Wrangler NFR Round 1
Round 1 – Dec. 2, 2021
Vegas Night is the opening act and the national anthem will be performed by country singer Drake Miligan. Pendleton Whisky is the performance sponsor.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION, RADIO AND INTERNET
The 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® presented by Teton Ridge airs nightly starting Dec. 2 at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. EST. The Cowboy Channel is the official network partner of PRORODEO® and the exclusive broadcast and streaming partner of the NFR. Live coverage of the NFR can be found on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners, and online at cowboychannelplus.com.
ALL-AROUND RACE TIGHTENS
Since 2002, the all-around race was practically a staple for Trevor Brazile to win. Brazile has won a PRCA-record 26 gold buckles – a PRCA-record 14 in all-around (2002-04, 2006-15, 2018). Now, Stetson Wright has taken over as the all-around cowboy champion the last two years. Wright has his eyes set on a hat trick as he arrives in Las Vegas leading the all-around PRCA | RAM World Standings with $320,482. The Milford, Utah, cowboy who also is the reigning bull riding world champ, will step into the Thomas & Mack Center with a commanding $185,339 lead in the all-around standings and is first in the saddle bronc standings – by $11,202 over his brother Ryder and second in the bull riding standings $60,639 behind Sage Kimzey. Stetson is aiming to become the first three-time world champion in one year since 2010 when Brazile was the champ in the all-around, team roping as a header, and tie-down roping. Brazile also won three world crowns in 2007 in the all-around, tie-down roping and steer roping. If Stetson wins his third consecutive all-around gold buckle, he will become the first three-time all-around world champ since Brazile in 2013-15. According to ProRodeo records, no cowboy who has won three world championships in one season in all-around, saddle bronc and bull riding.
PATTERSON WINS GOLD BUCKLE IN RECORD-SETTING FASHION AT NFSR
Cole Patterson left no doubt who the best steer roper is in the PRCA in Mulvane, Kan., Nov. 12-13.
Patterson, who came into the National Finals Steer Roping with a $39,415 lead in the world standings, was never threatened as he cruised to his first career gold buckle at the Kansas Star Arena. Patterson finished atop the world standings with $190,242, a single-season steer roping earnings mark.
Patterson’s NFSR earnings broke the mark of $70,651 set by Cody Lee in 2016. Patterson also won the average with a 97.7-second time on nine head to collect $27,347. Cole broke the single-season steer roping earnings record of $142,350 set by his father Rocky in 2016. Rocky finished 10th in the world standings with $63,029.
Cole joins his father as a steer roping world champion. Rocky won championships in 2009-10, 2012 and 2016. The Pattersons are the third father and son to win steer roping world titles. They join John McEntire (1934) and Clark McEntire (1956-57, 1961) and Charles Good (1975) and Gary Good (1979).
NEWS & NOTES
In bareback riding, three-time world champion Tim O’Connell looks to compete in his second rodeo since suffering his Aug. 5 tailbone injury on New West Rodeo Productions’ Spirit World. Caleb Bennett had an 87.5-point ride on Spirit World’s only out in bareback this season. Defending world champion Kaycee Feild drew a familiar horse in Flying U Rodeo’s Lil Red Hawk. Feild had an 86-point ride on Lil Red Hawk in the final round of the Reno Rodeo to finish second, June 26. Clayton Biglow had the highest marked ride of the year on Lil Red Hawk, that 88.5-point ride came back on Sept. 3 at the Santa Maria (Calif.) Elks Rodeo. In saddle bronc riding…Chase Brooks drew Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Pendleton Whisky’s Marquee. The horse has been ridden 10 times this season with reigning PRCA World Champion Ryder Wright marking two 88.5-point rides. Wyatt Casper matches up with Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s OLS Tubs Magic Carpet in the first round of the 2021 Wrangler NFR. It’s a rematch from Aug. 26 when Casper rode the horse to an 85-point ride at the Xtreme Broncs Finale in Rapid City, S.D…. Bull rider J.B. Mauney will make his Wrangler NFR debut on Painted Pony Championship Rodeo’s Cocktail Diarrhea. The bull bucked off more than 50% of the riders he faced in 2021. Boudreaux Campbell makes his fifth trip to Vegas this season and will kick things off against 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Space Unicorn. The average score this season on Space Unicorn was 89 points, only four riders have made the eight-second whistle. Josh Frost scored 90 points on the bull, May 28 at the Cave Creek (Ariz.) Rodeo Days.
Record times and scores for the first round of the Wrangler NFR:
Bareback riding: 91.5 points, Richmond Champion, 2019
Steer wrestling: 3.1 seconds, Trevor Knowles, 2013
Team roping: 4.0 seconds, Turtle Powell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 2014
Saddle bronc riding: 89 points, Bryce Miller, 2008
Tie-down roping: 6.8 seconds, Trevor Brazile, 2015
Barrel racing: 13.51 seconds, Hailey Kinsel, 2018
Bull riding: 94 points, Don Gay, 1974; Blue Stone, 2001
RELATED: Wrangler NFR Round 2 Results & Highlights
Courtesy of PRCA
