Sears and Martha get a victory lap
Lindsay Sears finally got to ride a victory lap behind the lady with the flag at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
And it couldn’t have been more timely; it was the usual Thursday Canada night at the $1.6 million Las Vegas 10-day marathon.
Sears, running on the very bottom of the ground, last out on the roster, got into gear with her superstar sorrel Martha and posted a time of 13.69 seconds. Red Deer-born Texan Carlee Pierce, who also had a rocky start to her NFR, cashed second with a 13.76, her third straight payday.
Canadian champion Lisa Lockhart, from Oelrichs, S.D., cashed fourth in 13.84 seconds, pushing her career earnings beyond $1,000,000, the sixth barrel racer to surpass that milestone.
To date, Pierce has earned $61,541, somewhat amazing considering she crushed four of her first six barrels. Lockhart has gathered up $44,759 and Sears $35,186. Runaway leader, Texan Mary Walker, stopped the clock at 14.10 on her horse Latte, her longest time of the week, but, as third in the aggregate, she remains in a position to win it all.
Steven Dent has won more than $900,000 riding bucking horses on the pro rodeo trail. And this week he’s competing in his fifth National Finals. It hasn’t been much fun.
Dent didn’t pick up his first cheque until Thursday night’s eighth round. He scored 80 points for a half share of last hole, worth a meagre $1,472.
Dent came into the $1.6 million fray second in the bareback riding standings. He has since dropped to fifth and is 13th in the eight-money aggregate with two rounds to go.
Kaycee Feild won the round with an 87-point score and could clinch his second straight world title tonight.
Another cowboy who was in Dent’s tent for the broke was steer wrestler K.C. Jones, from Decatur, Tex.
He, too, was shut out through the first seven rounds and had an audience of sympathizers behind him. But, they were up on their feet applauding him after he split first with a time of 3.4 seconds. Colorado’s Wade Sumpter matched him. They earned $16,343 apiece.
Going into the round, there were eight different winners, including a tie in one of the rounds.
But, the shock in the round was produced by Lousiana’s Gabe LeDoux. He was second in the aggregate and in a position to win the championship. But, he missed his steer, took no time and dropped into a tie for eighth in total time. Leader Les Shepperson, from Wyoming, was ninth with a 4.7 but leads the aggregate by a full six seconds.
Jesse Wright, on the verge of winning his first world saddle bronc riding championship, suffered a major setback when the Northcott family from Caroline watched their Canadian champion horse Get Smart throw him to the ground. And it was a hard buckoff. When Wright crawled to his feet he was obviously woozy and had trouble trying to find where the out-gate was. A couple of guys came to his assistance and steered him in the right direction.
He obviously sustained a concussion. Louisiana’s Cody Demos, a former Calgary Stampede champion, continues to lead the event aggregate after riding his eighth consecutive horse, the only one to do so.