ProRodeo Sports News July 9, 2021

ST. PAUL RODEO ST. PAUL, ORE.

Meged enjoys return trip to St. Paul Caddy Cruise BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI T he last time Haven Meged competed at the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo, he was a rookie. He didn’t do well. This time around – with a gold buckle on his belt and a pair of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifications to go with it –Meged showed he knows what to expect. Riding Cadillac, 6, Meged took fifth in the first round, second in the second round and won the average with 15.9 seconds on two head to ride away with $9,825. TOP MONEY WINNER Austin Foss ($9,877, bareback riding) BAREBACK RIDING TOP SCORES Foss

Paired with the $6,242 he earned at the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Ariz., Meged made the top 10 for most money earned among timed-event competitors over the Fourth of July run. “It (St. Paul) went really great,” said the 2019 world champion. “It was a big rodeo for me. St. Paul is one of the biggest two-headers you can go to all year.” Meged stopped the clock in 8.3 seconds in the first round and 7.6 seconds in the second round. His two-head time was more than a half second faster than Tuf Cooper, who finished second. Meged said Cadillac made the most sense for the setup at St. Paul. “He scores good and flat and makes everything happen really fast,” said Meged, 23. The Miles City, Mont., cowboy earned $16,067 during Cowboy Christmas, helping him climb to sixth in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $60,067. As strong as the run over the Fourth was for Meged, he felt he left more money out on the rodeo grounds. “I started it off really well, did well at Prescott, then St. Paul over the Fourth,” he said. “After that I didn’t draw as good and wasted a couple calves. I was fortunate to get the money I did at those two- headers.” Meged sets a goal every week to help him build toward the NFR. He hit that goal over the Fourth. “I had a goal to win $15,000 or more,” he said. “I have weekly goals. If I reach that goal, I’m happy we reached it and accomplished it. … I’m in a good spot right now. I just want to keep winning and make that NFR again.” Meged will compete in several rodeos before heading north of the border for the Calgary Stampede, his first trip to the historic rodeo. “Everybody talks about how cool it is,” he said of the Stampede. “It’s the world’s biggest outdoor rodeo. I’m excited to get up there.”

1. Austin Foss .......................... 87.5 pts. 2. Jess Pope ...................................... 86 3. Two tied at ..................................... 84 STEER WRESTLING 1. Luke Branquinho ........... 8.4 sec. on 2 2. Jacob Talley .................................. 8.8 3. Jesse Brown ................................. 8.9 TEAM ROPING 1. Driggers/Nogueira ....... 10.4 sec. on 2 2. C. Summers/R. Ashford ............. 10.6 3. Three tied at ................................ 11.0 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Zeke Thurston ......................... 88 pts. 2. Three tied at ................................ 86.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Haven Meged .............. 15.9 sec. on 2 2. Tuf Cooper .................................. 16.5 3. John Douch ................................ 16.9 BARREL RACING 1. Stephanie Fryar ................. 17.37 sec. 2. Hailey Kinsel ............................. 17.51 3. Shelley Holman ........................ 17.57 BULL RIDING 1. J.C. Mortensen ........................ 87 pts. 2. Jordan Spears ............................. 86.5 3. Stetson Wright ............................... 86

THURSTON LOVES COWBOY XMAS Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston won the most money among roughstock cowboys during Cowboy same Fourth of July success he did a year ago, he did win $9,292 by winning in St. Paul with an 88-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo’s Broken Camp. Christmas 2020. While Thurston didn’t have the

Complete results/Page 81

Bob Click photo

Zeke Thurston rides in St. Paul, Ore.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/9/2021

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