LAS VEGAS - I''s becoming clear that Dean Gorsuch loves bulldogging in the Thomas & Mack Center. The 2006 world champion steer wrestler won his second round in a row at the 50th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in front of 17,149 fans at the $5.625 million event on Memorial Night. Gorsuch, of Gering, Neb., earned another round buckle after stopping the clock in 3.7 seconds, three-tenths of a second quicker than Cash Myers. Gorsuch has now earned $33,534 in Las Vegas this year, second only to 2004 World Champion Luke Branquinho ($36,599), who is leading the Wrangler NFR average and Crusher Rental PRCA World Standings heading into Round 5.
Gorsuch has been clicking while earning the back-to-back wins.
"I'm just getting good starts, and that was a good steer tonight," said Gorsuch, who is ranked third in the world with $129,889. "I didn't know he was going to stop like that, but I was just happy to catch him because he really stopped with his head down to the right. It worked though. That steer really stepped toward the hazer, and then he stopped, which rolled me in front of him. I had to bring it all back. If I could have gotten off my horse (cleaner), I would have been really fast."
Not to be outdone, bull rider Bobby Welsh also earned his second round victory of the 2008 event. Welsh, of Gillette, Wyo., rode Corey & Horst Rodeo's North Star for 88 points to win Round 4 by a half-point over 2000 World Champion Cody Hancock, who posted an 87.5-point mark aboard Growney Brothers Rodeo's Wolf Can Do. Welsh also won the first round, but was bucked off in the second and third rounds before his second win.
Welsh had never ridden the bull, but knew a lot about him prior to climbing aboard.
"That bull actually kind of had a different day than normal," Welsh said. "He is supposed to turn back. Like when we started going left, he is supposed to stay left for about three or four seconds and then come back to the right, and he just blew up and then came back to the right. I knew in the back of my mind to be set and ready for that direction change. It came a little bit early, but everything worked out absolutely perfectly."
The bareback riding was a heavyweight fight, of sorts, with eight riders scoring 85 points or higher, and no one landed a bigger number than 2004 World Champion Kelly Timberman. The Mills, Wyo., cowboy spurred Beutler & Son Rodeo's South Point for 87.5 points to edge Justin McDaniel by a half-point and earn $16,767. McDaniel, of Porum, Okla., leads the Wrangler NFR average with 343.5 points and has won an event-best $40,835 thus far in Las Vegas.
Timberman knew exactly what to expect when he saw the draw for Round 4, and for good reason.
"I had him (South Point) a month ago in Dallas and won second on him in the first round," said Timberman, who had been kept out of the pay window in the first three rounds. "I came here to the Finals and had kind of a rough start. To find out last night that I got this horse was a big boost, because I knew if I just showed up and put a good ride on him I’d have a chance to win the round. He was just a lot of horse right out of there (the chute), and he stayed consistent through the whole deal. Bennie Beutler raises some of the best horses in the world, so if there was a contractor I wanted to have a horse from, it’s him. I think it’s their first buckle for him, and it’s going to be a good time on the (Gold Buckle) stage. I got on South Point and am going to the South Point, so I’m excited."
Team roping couldn't have been tighter, with one-tenth of a second separating each of the first three finishers. Jake Stanley and Walt Woodard picked up their first win of the 10-day event after posting a 4.1-second time, one-tenth of a second ahead of Crusher Rental PRCA World Standings leaders Matt Sherwood and Randon Adams. Reigning World Champion Header Chad Masters and Michael Jones were third in 4.3 seconds.
"It's a dream come true," Stanley said of winning a round at his first career Wrangler NFR. "I got a good start. We knew the steer from what he did the first night, and we had a solid idea of what he was going to do, and that helped us out a bunch. Every day you rope, you think of winning a go-round here ... it's satisfying."
Woodard, who won his world titles decades apart, said he still gets excited to rope at the Wrangler NFR.
"This is an exciting place to rope, absolutely fantastic," said Woodard, the two-time and reigning world champion who is going to retire from full-time competition after this season. "When I came back to compete full-time in 2006, it wasn't to win a world championship. I came back to prove to myself and to all the people who believe in the style I rope with that I could still do it. And, I wanted to see if a 50-year-old man could qualify for the WNFR."
The battle atop the saddle bronc riding standings got a bit more heated in Round 4, with second-place Cody Wright winning the round and Crusher Rental PRCA World Standings leader Billy Etbauer keeping pace with a third-place finish. Wright, of Milford, Utah, took the round buckle with an 88.5-point ride on Flying Five Rodeo's Sundance, one point ahead of Cody Taton's mark aboard Cervi Championship Rodeo's Vitalix Grit Your Teeth and 3.5 points ahead of Etbauer's 85-point score on Calgary Stampede's Gross Beetle. Wright, who earned $16,767 for the win, got $6,761 closer to Etbauer's lead.
Etbauer, who has won an event-best $47,055 in four days, leads the world standings with $187,428, while Wright is second with $171,965. Finishing atop the heap in a tough pen of horses in Round 4 thrilled Wright.
"It definitely helps boost your confidence, but I guess you don't want to get overconfident because you're riding against the Top 15 guys and the best horses in the world, so I'll just keep going at them every night," Wright said. "The eliminator pen -- the ducks, the dives, rolling swells, the rearing out, walking and skipping on the front end; my horse definitely fit in there. I wasn't expecting the rear out, so I had to hurry up and get in there."
Clint Robinson made sure the popular phrase "saving the best for last" was illustrated in Round 4, stealing the round buckle from Stran Smith with a 7.9-second run as the last tie-down roper to back in the box for the night. Robinson, of Spanish Fork, Utah, had only earned one check prior to his win and erased the memory of a no-time in Round 3. He finished just one-tenth of a second ahead of Smith, of Childress, Texas, to earn the $16,767.
"Going last was a huge advantage," Robinson said. "The round was so easy, and I had one of the calves I wanted. I knew I could tie him in a long seven (seconds), and I knew I had to. That's what happened, and it was a good calf."
It took 43 rounds, but reigning World Champion Barrel Racer Brittany Pozzi-Pharr finally broke through with her first round victory at the Wrangler NFR. She completed the cloverleaf pattern in a rodeo-best 13.84 seconds, .15 seconds ahead of second-round winner and Wrangler NFR average leader Cassie Moseley, to earn $16,767. World standings leader Lindsay Sears finished third in 14.01 seconds to help protect her lead over Pozzi-Pharr, who trails her by $45,012 heading into Round 5.
"This is really great," said Pozzi-Pharr, of Victoria, Texas. "It is a really great feeling tonight. I'll just keep going at 'em. We are only half way through the week, so things are looking up."
In other news, five-time and reigning World Champion All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazile crossed the $300,000 in season earnings for the third consecutive year, which is a PRCA record. Brazile, the only contestant who qualified for two events at this year's Wrangler NFR, has earned $18,930 in the team roping and $11,358 in tie-down roping, giving him $301,058 in all-around earnings on the season. He leads Steven Dent by $118,946 heading into Round 5.
INJURY REPORT: Bareback rider Jessy Davis, who suffered a left shoulder dislocation following his second-place ride in Round 2, is out for the remainder of the Wrangler NFR after attempting to ride in Rounds 3 and 4. Steer wrestler Wade Sumpter, who tore his right pectoral muscle in Round 2, will be out for the fifth and sixth performances after unsuccessfully trying to make runs in Rounds 3 and 4. Chad Ferley, the 2006 world champion saddle bronc rider who fractured his left wrist in Round 3, sat out Round 4, also will miss the fifth performance and will reevaluate his status after the conclusion of that round. Bull rider Shawn Proctor separated his right shoulder after completing an 81-point ride on Frontier Rodeo's Sky Walker in Round 4 and is listed as probable for Round 5.
COMPLETE ROUND 4 RESULTS
Bareback riding: 1. Kelly Timberman, Mills, Wyo., 87.5 points on Beutler & Son's South Point, $16,767; 2. Justin McDaniel, Porum, Okla., 87, $13,251; 3. Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., 86.5, $10,006; 4. Chris Harris, Itasca, Texas, 86, $7,031; 5. (tie) Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., and Dusty LaValley, Crooked Creek, Alberta, 85.5, $3,516 each; 7. (tie) Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., and Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 85; 9. (tie) Josi Young, Kimberly, Idaho, and Kaycee Feild, Elk Ridge, Utah, 84.5; 11. Cimmaron Gerke, Brighton, Colo., 82; 12. Tim Shirley, Conifer, Colo., 81.5; 13. Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas, 81; 14. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 80.5; 15. Jessy Davis, Payson, Utah, NS.
Steer wrestling: 1. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 3.7 seconds, $16,767; 2. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, 4.0, $13,251; 3. (tie) Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., Stockton Graves, Newkirk, Okla., and Beau Franzen, Sidney, Mont., 4.2, $7,121 each; 6. (tie) Les Shepperson, Midwest, Wyo., and Todd Suhn, North Platte, Neb., 4.3, $1,352; 8. Casey McMillen, Craig, Colo., 4.4; 9. (tie) Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo., and Gabe Ledoux, Kaplan, La., 4.8; 11. Ken Lewis, La Junta, Colo., 5.7; 12. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 9.4; 13. (tie) Wade Sumpter, Fowler, Colo.; Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta; and K.C. Jones, Decatur, Texas, NT.
Team roping: 1. Jake Stanley, Hermiston, Ore./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas, 4.1 seconds, $16,767 each; 2. Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz./Randon Adams, Logandale, Nev., 4.2, $13,251; 3. Chad Masters, Clarksville, Tenn./Michael Jones, Stephenville, Texas, 4.3, $10,006; 4. (tie) Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas/Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas, and Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C./Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 4.5, $5,679 each; 6. Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Victor Aros, Tucson, Ariz., 4.6, $2,704; 7. Travis Tryan, Billings, Mont./Cory Petska, Lexington, Okla., 5.5; 8. Jake Barnes, Scottsdale, Ariz./Clay O'Brien Cooper, Morgan Mill, Texas, 5.9; 9. Turtle Powell, Alpine, Texas/Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 10.4; 10. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas/Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas, 10.5; 11. Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash./Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 11.2; 12. Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo./Kinney Harrell, San Angelo, Texas, 18.2; 13. Speed Williams, Deleon, Texas/Allen Bach, Weatherford, Texas, 19.8; 14. Matt Funk, Hermiston, Ore./Bucky Campbell, Benton City, Wash., 24.5; 15. Colter Todd, Marana, Ariz./Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz., NT.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 88.5 points on Flying Five's Sundance, $16,767; 2. Cody Taton, Newell, S.D., 87.5, $13,251; 3. Billy Etbauer, Edmond, Okla., 85.0, $10,006; 4. Bryce Miller, Buffalo, S.D., 83.0, $7,031; 5. (tie) Justin Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif., and Rusty Allen, Eagle Mountain, Utah, 73.0, $3,516 each; 7. (tie) J.J. Elshere, Quinn, S.D.; Anthony Bello, Oakley, Utah; Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D.; Rod Hay, Wildwood, Alberta; Dusty Hausauer, Dickinson, N.D.; Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas; Shaun Stroh, Dickinson, N.D.; Chet Johnson, Gillette, Wyo.; and Bobby Griswold, Geary, Okla., NS.
Tie-down roping: 1. Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, 7.9 seconds, $16,767; 2. Stran Smith, Childress, Texas, 8.0, $13,251; 3. Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash., 8.6, $10,006; 4. Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 9.3, $7,031; 5. Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 9.7, $4,327; 6. Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 10.1, $2,704; 7. Scott Kormos, Teague, Texas, 12.3; 8. Josh Peek, Pueblo, Colo., 14.6; 9. Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas, 17.4; 10. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 17.5; 11. Doug Pharr, Victoria, Texas, 18.0; 12. Mike Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 22.0; 13. Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas, 23.1; 14. (tie) Jeff Chapman, Athens, Texas, and Justin Maass, Giddings, Texas, NT.
Barrel racing: 1. Brittany Pozzi-Pharr, Victoria, Texas, 13.84 seconds, $16,767; 2. Cassie Moseley, Farwell, Texas, 13.99, $13,251; 3. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 14.01, $10,006; 4. Annesa Self, Valley View, Texas, 14.04, $7,031; 5. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 14.07, $4,327; 6. Traci Dawson, Erskine, Alberta, 14.12, $2,704; 7. Jill Moody, Letcher, S.D., 14.14; 8. Stephanie Fryar, Big Spring, Texas, 14.15; 9. Terra Bynum, Colorado City, Texas, 14.16; 10. Maegan Reichert, Mt. Pleasant, Texas, 14.19; 11. Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, Okla., 14.27; 12. Tammy Key-Fischer, Ledbetter, Texas, 14.28; 13. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 14.29; 14. Shelley Murphy, Helena, Mont., 14.31; 15. Deb Renger, Okotoks, Alberta, 19.30.
Bull riding: 1. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 88.0 points on Corey & Horst's North Star, $16,767; 2. Cody Hancock, Taylor, Ariz., 87.5, $13,251; 3. Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo., 82.5, $10,006; 4. (tie) J.W. Harris, May, Texas; Shawn Proctor, Tooele, Utah; and Wesley Silcox, Payson, Utah, 81.0, $4,688 each; 7. Spud Jones, Tohatchi, N.M., 73; 8. (tie) B.J. Schumacher, Hillsboro, Wis.; Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah; Chance Smart, Philadelphia, Miss., Seth Glause, Rock Springs, Wyo.; Douglas Duncan, Huntsville, Texas; Zack Oakes, Elk, Wash.; Colin McTaggart, Las Vegas, Nev.;and Mike Moore, Kankakee, Ill., NS.
Attendance: 17,149.
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