ProRodeo Sports News - August 21, 2020

O’Connell, Killer Bee team up for rodeo-record tying victory Titans Clash BY TRACY RENCK T he showdown lived up to the hype. TimO’Connell, a three-time PRCA bareback riding world champion, finally drew Beutler & Son Rodeo’s renowned Killer Bee at the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo, Aug. 8 – and they both delivered. Davison LAWTON RANGERS RODEO LAWTON, OKLA.

Buckaloo

O’Connell won the rodeo with a 90-point trip on the 2019 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year to tie the Lawton record with James Boudreau (2003) and Justin McDaniel (2009). “It was pretty touch and go the entire way,” O’Connell said. “I would say being a realist, we got in a heavyweight title fight and say she won on the scorecard. She got more punches in than I did. Sometimes you get in a dogfight and both come out winners in the end.” O’Connell’s had several outstanding rides in his d ecorated career, including a world-record tying 94-point ride on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks to win the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out Rodeo, Feb. 15. However, the Iowa cowboy had the ultimate praise for Killer Bee. O’Connell earned $4,054 for winning Lawton. He led the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings as of Aug. XX. “That’s the strongest, buckiest horse I’ve ever been on in my life, without a doubt,” said O’Connell, 28. “I’ve been on a lot of really strong, really hard-to-ride horses, but the stuff she throws at you is different from anybody else. There were easily four different times she had me in position to get bucked off, and I just kept fighting back. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. It wasn’t my prettiest ride by any means, but it was worth every point at the end of the day.” O’Connell explained what makes Killer Bee so special. “She is the most docile bucking horse I’ve ever seen in my life,” O’Connell said. “She walks out of the bucking chutes and lurches her head forward, which makes your riggin’ drop. Then she takes her front feet and put them back behind her hind feet and she lunches off her front feet and has a massive, big, first two jumps. She can really get up and get down, and that’s where she gets pretty much everybody in trouble. After feeling it, I understand why. She about chucked me over her head. She kind of levels off after that, but even leveling off, she’s still probably one of the rankest horses in the world. “I ended up holding my feet and braced for the jump instead of my other plan which was to spur through it. I think if I would have spurred through, she would have bucked me off in the first two seconds. That wasn’t the spur ride I wanted to put on her. If I would have put the spur ride I wanted to put on her, we more than likely would have rewritten the record book. If I would have matched what she did, we would have been looking at a 96- or 97-point bareback ride. It just wasn’t feasible that night. I’m excited for the rematch.” Killer Bee has quite the résumé. She was voted top bareback horse in Round 3 of the 2019 Wrangler NFR after bucking off Austin Foss. Killer Bee also was the top bareback horse of the 2018Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the top saddle bronc horse of the 2013 and 2014 NFRs. Killer Bee was runner-up for the 2015 Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year.

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER Team ropers, Bubba Buckaloo/Cole

Davison, $5,581 each BAREBACK RIDING

1. Tim O’Connell ......................... 90 pts. 2. Will Lowe ...................................... 87 3. Richmond Champion .................. 86.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. (Tie) Cade Goodman ............. 3.8 sec. Reed Kraeger ............................... 3.8 3. Weston Winkers ........................... 3.9 TEAM ROPING 1. B. Buckaloo/C. Davison ......... 4.0 sec. 2. C. Snow/J. Nogueira .................... 4.3 3. K. Johnson/C. Johnson ................ 4.5 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Jacobs Crawley ...................... 86 pts. 2. Isaac Diaz ................................... 84.5 3. Two tied at ..................................... 83 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. (Tie) Marty Yates ................... 8.6 sec. Timber Moore .............................. 8.6 Kyle Lucas .................................... 8.6 BARREL RACING 1. Hailey Kinsel ..................... 16.90 sec. 2. Tiany Schuster ......................... 16.92 3. Jessica Routier ......................... 16.98 BULL RIDING 1. Trevor Kastner ........................ 88 pts. 2. Colton Byram ............................. 86.5 3. Parker Breding ........................... 85.5

IN BRIEF BUCKALOO/DAVISON CASH IN

Team ropers Bubba Buckaloo and Cole Davison bested a talent- ed Lawton field with a 4.0-second run. The time netted Buckaloo and Davison $5,581 each, tops among all Lawton competitors. Buckaloo has qualified once for the Wrangler NFR (2018), finish - ing fifth in the world standings. Davison has twice made the NFR (2018, 2019). He finished 11th and 12th in the world standings, respectively.

Complete results/Page 48

ProRodeo Sports News 8/21/2020

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