Over the last two nights, we have seen many great performances that have left the continuous sold-out crowds inside of the legendary Thomas & Mack Arena in complete awe while wanting to see more of the same night’s third round. Things will begin heating up as the rounds grow closer and closer to the final round ten performance that is just a week away from tonight. We were able to begin seeing some of those changes in last night’s second round when a few of the top five athletes in a couple of events continued to struggle down on the arena floor while those that are coming from behind began gaining the needed momentum to make a serious run at the 2018 world championship titles they came into Las Vegas chasing after a long and grueling professional rodeo season.
Tonight we should be able to see a few more qualified rides in the rough stock events while those contestants on the timed event side of the arena look to change the tides that many of them have been dealt over the first two nights here at the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Surely, eyes will be on the timed events tonight as Tuf Cooper and Trevor Brazile are in a dogfight to see who will leave Las Vegas with the All-Around World Title. Both of these iconic cowboys have has a rough go over the last two nights and will come into Saturday night live looking to get back on track in an arena that they are both known for showcasing some of the best rodeo athlete talent that we have ever seen grace an arena floor. That being said, extra pressure is on Brazile after announcing that he will leave full-time rodeo at the conclusion of this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
J.R. Vezain Watches The WNFR He Qualified For From The Sidelines
Photo Credit: Jackie Jensen
We all know that competing in the sport of professional is not for the faint of heart and that injuries, possibly career-ending, are going to happen no matter what, it is just a matter of how long it will take and how bad the injuries will be. Things have been very well documented over the course of the years in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, along with other groups, on the different effects that the brutal force of animal athletes and the bumps and bruises, concussions, broken bones, and other notable injuries have on the sport as a whole and on the athletes that continue to push through them year to year. If you have followed the sport for any amount of time you have definitely heard about the injuries that these cowboys and cowgirls receive over the course of a rodeo season and sit back an wonder how they continue to grind that would put other professional athletes on the IR list for long periods of time.
One of those major, possibly career-ending injuries that have been brought to the forefront happened earlier this year in July to a bareback rider that has been a fan favorite for many years and who had a Wrangler National Finals to remember just one year ago. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bareback rider J.R. Vezain had qualified for this year’s WNFR but was severely injured earlier this year in a horrific accident that left him being boarded out of the arena without any movement. After a few days, the announcement finally came out and it was one that nobody wanted to hear, J.R. Vezain had sustained a spinal cord injury that would possibly end his career many years too early. Although he could not compete this year he would not be kept from making his way to Las Vegas to attend the bac number presentation and cheer on his buddies as they compete for a 2018 bareback riding world championship title of their own.
Isaac Diaz Takes The Saddle Bronc Riding Round Three Win At The 2018 WNFR
When everyone looks back over the first two rounds and begins to think about the most notable moments so far at the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the first thought that better come to mind is that of one cowboy that is making the most of his time in Las Vegas. Saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer has taken the world by storm and has made the most of his 16-seconds of work, claiming over $63,000 in two days. Scheer would begin the week with a round one win after riding his horse to the whistle to win the round and would follow that up with the exact same outcome again last night in round two after earning a 92 point score, one point short of tying the long-standing arena record. Tonight, all the oddsmakers were placing their money on him taking the three-peat as he earned one of the top draws in the round for tonight’s round three!
Staying on the topic of saddle bronc riding, we have decided to make that our focus for tonight’s round recap as the 2018 world title race is becoming too tight to call which will make for an exciting conclusion to the 2018 professional rodeo season. Last night was tough on the cowboys as the “eliminator pen” gave the fifteen riders all that they could handle but tonight would hope to provide them with a little relief and many solid ride scores being posted up on the board. When things were all said and done, there would, in fact, be eleven of the fifteen that would manage to put marks up on the board after earning qualified rides. No one could match the effort that Isaac Diaz had on Saturday night, however, after he would earn a round-winning 90 point ride score aboard Sutton Rodeo’s South Point to head to the South Point Hotel and Casino to pick up his go-round winning buckle, his bottle of Pendelton whiskey and his $26,000+ check.
Bareback Riding
Round Winner: Tim O’Connell (88.50)
Aggregate Leader: Kaycee Feild (253.00/3)
World Leader: Tim O’Connell
Steer Wrestling
Round Winner: Scott Guenthner (3.30 Seconds)
Aggregate Leader: Will Lummus (12.90 Seconds/3)
World Leader: Scott Guenthner
Team Roping
Round Winner: Derrick Begay/Cory Petska (4.00 Seconds)
Aggregate Leader: Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira 13.40 Seconds/3)
World Leaders: Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira
Saddle Bronc Riding
Round Winner: Isaac Diaz (90.00)
Aggregate Leader: Cort Scheer (264.00/3)
World Leader: Ryder Wright
Tie-Down Roping
Round Winner: Marty Yates (7.00 Seconds)
Aggregate Leader: Marty Yates (22.60 Seconds/3)
World Leader: Marty Yates
Barrel Racing
Round Winner: Amberleigh Moore (13.59 Seconds)
Aggregate Leader: Amberleigh Moore (40.91 Seconds/3)
World Leader: Hailey Kinsel
Bull Riding
Round Winner: Tyler Bingham/Sage Kimzey (88.00)
Aggregate Leader: Joe Frost (260.00/3)
World Leader: Sage Kimzey
All-Around
World Leader: Tuf Cooper
Now that the world title races are beginning to take shape and many positions will jockey each and every night we have a lot to cover and keep track of to make sure you are all well informed of everything that is happening here in Las Vegas. For that reason, we would like to give you the opportunity to check out the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association website by clicking HERE to check out what is happening around town, where the parties are at and where you can watch the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo performances if you were not able to secure a ticker of your own to the Thomas & Mack. For those of you that have not been able to join us in Las Vegas, you can keep up to date right here at the Rodeo Round Up or even watch it for yourselves each night at 9 P.M. Central on CBS Sports Network!
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. You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! 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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