ProRodeo Sports News - July 22, 2022

NFR OPEN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. Bruno strikes paydirt with NFR Open title

NFR OPEN POWERED BY RAM TOP STOCK Bareback riding: Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Bad Influence Saddle bronc riding: Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Killer Bee Bull riding: Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Record Racks Smoke Stack

BY TANNER BARTH A year ago, saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno was in a prime position to place in the top four of the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla., but a missed mark out in the semifinals put his goal on hold. It’s a ride that’s been in the back of his mind since then. All it took was a change of name and venue for him to flip the script at this year’s NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. He wasn’t going to let a golden opportunity slip through the cracks this season. “I’ve kind of had a chip on my shoulder for this rodeo since last year down in Florida,” said Bruno, 21. “I was riding good and then I stubbed my toe in the eight-man round. I kind of just put it on the bookshelf and came back to it this year. “I was able to draw really well this year and took it horse by horse. This is the biggest win of my career to date, and it was really fun. I’m kind of at a loss for words if I’m being honest with you.” Bruno was a man on a mission, securing the NFR Open title with a 90-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s All or Nothin in the finals. It’s a horse that he’s had his eye on for a while now and the luck of the draw was on his side, July 16. “That’s a great horse, I watched Dawson Hay winThe American on him,” he said. “When I saw that was the horse that I drew I was pretty stoked. I just knew that if I did my job, he was going to do his and it had the potential to be a big-time ride.” That wasn’t his only impressive performance during the week. He placed in three other rounds, which included winning Round 1 and the average with 169.5 points on two head. In total, he walked out of Colorado Springs with $25,596 in his pocket, trailing only breakaway roper Martha Angelone for the RAMTop Gun award ($25,765). The big payday has bumped Bruno up to eighth in the latest PRCA | RAMWorld Standings as he aims to qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2022. He admits while the win takes a little pressure off his shoulders there’s still plenty of rodeo left to go if he wants to accomplish his ultimate goal. “I’m just going to keep my head down, there’s a lot of rodeo season left,” Bruno said. “I just have to keep going and keep having fun. In the end if it’s meant to be, it will be.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER Kade Bruno ($25,596, saddle bronc riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Bruno

1. * Ty Pope ............................ 86.5 pts. (Tie) Kade Sonnier...................... 86.5 3. Keenan Hayes ............................... 86 (Tie) Kaycee Feild . ........................ 86 * Named NFR Open champ due to higher semifinal score STEER WRESTLING 1. Kyle Irwin . ............................ 3.8 sec. 2. Cade Staton ................................. 4.9 3. Cody Cabral ................................. 7.0 TEAM ROPING 1. B. Hirdes/D. Pearce ............... 5.3 sec. 2. J. Clay/A. Rogers ......................... 9.8 3. M. Theriot/C. Curry .................... 14.7 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Kade Bruno ............................ 90 pts. 2. Reed Neely . ............................... 83.5 3. Jacobs Crawley ............................. 81 (Tie) Treyson Antonick .................. 81 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Taylor Santos ........................ 8.6 sec. 2. Sy Felton ...................................... 9.7 3. Jase Staudt ................................ 11.3 BARREL RACING 1. Cheyenne Allan ................. 17.04 sec. 2. Jordon Briggs .......................... 17.17 3. Shelley Morgan ........................ 17.40 BULL RIDING 1. Braidy Randolph .................... 86 pts. No other qualified rides

Rocky Mountain High

Complete results/Page 70

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Click Thompson

Kade Bruno secured the NFR Open title with a 90-point ride on Andrew Rodeo’s All or Nothin in the four-man finals.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/22/2022

ProRodeo Sports News 7/22/2022

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