ProRodeo Sports News - May 4, 2018

anyone would like to win it. I just happened to get the bucking horse of the year and it really helped me out, I know that. “Guaranteed, this is the biggest win I’ve ever had. I haven’t had the best luck. My visa travels gave me a fair share of trouble, and last year was the first full year I really got to rodeo, and I’ve done pretty good since the start of last year. Hopefully, there are bigger wins to come.” Given Virgil’s credentials and his prowess for providing points, the 27-year-old Howlett had a feeling his ride would produce enough of a score to catapult him toward the top of the leaderboard. “It was one of those rides when you got off you felt it was going to be a winning ride,” Howlett said. “Watching everyone else go and waiting to see what was going to happen was pretty nerve-wracking.” Rodeo can be odd in that a cowboy’s opposition is often his biggest cheering section. McFadden was rooting for his friend, and his friend came through. “It was exciting for everybody

at the National High School Finals Rodeo. His early accolades were met with disappointment. Tearing his groin in two places while competing at the NHSFR, Howlett was out for 16 months before he made a return trip to the U.S. in 2012 to rodeo for Western Texas College. There, he was again stung by injury. After sitting out his first two years of college rodeo because of injury, Howlett’s final year competing as a Westerner was more indicative of his talent level. Howlett finished as runner-up at the College National Finals Rodeo. Now that he’s fully healthy, his childhood dream of competing at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo doesn’t sound farfetched. “You’re riding against the best in the world, so you have to get better,” Howlett said. “You can always learn stuff and become better. That’s my goal, to get better every ride, and I really feel like this year is the best I’ve ever ridden.”

watching,” McFadden said. “I was more excited for him than I was for myself.” A PRCA cardholder since 2015, Howlett has begun to find his groove. The Queensland, Australia, native is ranked 24th in the RAM PRCA Bareback Riding World Standings as of April 30, and though the Red Bluff Round-Up was his first win of the 2018 season, Howlett has consistently made trips to the pay window. A finals qualifier at the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo, Howlett managed to take home $5,685 at the $1.5 million rodeo. Howlett’s other top finishes include a second-place check at the Lakeside (Calif.) Rodeo and third-place standings at the PRCA Championship Rodeo (Bismarck, N.D.), the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo (Mercedes, Texas) and the Oakdale (Calif.) Saddle Club Rodeo, among others. The boost of winning at Red Bluff has Howlett feeling as if things are clicking. “It’s really eye-opening,” he said. “It’s more encouraging to keep going forward and keep trying to do my best, to finish the year out and have a good year.” Growing up in Queensland, Howlett took to rodeo eventually. “My dad used to bareback ride, and he tried to get me to ride when I was younger,” he said. “But growing up, I was too scared to get on one. I finally got the nerve to get on, and I loved the feel of it. The best feeling in the world, I reckon.” Howlett soon made his way to the United States in 2010, when he competed

Saddle bronc rider Jade Blackwell dressed like the movie character Beetlejuice during the Wild Ride at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up. Dan Hubbell photo

Complete results on Page 47

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Zeke Thurston ....................... 86.5 pts. 2. (tie) Taos Muncy .............................. 85 Rusty Wright ................................... 85 4. Jesse Wright ................................ 82.5

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Tyler Milligan ............ 38.2 sec. on four 2. Cooper Martin .............................. 39.5 3. Ty Baker ........................................ 39.7 4. Rhen Richard ................................ 40.9

BARREL RACING 1. Jessi Fish ................. 34.53 sec. on two 2. Nellie Miller ................................ 34.60 3. Jessie Telford ............................. 34.63 4. Jennifer Barrett ........................... 34.73

BULL RIDING 1. (tie) Garrett Tribble ................ 88.5 pts. Jordan Hansen ............................. 88.5 3. J.W. Harris ....................................... 86 4. Joe Frost ......................................... 84

ProRodeo Sports News 5/4/18

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