Last night we all witnessed history inside of the Thomas & Mack as Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rookie contestant Amberleigh Moore tied the arena record in the ladies barrel racing event. When asked if she and her horse had anything left she said she was optimistic that an arena record will be broken within the next two rounds of competition. I would have to tend to agree with her but on a more wide scale umbrella as each of the events at the 2016 WNFR have had some great moments!
As the previous rounds have passed us each night we have all seen some pain and agony, as well as triumphs and tribulations, happening down on that arena floor within both the performances as well as the opening acts here at the 2016 WNFR. Last night was amazing as both Moe Bandy and country music legends Brooks and Dunn performed to get everyone ready for the rodeo action to follow. Bandy began the opening with a beautiful song while Brooks & Dunn made everyone stand in awe with goose bumps with their rendition of our nation’s National Anthem!
Shea Fisher Performs At The 2016 WNFR
PRCA Photo By Greg Westfall
Tonight’s ninth round of the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo kicked off in grand fashion earlier tonight inside of the Thomas & Mack Arena. The ninth round serves as the eve of the day that we will crown out 2016 PRCA and WPRA World Champions. That being said, before the rodeo action could begin down on the arena floor it was time, once again, to open things up in grand style that would make all of the young ladies in attendance melt in a heartbeat!
Round nine of the 2016 WNFR kicked off with a man that has been stealing the hearts of many young ladies across the country. Nashville star and country music favorite Granger Smith opened up the show and left the sold out crowd of 16,989 either standing or sliding to the edge of their seats. After the mini concert it was time for prayer and to sing the National Anthem that was lead tonight by a contest award winning singer, Allie Burgett. Once the lights came back up and the smoke cleared it was time to rodeo once again as the ninth round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was set to begin!
Riley Duvall Heads To Round Ten With A Win Here Tonight
PRCA Photo By Greg Westfall
Tonight the big boy sport of steer wrestling is taking center stage in the Rodeo Round Up’s coverage of the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Last night Clayton Haas managed to pull out a round win on a set of steers that gave most of the contestants problems during their runs on the arena floor. As the rounds get deeper and deeper into the 10-day run these guys are competing with bumps, bruises and, sometimes, even broken bones. To see these guys compete with their injuries is both exciting as well as stressful while reminding yourselves a major injury that could have and should have ended their career is now in the rearview mirror.
In tonight’s round nine it was time to get down to business with some of the fastest runs we have ever seen inside of the Thomas & Mack. Once the action began we were treated to an amazing display of horsemanship and the brute force that each and every one of these cowboys have in the ninth round of the 2016 WNFR. After all was said and done it was Riley Duvall who claimed the top spot in the round here this evening with a solid 3.6 second run!
Ryan Jarrett Splits The Rd 9 Win At The Thomas & Mack
PRCA Photo By Greg Westfall
In the second event that we will focus on here in the ninth round, the tie-down roping, we have all seen some amazing athletic feats happen down on the arena floor. Last night it was all Wrangler National Finals Rodeo veteran cowboy Shane Hanchey that would claim the number one spot while heading to the South Point Hotel and Casino. The ability to have quick hands, rope awareness and some of the best horses in the world is a must here at the WNFR to win any money, much less any rounds throughout the ten-day run.
Tonight the fifteen cowboys in the tie-down roping, once again, put on a display that left all those watching amazed as the runs laid down tonight were some of the fastest that we have seen all week. After all was said and done and the last tie was made it would be Marty Yates and Ryan Jarrett who would be leaving the Thomas & Mack with the titles of go-round winners here in the ninth round. They were able to make runs at the barrier and lay down a huge 7.4 second runs down on the arena floor. I caught up to them right after their round winning runs to see what they had to say so take a look at the video below to hear from them yourself!
Complete Recap Including Round Winner, Current Average Leader and Current World Leader Below
Bareback
Round Winner – Tanner Aus (85.50 Points)
Average Leader – Tim O’Connell (757.00 Points)
Current World Leader – Tim O’Connell
Steer Wrestling
Round Winner – Riley Duvall (3.6 Seconds)
Average Leader – Tyler Waguespack (37.50 Points)
Current World Leader – Tyler Waguespack
Team Roping
Round Winners – Kolton Schmidt and Shay Carroll (3.6 Seconds)
Average Leaders – Clay Smith and Paul Eaves (48.3 Seconds)
Current World Leaders – Luke Brown and Jake Long
Saddle Bronc
Round Winner – Ryder Wright (88.50 Points)
Average Leader – Jake Watson (663.00 Points)
Current World Leader – Jacobs Crawley
Tie-Down Roping
Round Winner – Ryan Jarrett and Marty Yates (7.4 Seconds)
Average Leader – Riley Pruitt (76.30 Seconds)
Current World Leader – Marcos Costa
Barrel Racing
Round Winner – Amberleigh Moore (13.49 Seconds)
Average Leader – Lisa Lockhart (124.31 Seconds)
Current World Leader – Mary Burger
Bull Riding
Round Winner – Brennon Eldred (94.50 Points)
Average Leader – Shane Proctor (590.00 Points)
Current World Leader – Sage Kimzey
As he head into tomorrow’s tenth and final round I wanted to give you all a little bit of a heads up regarding our coverage. Tomorrow’s recap will be quite a long one as we cover the round winners in our writing but will be extended with all of the 2016 World Champion interviews that I will be doing after the round as well. Our expanded coverage will include both round and overall recaps so be ready for quite a long story to round out the 2016 professional rodeo season just 24-hours from now!
Over the past nine nights of the 2016 Wangler National Finals Rodeo we have seen some amazing talent but all of it boils down to one last run in the 2016 professional rodeo season here in Las Vegas tomorrow night. All of the blood, sweat and tears come down to round ten, just 24-hours away, as we crown our 2016 world champions. All of this will take place in the center of the arena immediately following the last bull ride laid down on the arena floor in 2016!
Tonight the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo made history inside of the arena when a 18 year-old phenom did what no one else had done before him. Saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright is now the first Wrangler National Finals Rookie to come in and win at least five go-rounds in his first year. So far the entire Wright family has taken the WNFR by storm with young Ryder leading the pack with five go-round wins. I caught up with him following his ninth round win to see what he had to say about his history making appearance at the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo so watch below to see what he has to say about everything he has been through the past nine days here in Las Vegas!
It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup. Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews!
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