Creasy looks to cash in at unsanctioned rodeo

Event champs in Houston get $50K each

Luke creasy climbed into the top 20 in professional rodeo’s world standings on the week- end after winning nearly $5,200 at the $1.2 million Wrangler Tour San Antonio rodeo.

The Brownfield, Alta., bareback rider launches his bid tonight to win more than $50,000 at the $2 million Reliant Stadium rodeo in Houston.

If he does, it won’t show up in the standings.

Although most of the sport’s superstars are on the roster, the invitational 20-day shoot- out, like the summer Calgary Stampede, isn’t sanctioned by rodeo’s governing body.

Even so, it’s the place where all the cowboys and barrel racers want to be for the next three weeks.

There are up to 17 Canadian contestants in the field, including all of the reigning champions. All of last summer’s Calgary Stampede champions were invited as well.

The field is restricted to 40 contestants in each event (teams in the team roping). The format opens with five eight-contestant series made up of three rounds. The fourleading money winners in each series advance to the two-leg semifinals and four out of each semifinal make it to the championship round.

No scores or times are carried forward and each of the event champions receives $50,000 apiece.

Creasy is joined by barrel racers Rylee Mckenzie and saddle bronc riders Luke Butterfield and Tyrell Larsen in the opening series.

Steer wrestlers cody cassidy and Todd Maughan and team ropers Marty Becker are in the second series, while bareback riders Dusty Lavalley and Jake Vold, along with bulldoggers Cody Cassidy and Straws Milan compete in Series III.

Canadian champion bull rider Chad Besplug and team ropers Levi Simpson and Tyrel Flewelling are in Series IV.

Saddle bronc riders Dustin Flundra and Sam Kelts and world champion barrel racer Lindsay Sears are in Series V.