Milan triples his pleasure after another victory
Cochrane bulldogger gets the hat trick with another fast time in steer wrestling
Tanner Milan would have liked to see fans throw their hats onto the infield on Sunday.
After all, he did just record a hat trick of sorts.
“That would have been cool,” said Milan, who posted the fastest time in the steer-wrestling competition for the third straight day.
When asked to pin down the secret to his success so far, the humble Cochrane cowboy responded, “I don’t know. What the heck? It’s been pretty awesome.”
As the second-last competitor, Milan knew he had to have a fast time to beat the 4.5-second run that Jason Thomas of Beanton, Ariz., posted just three wrestlers earlier.
“He’s been bulldogging great and making really good runs, too,” said Milan, who had the start he wanted and was able to wrestle his steer to the ground quickly.
“I felt like I got a really good start today and caught up quick.
“I didn’t quite make the run on the ground that I wanted to. I got rocked up there a little bit, but that steer was good enough (that) as soon as I got the nose, he laid over.”
The quick run helped the veteran bulldogger achieve something that he’s never accomplished before at the Stampede.
“Actually in ’15, I won two in a row and split one with some guys, but I’ve never won three rounds right out by myself,” he recalled.
Considering that it’s his first time competing in Calgary, Thomas has fared quite well with three straight second-place showings behind Milan.
“I’ll take second every day except for the last,” said Thomas,
The Arizona native has now won $13,500 so far to put him second in the aggregate standings, just $3,000 behind Milan.
“You’ve always got to watch out for Tanner, that’s for sure.”
Although Thomas was hoping to win his first go-round at the Stampede, he knew that his time could be beaten.
“It was a little tricky to get out on,” he admitted. “I missed the barrier a little bit, but I made an all right run today, I thought.
“I could have been a little faster, but I’m not mad about it at all.”
His fellow steer-wrestling competitors have definitely taken notice of Thomas, who won the Ponoka Stampede title July 3 and earned just over $13,000 in the process.
“I’ll always be at Ponoka as long as I’m rodeoing,” said Thomas, who has set his sights on qualifying for the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton in November.
“I’m going to do a lot more rodeoing up here this year. I’ve got to get to my 15 rodeos so I can get to go to Edmonton.”
Both Milan and Thomas gave credit to their horses and hazers for the success they’ve had so far at this year’s Stampede.
“They’ve been working outstanding,” said Milan of his horse Smoke and his brother Baillee, who’s been a fixture riding alongside him during his winning streak.
Another advantage for Milan has been that he can take Smoke back to his family’s ranch in Cochrane each night.
“He’s feeling really good,” said Milan.
“Just having him at home and getting kicked out on the paddock there, I think, helps every night.”
Meanwhile, Thomas gave credit to his hazer Jake Rinehart, who has also been lending him his horse Rio to ride.
“He’s made the finals three or four times and he’s been up here quite a bit,” said Thomas of Rinehart.
“It’s his horses I’m riding up here.”
Knowing that Rinehart was going to let him ride Rio, Thomas had a great feeling that he could do well heading into his inaugural Stampede performance.
“I’ve had a pretty good mindset,” he said.
“He’s one of my favourite horses to ride.”
Ponoka’s Brock Butterfield finished third on Sunday with a time of 4.6 seconds to win $3,500.
That pulled him into a tie for third spot overall with Riley Duvall of Checotah, Okla., in the aggregate standings.
Both have earned $7,500.
I didn’t quite make the run on the ground that I wanted to. I got rocked up there a little bit, but that steer was good.