ProRodeo Sports News - October 2, 2020

Chase Brooks wins title at Gold Buckle Knockout A Real TKO BY TRACY RENCK T his wasn’t a dire situation for saddle bronc rider Chase Brooks. The Deer Lodge, Mont., cowboy was safely in the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Yet, Brooks didn’t take his foot off the gas pedal when TOP MONEY WINNER Richmond Champion $4,391 TOP SCORES Champion GOLD BUCKLE KNOCKOUT STONEHAM, COLO.

he competed at the inaugural Gold Buckle Knockout at the Cervi Ranch in Stoneham, Colo., Sept. 30 – the last day of the PRCA regular season. Brooks won the event with a 90.5-point ride onThe Cervi Brothers’ Womanizer. “It feels pretty cool to finish this kind of year off with a win like this,” said Brooks, who was seventh in saddle bronc riding in the PRCA | RAM World Standings when the regular season concluded. “I’ve been watching that horse (Womanizer) for a while, and this was a pretty sweet place to draw her. I had her when she was younger in Houston, but I think I was only like 85. She was good then, but she hadn’t really figured out her stuff she has to her now. She’s a solid 90-pointer every time.” Womanizer was voted the top saddle bronc horse of the 2019Wrangler NFR and top saddle bronc horse of Round 5 when she bucked off J.J. Elshere. Brody Cress won Round 10 onWomanizer with a 91-point ride at last year’s NFR. Brooks had an 86.5-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Risky Business in the long round at Stoneham to qualify for the final-four, sudden-death round. “It was a battle,” Brooks said about his eight seconds aboardWomanizer. “I hung on the left side once, and she just has so many big rolls when she has her moves, and it’s tough getting a perfect ride on her. I was happy to finish it off.” Brooks departed town after earning $2,937. Bareback riding also was contested at the Gold Buckle Knockout, and TimO’Connell and Richmond Champion split the win. In the final four round, O’Connell had a 90.5-point ride onThe Cervi Brothers’ Vitalix WilliamWallace, and Champion matched him with a 90.5-point trip onThe Cervi Brothers’ Ain’t No Angel. “This win means everything,” O’Connell said. “It’s great momentum to end your season with a 90.5, and now to get to go home and get yourself ready for the NFR, what more could you really ask for? I’m going to keep this momentum and run it all the way through my eight weeks of training. I’m going to bring it right into Arlington.” The Wrangler NFR will be at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 3-12. Unofficially, O’Connell finished the regular season atop the 2020 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $122,927. Champion is seventh in the world standings with $64,149. Champion and O’Connell earned $4,391 and $2,827, respectively, in Stoneham. “I’m not mad about it at all,” Champion said about splitting the win. “I was tickled to have (Ain’t No Angel). She had a really good day on her

BAREBACK RIDING 1. Richmond Champion ........... 90.5 pts. (Tie) Tim O’Connell .................... 90.5 3. Jesse Pope .................................... 90 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Chase Brooks ....................... 90.5 pts. 2. Tanner Butner ................................ 88 3. Kolby Wanchuk .............................. 87 3 The number of wins The Cervi Brothers’ Womanizer had during the 2020 PRCA regular season in four total outs. Brody Cress won the finals at the San Anto - nio Stock Show & Rodeo with a 90.5-point ride on Womanizer, Feb. 22. Riggin Smith had an 88.5-point ride on Womanizer on Aug. 8 to win the Sikeston (Mo.) Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, while Chase Brooks had a 90.5-point ride on her Sept. 30 to win the Gold Buckle Knockout. Complete results/Page 57 Champion won the long round with an 89-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Baby Face. O’Connell was fourth with an 86.5-point ride onThe Cervi Brothers’ Amos Moses. There were 20 cowboys who rode in the long round of bareback riding and saddle bronc riding at the Gold Buckle Knockout. Those with the top-four scores in each event advanced to the finals. home turf, and you can’t beat that.”

ProRodeo Sports News 10/2/2020

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