POCATELLO, Idaho – Cody Wright was the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo All-Around Champion last year and while he is real proud of that achievement, it didn’t get him a year’s free use of a Dodge truck like all of the individual event winners.
“I would love to win (a truck),” Wright said. “That’s why we come here and there is a lot of money here to win.”
He got off to a good start on his quest on Wednesday night with an 87-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s saddle bronc, Good Times, in the first round of the 22nd Annual DNCFR at Holt Arena
It was a clean, masterful ride which wasn’t just the best ride of the night, but the best by five points over 2006 World Champion Chad Ferley of Oelrichs, S.D. Reigning world champion Taos Muncy scored a 79 point ride on Kesler Rodeo's Fire Cracker.
“I was just thinking ‘lift’ because it felt like I had a lot of rein,” Wright said, who was able to demonstrate text book spurring form aboard the athletic bucking horse. “That horse is so nice. So nice to ride.”
The DNCFR is the crowning event of the PRCA’s circuit system of regional competition. National champions are determined at the elimination-style event. Cowboys compete in two preliminary rounds that are split into four performances.
The first round will be completed Thursday night with the second round on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The top eight contestants in each event advance to the semifinals on Saturday night, where all previous times and scores are erased.
After the semifinals, the top four competitors move on to the Wrangler Round later that night where the national titles are decided.
Luke Branquinho, the 2004 World Champion Steer Wrestler, got a second run when the gate opened a bit before he nodded his head and he made the most of his opportunity. His 3.6-second time was the fastest of the night by a full second over 1999 world champion Mickey Gee.
“I was just trying to be smart at the barrier,” Branquinho said. “It was pretty close. I’m glad I took a good start, but it was a little too close.”
Utah emergency room nurse Nancy Hunter surprised a field that included Wrangler NFR qualifiers Lisa Lockhart and Brittany Hofstetter to lead the first night of the barrel racing competition with a time of 15.00 seconds.
That gave Hunter a .15 edge on Jeanne Anderson. Lockhart and Hofstetter both had 5 second penalties to push them into 10th and 11th place, respectively.
Chris Harris of the Texas Circuit had the highest score in the first round of the bareback riding with a 79 point ride on Kesler Rodeo’s Country Wages and is hoping for something more than country wages if he can stay on track to get to those Saturday night finals
“I qualified here back when I was 19,” Harris said. “It’s a great rodeo and anytime you’re a champion - a national champion at that – it’s an honor. Heck yeah, I’d love to be a DNCFR champion.”
Just four of 12 men reached the eight-second whistle in the bull riding, led by Thor Smith of Buckeye, Ariz., who had an 80 point ride on Kesler Rodeo's #90, two points better than Wrangler NFR qualifier Colin McTaggart.
First day results:
Bareback riding: First round leaders: 1. Chris Harris, Itasca, Texas, 79 points on Kesler Rodeo’s Country Wages; 2. (tie) Tyson Thompson, Merrill, Ore., and Noah Bayes, Adrian, Ore., 78; 4. (tie) Kaycee Feild, Elk Ridge, Utah; Jared Green, Socorro, N.M. and Scott Montague, Rapid City, S.D., 77; 7. Brian Leddy, Leedey, Okla., 72; 8. Scott Owens, Toston, Mont., 71; no other qualified rides.
Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 3.6 seconds; 2. Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls, Texas, 4.6 seconds; 3. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 4.7; 4. Ivan Teigen, Camp Crook, S.D., 4.8; 5. (tie) Joe Bell Sr, Greensboro, Md., and Stockton Graves, Newkirk, Okla., 5.1; 7. Seth Hadlock, Liberty, Utah, 5.2; 8. Kyle Whitaker, Chambers, Neb., 5.7; 9. Brad Morgan, Brandon, Miss., 8.9; 10. Chad Van Campen, Lamar, Colo., 9.8; 11. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer, Cortaro, Ariz., and Josh Granell, Havre, Mont., NT
Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Colby Siddoway, Argyle, Texas/Jade Anderson, Goshen, Utah, 5.0 seconds; 2. Brandon Beers, Powell Butte, Ore./Dean Tuftin, Prineville, Ore., 5.6; 3. David Motes, Tolar, Texas/Dee Rampey, Bertram, Texas, 6.2; 4. Justin Spence, Modesto, Calif./Evan Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif., 6.8; 5. Billy Berry, Rainsville, Ala./Derick Freeman, Dadeville, Ala., 8.5; 6. Cody Tew, Belgrade, Mont./Kory Mytty, Lolo, Mont., 10.6; 7. Paul Beckett, Laramie, Wyo./Chad Wahlert, Fort Morgan, Colo., 12.0; 8. Colt Braden, Dewey, Okla./Kollin Von Ahn, Sac City, Iowa, 13.0; 9. Chuck Smith, Townsend, Del./Joe Williams, Perkiomenville, Pa., 20.1; 10. (tie) J.B. Lord, Piedmont, S.D./Matt Zancanella, Aurora, S.D., Wayne Knutson, Clifton Hill, Mo./Ryan Powell, Porterville, Calif., and Levi Garcia, Albuquerque, N.M./Russ Sullivan, Peralta, N.M., NT
Saddle bronc riding: First round leaders: 1. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 87 points on Brookman's Good Times; 2. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., 82; 3. Justin Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif., 81; 4. Ben Londo, Pendleton, Ore., 80; 5. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., 79; 6. Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb., 77; 7. Alan Frierson, O'Brien, Fla., 67; 8. (tie) Mike Outhier, Utopia, Texas, Chad Alesky, Monroeton, Pa., Kyle Whitaker, Chambers, Neb., and Colin Stalley, Riverton, Wyo., NS.
Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Rick Kieckhefer, Prescott, Ariz., 8.5 seconds; 2. Tony Wells, Wilmar, Ark., 9.0; 3. Will Laduke, Gillette, Wyo., 10.2; 4. Nate Baldwin, Blackfoot, Idaho, 10.6; 5. Brad Goodrich, Hermiston, Ore., 10.8; 6. Garrett Nokes, McCook, Neb., 11.5; 7. Jesse Egan, Gridley, Calif., 13.9; 8. Jim Bob Mayes, Scroggins,Texas, 15.0; 9. J.R. Myers Jr, Felton, Pa., 19.4; 10. (tie) Bill Huber, Albia, Iowa, Chad Johnson, Cut Bank, Mont., and Todd Graff, Ainsworth, Neb., NT.
Barrel racing: First round leaders: 1. Nancy Hunter, Neola, Utah, 15.00 seconds
2. Jeanne Anderson, White City, Kan., 15.15; 3. Kappy Allen, Austin, Texas, 15.18;
4. Lindsay Knaff, Winston, Mont., 15.30; 5. Carrie Thompson, Morton, Miss., 15.32; 6. Kelly Carr, Henryville, Ind., 15.49; 7. Stacy Dial, Vista, Calif., 15.54; 8. Robin Weaver, Mahaffey, Pa., 15.58; 9. Debbie Stahl, Pendleton, Ore., 15.72; 10. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 20.04; 11. Brittany Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 20.28; 12. Renee Morgan, Avondale, Colo., 29.33.
Bull riding: First round leaders: 1. Thor Smith, Buckeye, Ariz., 80 points on Kesler Rodeo's #90; 2. Colin McTaggart, Las Vegas, Nev., 78; 3. Dustin Smith, St. Paul, Ore., 74; 4. Spencer Slaughter, Jackson, La., 70; 5. (tie) Shawn Hogg, Odessa, Texas; Jay Dunford, Menoken, N.D.; Poncho Limas, Weatherford, Okla.; Tyler Johnston, Bridger, Mont.; Tyler Miller, Mcclure, Pa.; Justin Kennedy, La Porte City, Iowa; Josh Johnson, Douglas, Wyo., and Rylan
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