Suzy knows what to do
Kelly Bruner employed a different strategy on Sunday and it paid off.
After finishing second in the barrel racing event at the Calgary Stampede rodeo on Friday, Bruner slipped to third place atop her horse Suzy the next afternoon, then she decided to mix things up.
“I left him alone and let him do his job for a change instead of me pulling on him and saying, ‘Slow down, slow down,’ ” said Bruner, who posted Sunday’s top time of 17.43 seconds to take home $5,500. “I left him alone and he did great. He doesn’t need me up there. He seems to get better as he goes. The more times he runs, the more confident he gets.”
Bruner, of Millsap, Texas, has cashed a cheque three straight days and sits tied atop the Pool A standings with Ivy Conrado, of Hudson, Col., at $13,500 in earnings.
“I just felt really confident yesterday,” said Bruner, who decided she and Suzy were going to go for it Sunday. “I was afraid I was going to keep going down, because I was second and then third and I thought oh maybe fourth today … but, I was first.”
Bruner has definitely enjoyed her first trip north to Calgary.
“I’ve never been here before,” she said. “This is a great, great rodeo. I’ve had nothing but the best Canadians visit with me.”
VETERAN WINS DAY MONEY
Cody DeMoss finds it hard to believe it’s been 11 years since he won the saddle bronc competition at the Calgary Stampede.
“That was a long time ago and there’s been a lot of broncs since then,” said DeMoss, who hails from Heflin, La. “I really want to win this again. This would be a good year to do it.”
After finishing out of the money during the first two days of Pool A competition, DeMoss had Sunday’s best ride of 87.5 points atop Xecutive News to win $5,500.
He’ll need another solid outing on Monday to propel him into the top four in the aggregate standings to earn a spot at Showdown Sunday on July 15.
“This rodeo is so unique that you can come back here on Saturday (for the wild card round) and draw one good one and ping him,” DeMoss said. “In fact, I believe that’s what I did the first time. I’ve been back in the final four round probably four more times, maybe five. It’s a drawing contest in that round, too. There’s about two in there that’s usually above the rest. Whoever’s got one of them two usually wins.”
Isaac Diaz of Desdemona, Texas, holds down top spot in the aggregate standings with $11,500 in earnings, followed by Clay Elliott of Nanton at $10,500.
When asked if the young bronc riders look up to him for advice DeMoss responded: “Some of them do. Some of them think I’m a grumpy old man. Some of them have a right to think that, too.
“If I draw the right ones and have my game on then I still feel like I can beat ’em. It’s fun to watch them and I like to see their enthusiasm and they kind of put a little fire back into you if you’re hanging around them long enough.”
HAPPY BULLDOGGER
Kyle Irwin has created nothing but awesome memories while attending the Calgary Stampede, the first time being in 2015.
“My first year here I won second and then last year here, I didn’t make the short round, but I still won $7,000 or $8,000,” said the 28-year-old steer wrestler from Robertsdale, Ala. “My wife and little boy are always glad to have that, so I love this Stampede setup and the opportunity.”
Irwin cashed his first cheque at this year’s Stampede after posting Sunday’s fastest time of 4.1 seconds to put him in fifth place heading into the final day of Pool A competition.
Cody Cassidy of Donalda leads the aggregate standings with $9,500 in earnings, followed closely by Tyler Waguespack of Gonzales, La., at $9,000.
NOTES
For the second day in a row, Cade Swor of Winnie, Texas, won the tie-down roping competition. Swor’s time of 7.1 seconds earned him $5,500 in day money to boost his aggregate total to $11,000, which ties him atop the standings with Cory Solomon of Prairie View, Tex. …
Bull riders Ty Wallace of Collbran, Col., and Jordan Hansen of Ponoka both had solid rides of 87 points to tie for top spot on Sunday. Joe Frost of Randlett, Utah, is sitting atop the aggregate standings with $9,500 in earnings, while Wallace and Cooper Davis, of Buna, Texas, are tied for second at $7,500.