Etbauer wins record 50th round in seventh performance of 51st NFR
LAS VEGAS – No cowboy has performed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo the way that five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer has in his 21 appearances, and he added to his legacy in front of 17,069 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center in Round 7. The Edmond, OK bronc rider added to his record for most Wrangler NFR round victories by taking No. 50 thanks to a thrilling 90-point ride aboard Bar T Rodeo’s Son of Sadie.
That mark was four points better than PRCA World Standings leader Jesse Kruse – who is half Etbauer’s age – and left the 46-year-old legend smiling and thankful after the round.
“Thank goodness he was awesome tonight,” said Etbauer, the only cowboy who has earned more than $1 million at the Wrangler NFR, of Son of Sadie. “He kind of stood me up there pretty bad. He threw me up out of there and cocked me over. I was adjusting all the way. He really bucked. He was really good. Horses are like people; they have good days and bad days. I was just glad to be there when the whistle blew.”
Etbauer got a good tip from another expert on the art of saddle bronc riding: two-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider (1990-91) Robert Etbauer, his older brother.
“I talked to Robert, and basically one of my biggest things he said was I was not handling my rein,” Billy said. “He’s a good outsider looking in. It was just one thing that he saw on TV. He said, ‘Just relax, have fun and pick up on that rein.’ I just needed to relax and try to ride.”
The see-saw battle in the steer wrestling world standings continued in Round 7, as two-time and reigning World Champion Luke Branquinho retook the No. 1 spot from 2005 World Champion Lee Graves by winning the round. Branquinho, of Los Alamos, CA, stopped the clock in 3.8 seconds to claim the round victory by one-tenth of a second over Casey McMillen.
“I didn’t think it would hold up,” said Branquinho of his time after being second of 15 in the order in Round 7. “I thought it might win a little bit, maybe at the bottom. I knew going into it that you’re with the best in the world and that anything can happen. Unfortunately, it went the opposite way for those guys, but that’s just part of it.”
Branquinho leads the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 28.2 seconds and holds a $3,153 world standings lead over Graves, who stands fourth in the average. Jake Rinehart and Curtis Cassidy are third and fourth, respectively, in the world standings and are solidly in the average race, so the last three rounds are going to be a shootout.
“I’m going to go at these last three rounds one at a time, like they’re three one-headers, and knowing that you’ve got to win money every round to have a chance at a world championship,” said Branquinho, who has earned an event-best $69,940 in Las Vegas so far. “That’s how I’m going to look at it, just go win as much as I can each go-round.”
Team roping at the Wrangler NFR features a short, fast setup, and that can result in lightning-fast times. Just ask Derrick Begay and Cesar de la Cruz, who won Round 7 with a 3.6-second run that was just one-tenth of a second off the PRCA world record. Their blistering time was four-tenths of a second faster than second-place JoJo LeMond and reigning World Champion Heeler Randon Adams and put $17,139 into both of their wallets.
“We knew the steer was going to be really slow,” said Begay, who won a round at the Wrangler NFR for the first time in two appearances. “I watched videos of him before the rodeo, and my main plan was to get out of the barrier and just see what happened after that. I switched horses just for that steer. I thought it would be easier to hold this horse in the barrier to let the steer have a longer head start. It was awesome.”
De la Cruz has a share of the PRCA world record with former partner Colter Todd (Omaha, 2008), so he knows what it’s like to be that fast.
“This is the fastest I’ve ever been here,” said de la Cruz, a four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier. “I’ve been struggling here a little bit all week, and honestly, I was just telling myself to catch the steer by two feet, slow myself down and go back to the basics.”
Chad Masters, the 2007 world champion header, and Jade Corkill tied for fourth place in the round to widen their PRCA World Standings leads after second-place header Luke Brown and partner Martin Lucero and second-place heeler Kollin VonAhn and partner Nick Sartain finished out of the money.
Brown and Lucero continue to lead the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 35.3 seconds on seven head.
Five-time World Champion Tie-Down Roper Cody Ohl kept his hot week going by tying for the round victory with 2008 world title runner-up Hunter Herrin. The cowboys recorded 7.1-second times to edge Blair Burk by one-tenth of a second. It was the third win or share of first place for Ohl in the last four rounds and kept him third in the Wrangler NFR average and the PRCA World Standings.
“Last night, it came down to where I was gathering (the calf’s legs) up too fast,” said Ohl, who has won an event-best $47,825 at the Thomas & Mack Center through seven rounds. “Having a chance for the world championship, I got to over-thinking a little bit. I usually don’t watch my calves, because I try to get too big of a game plan and it goes south. I just called a buddy of mine back home, and he told me the calf took the tie and left well, and just leave it at that. I second-guessed myself last night, it made me miss the barrier and that’s what caused the whole wreck.”
It was the first round victory of the week for Herrin.
“I’ve drawn pretty well this week, with the exception of one or two calves, but I haven’t roped very well at all,” Herrin said. “The way I’ve roped, you’re not supposed to win anything. Tonight, I had a calf they won a round on earlier. I got a good go and finally finished a tie, and when you do that, you should win something. I was fortunate tonight to do that.”
Trevor Brazile continues to lead the PRCA World Standings with $166,227, while Tuf Cooper leads the Wrangler NFR average with a seven-head total time of 59.2 seconds.
For the fourth time in seven days, the bareback riding ended in a tie at the top. PRCA World Standings leader Clint Cannon and 36-year-old Wrangler NFR rookie D.V. Fennell greatly improved subpar weeks by sharing the win in Round 7. Cannon, of Waller, Texas, rode Calgary Stampede’s Mad Money for 84.5 points to match the score of Fennell, of Neosho, Mo., on JK Rodeo’s Brother.
Cannon gained $13,960 on two-time World Champion Bobby Mote and now leads the world standings with $251,243 to Mote’s $216,644. Cannon has his work cut out for him, as that $34,599 lead is less than the $43,954 that goes for first place in the Wrangler NFR average. Mote leads the average with 587.5 points on seven head, while Cannon is 12th with 482.5 points on six head.
“I’m pumped up about it,” Cannon said of the share of first place. “(My Wrangler NFR) started out slow, but it wasn’t because I was riding badly; I just wasn’t getting a dancing partner, and that’s half of the battle. So, I had to stay focused and positive through all that, and that’s one hard thing to do at the NFR when there’s so many guys chasing you and you’ve got such a good chance at winning the world title and everything seems like it won’t go your way and everything’s letting you down. I had to really dig down deep, and on top of that, you’ve got Bobby out there kicking butt and riding great like he always does. I had to say, ‘Hey, it’s time to step up.'”
Fennell was thrilled to pick up a share of a round win at his first Wrangler NFR.
“I just feel really blessed,” Fennell said. “It’s really been an up-and-down week. That first five head, I think I just got the one check. My goal was to come back in the last five rounds and place in every round, and I know that’s a lofty goal with that set of bareback riders and that set of horses, but I just give the glory to God, let it roll and enjoy the ride. That’s my goal for the rest of this week.”
Traveling partners Jared Smith and Steven Peebles tied for third place with matching 83.5-point scores.
Bull rider Corey Navarre made it two in a row by winning the seventh round with an 88-point score on Silverado Rodeo’s Black Gold, two points better than Colin McTaggart’s ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Tokyo Drift. Navarre, who is competing in his first Wrangler NFR since 1999, took hold of the average lead with a 320-point total on four head.
“Praise the Lord, that’s two nights in a row,” Navarre said. “I’m just staying calm and focused. I feel great. Before we came here, we told our (3-year-old) little girl, Shyla, that we were going to Las Vegas to win buckles. She told us she wanted all of them. Well, she thinks they’re all hers.”
Reigning World Champion Barrel Racer Lindsay Sears placed for the seventh consecutive night and won her second round with a 13.71-second run in Round 7. She finished six-hundredths of a second ahead of Sue Smith for the win and pushed her Wrangler NFR-leading money total to $80,813.
The victory also moved her into the No. 1 spot in the world standings with $222,031, $11,707 ahead of 2007 World Champion Brittany Pozzi, who finished out of the money in Round 7 after knocking over a barrel.
“Tonight, I sat a bit early at the third barrel, and it nearly cost us,” said Sears, who leads the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 97.11 seconds. “As the runs go by, Martha just listens to me more and more. So, as a rider, I have to make sure that I don’t make any mistakes. I have never had a plan for the average. I always figure it will take care of itself if you do well taking each run one at a time. The average does play a major role in the end, but we have to go at it one run at a time, and that is what I concentrate on.”
LAS VEGAS – No cowboy has performed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo the way that five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer has in his 21 appearances, and he added to his legacy in front of 17,069 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center in Round 7. The Edmond, OK bronc rider added to his record for most Wrangler NFR round victories by taking No. 50 thanks to a thrilling 90-point ride aboard Bar T Rodeo’s Son of Sadie.
That mark was four points better than PRCA World Standings leader Jesse Kruse – who is half Etbauer’s age – and left the 46-year-old legend smiling and thankful after the round.
“Thank goodness he was awesome tonight,” said Etbauer, the only cowboy who has earned more than $1 million at the Wrangler NFR, of Son of Sadie. “He kind of stood me up there pretty bad. He threw me up out of there and cocked me over. I was adjusting all the way. He really bucked. He was really good. Horses are like people; they have good days and bad days. I was just glad to be there when the whistle blew.”
Etbauer got a good tip from another expert on the art of saddle bronc riding: two-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider (1990-91) Robert Etbauer, his older brother.
“I talked to Robert, and basically one of my biggest things he said was I was not handling my rein,” Billy said. “He’s a good outsider looking in. It was just one thing that he saw on TV. He said, ‘Just relax, have fun and pick up on that rein.’ I just needed to relax and try to ride.”
The see-saw battle in the steer wrestling world standings continued in Round 7, as two-time and reigning World Champion Luke Branquinho retook the No. 1 spot from 2005 World Champion Lee Graves by winning the round. Branquinho, of Los Alamos, CA, stopped the clock in 3.8 seconds to claim the round victory by one-tenth of a second over Casey McMillen.
“I didn’t think it would hold up,” said Branquinho of his time after being second of 15 in the order in Round 7. “I thought it might win a little bit, maybe at the bottom. I knew going into it that you’re with the best in the world and that anything can happen. Unfortunately, it went the opposite way for those guys, but that’s just part of it.”
Branquinho leads the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 28.2 seconds and holds a $3,153 world standings lead over Graves, who stands fourth in the average. Jake Rinehart and Curtis Cassidy are third and fourth, respectively, in the world standings and are solidly in the average race, so the last three rounds are going to be a shootout.
“I’m going to go at these last three rounds one at a time, like they’re three one-headers, and knowing that you’ve got to win money every round to have a chance at a world championship,” said Branquinho, who has earned an event-best $69,940 in Las Vegas so far. “That’s how I’m going to look at it, just go win as much as I can each go-round.”
Team roping at the Wrangler NFR features a short, fast setup, and that can result in lightning-fast times. Just ask Derrick Begay and Cesar de la Cruz, who won Round 7 with a 3.6-second run that was just one-tenth of a second off the PRCA world record. Their blistering time was four-tenths of a second faster than second-place JoJo LeMond and reigning World Champion Heeler Randon Adams and put $17,139 into both of their wallets.
“We knew the steer was going to be really slow,” said Begay, who won a round at the Wrangler NFR for the first time in two appearances. “I watched videos of him before the rodeo, and my main plan was to get out of the barrier and just see what happened after that. I switched horses just for that steer. I thought it would be easier to hold this horse in the barrier to let the steer have a longer head start. It was awesome.”
De la Cruz has a share of the PRCA world record with former partner Colter Todd (Omaha, 2008), so he knows what it’s like to be that fast.
“This is the fastest I’ve ever been here,” said de la Cruz, a four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier. “I’ve been struggling here a little bit all week, and honestly, I was just telling myself to catch the steer by two feet, slow myself down and go back to the basics.”
Chad Masters, the 2007 world champion header, and Jade Corkill tied for fourth place in the round to widen their PRCA World Standings leads after second-place header Luke Brown and partner Martin Lucero and second-place heeler Kollin VonAhn and partner Nick Sartain finished out of the money.
Brown and Lucero continue to lead the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 35.3 seconds on seven head.
Five-time World Champion Tie-Down Roper Cody Ohl kept his hot week going by tying for the round victory with 2008 world title runner-up Hunter Herrin. The cowboys recorded 7.1-second times to edge Blair Burk by one-tenth of a second. It was the third win or share of first place for Ohl in the last four rounds and kept him third in the Wrangler NFR average and the PRCA World Standings.
“Last night, it came down to where I was gathering (the calf’s legs) up too fast,” said Ohl, who has won an event-best $47,825 at the Thomas & Mack Center through seven rounds. “Having a chance for the world championship, I got to over-thinking a little bit. I usually don’t watch my calves, because I try to get too big of a game plan and it goes south. I just called a buddy of mine back home, and he told me the calf took the tie and left well, and just leave it at that. I second-guessed myself last night, it made me miss the barrier and that’s what caused the whole wreck.”
It was the first round victory of the week for Herrin.
“I’ve drawn pretty well this week, with the exception of one or two calves, but I haven’t roped very well at all,” Herrin said. “The way I’ve roped, you’re not supposed to win anything. Tonight, I had a calf they won a round on earlier. I got a good go and finally finished a tie, and when you do that, you should win something. I was fortunate tonight to do that.”
Trevor Brazile continues to lead the PRCA World Standings with $166,227, while Tuf Cooper leads the Wrangler NFR average with a seven-head total time of 59.2 seconds.
For the fourth time in seven days, the bareback riding ended in a tie at the top. PRCA World Standings leader Clint Cannon and 36-year-old Wrangler NFR rookie D.V. Fennell greatly improved subpar weeks by sharing the win in Round 7. Cannon, of Waller, Texas, rode Calgary Stampede’s Mad Money for 84.5 points to match the score of Fennell, of Neosho, Mo., on JK Rodeo’s Brother.
Cannon gained $13,960 on two-time World Champion Bobby Mote and now leads the world standings with $251,243 to Mote’s $216,644. Cannon has his work cut out for him, as that $34,599 lead is less than the $43,954 that goes for first place in the Wrangler NFR average. Mote leads the average with 587.5 points on seven head, while Cannon is 12th with 482.5 points on six head.
“I’m pumped up about it,” Cannon said of the share of first place. “(My Wrangler NFR) started out slow, but it wasn’t because I was riding badly; I just wasn’t getting a dancing partner, and that’s half of the battle. So, I had to stay focused and positive through all that, and that’s one hard thing to do at the NFR when there’s so many guys chasing you and you’ve got such a good chance at winning the world title and everything seems like it won’t go your way and everything’s letting you down. I had to really dig down deep, and on top of that, you’ve got Bobby out there kicking butt and riding great like he always does. I had to say, ‘Hey, it’s time to step up.'”
Fennell was thrilled to pick up a share of a round win at his first Wrangler NFR.
“I just feel really blessed,” Fennell said. “It’s really been an up-and-down week. That first five head, I think I just got the one check. My goal was to come back in the last five rounds and place in every round, and I know that’s a lofty goal with that set of bareback riders and that set of horses, but I just give the glory to God, let it roll and enjoy the ride. That’s my goal for the rest of this week.”
Traveling partners Jared Smith and Steven Peebles tied for third place with matching 83.5-point scores.
Bull rider Corey Navarre made it two in a row by winning the seventh round with an 88-point score on Silverado Rodeo’s Black Gold, two points better than Colin McTaggart’s ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Tokyo Drift. Navarre, who is competing in his first Wrangler NFR since 1999, took hold of the average lead with a 320-point total on four head.
“Praise the Lord, that’s two nights in a row,” Navarre said. “I’m just staying calm and focused. I feel great. Before we came here, we told our (3-year-old) little girl, Shyla, that we were going to Las Vegas to win buckles. She told us she wanted all of them. Well, she thinks they’re all hers.”
Reigning World Champion Barrel Racer Lindsay Sears placed for the seventh consecutive night and won her second round with a 13.71-second run in Round 7. She finished six-hundredths of a second ahead of Sue Smith for the win and pushed her Wrangler NFR-leading money total to $80,813.
The victory also moved her into the No. 1 spot in the world standings with $222,031, $11,707 ahead of 2007 World Champion Brittany Pozzi, who finished out of the money in Round 7 after knocking over a barrel.
“Tonight, I sat a bit early at the third barrel, and it nearly cost us,” said Sears, who leads the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 97.11 seconds. “As the runs go by, Martha just listens to me more and more. So, as a rider, I have to make sure that I don’t make any mistakes. I have never had a plan for the average. I always figure it will take care of itself if you do well taking each run one at a time. The average does play a major role in the end, but we have to go at it one run at a time, and that is what I concentrate on.”
LAS VEGAS – No cowboy has performed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo the way that five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer has in his 21 appearances, and he added to his legacy in front of 17,069 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center in Round 7. The Edmond, OK bronc rider added to his record for most Wrangler NFR round victories by taking No. 50 thanks to a thrilling 90-point ride aboard Bar T Rodeo’s Son of Sadie.
That mark was four points better than PRCA World Standings leader Jesse Kruse – who is half Etbauer’s age – and left the 46-year-old legend smiling and thankful after the round.
“Thank goodness he was awesome tonight,” said Etbauer, the only cowboy who has earned more than $1 million at the Wrangler NFR, of Son of Sadie. “He kind of stood me up there pretty bad. He threw me up out of there and cocked me over. I was adjusting all the way. He really bucked. He was really good. Horses are like people; they have good days and bad days. I was just glad to be there when the whistle blew.”
Etbauer got a good tip from another expert on the art of saddle bronc riding: two-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider (1990-91) Robert Etbauer, his older brother.
“I talked to Robert, and basically one of my biggest things he said was I was not handling my rein,” Billy said. “He’s a good outsider looking in. It was just one thing that he saw on TV. He said, ‘Just relax, have fun and pick up on that rein.’ I just needed to relax and try to ride.”
The see-saw battle in the steer wrestling world standings continued in Round 7, as two-time and reigning World Champion Luke Branquinho retook the No. 1 spot from 2005 World Champion Lee Graves by winning the round. Branquinho, of Los Alamos, CA, stopped the clock in 3.8 seconds to claim the round victory by one-tenth of a second over Casey McMillen.
“I didn’t think it would hold up,” said Branquinho of his time after being second of 15 in the order in Round 7. “I thought it might win a little bit, maybe at the bottom. I knew going into it that you’re with the best in the world and that anything can happen. Unfortunately, it went the opposite way for those guys, but that’s just part of it.”
Branquinho leads the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 28.2 seconds and holds a $3,153 world standings lead over Graves, who stands fourth in the average. Jake Rinehart and Curtis Cassidy are third and fourth, respectively, in the world standings and are solidly in the average race, so the last three rounds are going to be a shootout.
“I’m going to go at these last three rounds one at a time, like they’re three one-headers, and knowing that you’ve got to win money every round to have a chance at a world championship,” said Branquinho, who has earned an event-best $69,940 in Las Vegas so far. “That’s how I’m going to look at it, just go win as much as I can each go-round.”
Team roping at the Wrangler NFR features a short, fast setup, and that can result in lightning-fast times. Just ask Derrick Begay and Cesar de la Cruz, who won Round 7 with a 3.6-second run that was just one-tenth of a second off the PRCA world record. Their blistering time was four-tenths of a second faster than second-place JoJo LeMond and reigning World Champion Heeler Randon Adams and put $17,139 into both of their wallets.
“We knew the steer was going to be really slow,” said Begay, who won a round at the Wrangler NFR for the first time in two appearances. “I watched videos of him before the rodeo, and my main plan was to get out of the barrier and just see what happened after that. I switched horses just for that steer. I thought it would be easier to hold this horse in the barrier to let the steer have a longer head start. It was awesome.”
De la Cruz has a share of the PRCA world record with former partner Colter Todd (Omaha, 2008), so he knows what it’s like to be that fast.
“This is the fastest I’ve ever been here,” said de la Cruz, a four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier. “I’ve been struggling here a little bit all week, and honestly, I was just telling myself to catch the steer by two feet, slow myself down and go back to the basics.”
Chad Masters, the 2007 world champion header, and Jade Corkill tied for fourth place in the round to widen their PRCA World Standings leads after second-place header Luke Brown and partner Martin Lucero and second-place heeler Kollin VonAhn and partner Nick Sartain finished out of the money.
Brown and Lucero continue to lead the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 35.3 seconds on seven head.
Five-time World Champion Tie-Down Roper Cody Ohl kept his hot week going by tying for the round victory with 2008 world title runner-up Hunter Herrin. The cowboys recorded 7.1-second times to edge Blair Burk by one-tenth of a second. It was the third win or share of first place for Ohl in the last four rounds and kept him third in the Wrangler NFR average and the PRCA World Standings.
“Last night, it came down to where I was gathering (the calf’s legs) up too fast,” said Ohl, who has won an event-best $47,825 at the Thomas & Mack Center through seven rounds. “Having a chance for the world championship, I got to over-thinking a little bit. I usually don’t watch my calves, because I try to get too big of a game plan and it goes south. I just called a buddy of mine back home, and he told me the calf took the tie and left well, and just leave it at that. I second-guessed myself last night, it made me miss the barrier and that’s what caused the whole wreck.”
It was the first round victory of the week for Herrin.
“I’ve drawn pretty well this week, with the exception of one or two calves, but I haven’t roped very well at all,” Herrin said. “The way I’ve roped, you’re not supposed to win anything. Tonight, I had a calf they won a round on earlier. I got a good go and finally finished a tie, and when you do that, you should win something. I was fortunate tonight to do that.”
Trevor Brazile continues to lead the PRCA World Standings with $166,227, while Tuf Cooper leads the Wrangler NFR average with a seven-head total time of 59.2 seconds.
For the fourth time in seven days, the bareback riding ended in a tie at the top. PRCA World Standings leader Clint Cannon and 36-year-old Wrangler NFR rookie D.V. Fennell greatly improved subpar weeks by sharing the win in Round 7. Cannon, of Waller, Texas, rode Calgary Stampede’s Mad Money for 84.5 points to match the score of Fennell, of Neosho, Mo., on JK Rodeo’s Brother.
Cannon gained $13,960 on two-time World Champion Bobby Mote and now leads the world standings with $251,243 to Mote’s $216,644. Cannon has his work cut out for him, as that $34,599 lead is less than the $43,954 that goes for first place in the Wrangler NFR average. Mote leads the average with 587.5 points on seven head, while Cannon is 12th with 482.5 points on six head.
“I’m pumped up about it,” Cannon said of the share of first place. “(My Wrangler NFR) started out slow, but it wasn’t because I was riding badly; I just wasn’t getting a dancing partner, and that’s half of the battle. So, I had to stay focused and positive through all that, and that’s one hard thing to do at the NFR when there’s so many guys chasing you and you’ve got such a good chance at winning the world title and everything seems like it won’t go your way and everything’s letting you down. I had to really dig down deep, and on top of that, you’ve got Bobby out there kicking butt and riding great like he always does. I had to say, ‘Hey, it’s time to step up.'”
Fennell was thrilled to pick up a share of a round win at his first Wrangler NFR.
“I just feel really blessed,” Fennell said. “It’s really been an up-and-down week. That first five head, I think I just got the one check. My goal was to come back in the last five rounds and place in every round, and I know that’s a lofty goal with that set of bareback riders and that set of horses, but I just give the glory to God, let it roll and enjoy the ride. That’s my goal for the rest of this week.”
Traveling partners Jared Smith and Steven Peebles tied for third place with matching 83.5-point scores.
Bull rider Corey Navarre made it two in a row by winning the seventh round with an 88-point score on Silverado Rodeo’s Black Gold, two points better than Colin McTaggart’s ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Tokyo Drift. Navarre, who is competing in his first Wrangler NFR since 1999, took hold of the average lead with a 320-point total on four head.
“Praise the Lord, that’s two nights in a row,” Navarre said. “I’m just staying calm and focused. I feel great. Before we came here, we told our (3-year-old) little girl, Shyla, that we were going to Las Vegas to win buckles. She told us she wanted all of them. Well, she thinks they’re all hers.”
Reigning World Champion Barrel Racer Lindsay Sears placed for the seventh consecutive night and won her second round with a 13.71-second run in Round 7. She finished six-hundredths of a second ahead of Sue Smith for the win and pushed her Wrangler NFR-leading money total to $80,813.
The victory also moved her into the No. 1 spot in the world standings with $222,031, $11,707 ahead of 2007 World Champion Brittany Pozzi, who finished out of the money in Round 7 after knocking over a barrel.
“Tonight, I sat a bit early at the third barrel, and it nearly cost us,” said Sears, who leads the Wrangler NFR average with a total time of 97.11 seconds. “As the runs go by, Martha just listens to me more and more. So, as a rider, I have to make sure that I don’t make any mistakes. I have never had a plan for the average. I always figure it will take care of itself if you do well taking each run one at a time. The average does play a major role in the end, but we have to go at it one run at a time, and that is what I concentrate on.”
