Goodman, Mo 78 points; 4/5/6 tie Jared Keylon, Ft Scott, KS 76 points and Dustin Murray, Wellston, OK 76 points and Chancy Lovinggood, Alva, OK 76 points; 7 Frank Morton, Wright, KS 72 points; 8/9 tie Codi Myers, McLean, TX 71 points and Brian Leddy, Roll, OK 71 points; 10 DV Fennell, Neosho, MO 69; No other qualified rides
Steer Wrestling
1 Sean Mulligan, Coleman, OK 3.3 seconds; 2 Stockton Graves, Newkirk, OK 3.5; 3 Jule Hazen, Ashland, KS 3.9; 4 Stewart Gulager, Garland, KS 4.3; 5 Clay Mindemann, Salina, OK 4.4; 6 Jeff Miller, Blue Mound, KS 4.8; 7 Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, AL 5.0; 8 Garrett Nokes, McCook, NE 5.2; 9 Cole Edge, Durant, OK 5.4; 10 Ryan Swayze, Freedom, OK 14.5; 11 Shane Henderson, Winfield, KS 14.7; no other qualified runs
Team Roping
1 Cody Butler, Sanger, TX and Chuck Butler, Sanger, TX 5.8 seconds; 2 Gavin Foster, Elmore City, OK and Kaleb Fort, Gravette, AR 6.0; 3 Brett Christensen, Alva, OK and JD Holland Jr, Bucyrus, KS 7.1; 4 Charles Pogue, Ringling, OK and Jett Hillman, Jones, OK 7.9 seconds; 5 Philip McCoy, Beggs, OK and Pake Stamper, Mounds, OK 16.8; 6 Andrew Ward, Edmond, OK and Reagan Ward, Edmond, OK 20.7; no other qualified runs
Saddle Bronc Riding
1 Casey McGooden, Doniphan, NE 73 points on 507, Miss Molly, Frontier Rodeo Co; 2 RA Brown, Stinnett, TX 71; 3 Travis Sheets, Hyannis, NE 69; 4 Luke Rush, Natoma, KS 63; no other qualified rides
Tie Down Roping
1 Hunter Herrin, Apache, OK 8.1 seconds; 2 Cole Bailey, Okmulgee, OK 8.6; 3/4 tie Ryan Jarrett, Summerville, GA 8.8 and Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, OK 8.8; 5 Blake Eliason, Ponca City, OK 9.2; 6 Cody McCartney, Comanche, OK 10.0; 7 Cole Wilson, Kincaid, KS 10.6; 8 Garrett Nokes, McCook, NE 11.2; 9 PJ Spencer, Collinsville, OK 12.1; 10 Trenton Johnson, Mound City, KS 13.5; 11 Kolby Ungeheuer, Columbus, KS 19.6; no other qualified runs
Bull Riding
1 Cody Atwood, Decatur, TX 89 points on 686 Pops, Mo Betta Rodeo Co; 2 Dustin Elliott, North Platte, NE 86 points; 3 Nathan Klassan, Broken Arrow, OK 84 points; 4 Blake Rowan, Muskogee, OK 80 points; no other qualified rides
