Clay Tryan’s and Jade Corkill’s 4.05-second run in Round 1 of the 2016 ERA World Championships netted them 600 points, enough to move them ahead of Derrick Begay and Clay O’Brien Cooper by 150 points in the ERA season standings. 

Begay and Cooper won third with a 4.63-second run, winning 400 points. That puts them at 2,800 points, second behind Tryan and Corkill’s 2,950. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira are third in the world standings race with 2,175, but won second in Round 1 with a 4.48-second run. 

“I’ve been ready every time I’ve been anywhere,” Corkill said. “It was weird–it isn’t like I’m trying harder thinking I have less chances, but I’m pretty bared down. If I went somewhere, I want to rope more… I haven’t been practicing thinking of all the stuff coming up. There’s no timeline on my practice, and if it doesn’t go how I want it to, I haven’t been crammed for time.”

Corkill is riding Caveman, his former PRCA/AQHA Heel Horse of the Year, who is more sound this year than in years past thanks to the abbreviated ERA schedule. Tryan rode Johnson, who he broke out at the 2016 WNFR and switched to for the ERA rodeos.

“He’s like a little Viper, Speed Williams’ great horse,” Tryan said. “He’s so good in the short scores and easy to reach on.”

Coleman Proctor and Jake Long won fourth in the round with an 8.79-second leg. Blake Hughes and Brady Norman won fifth with a 9.05-second barrier, followed by Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith with a 9.17-second barrier.