Luke Brown and Travis Graves split $10,000 after roping five steers in 33.33 seconds at the Wildfire XXII Open Gunslinger in Hamilton, Texas.
Brown and Graves were high team back heading into the short round. They made a businessman’s run to be 7.86 seconds, which secured their aggregate win.
“Someone told me it [the steer] was pretty good,” Brown, who won the Wildfire XX Open to the World with Jake Long in 2018, said. “I almost let him a little too far and I was headed to him and I was thinking, ‘man, better hurry up and rope. You’re getting in a bind here.’ Of course, Travis heeled him fast. I knew he was going to do that, so it didn’t matter.”
[READ: Knowing You Belong with Luke Brown]
[LISTEN: The Score: Season 2, Episode 21 with Luke Brown]
With some tough competition, the veterans showed up and made sure to complete the course by having a strong mentality to get them through the five rounds, especially when guys like Dustin Egusquiza and Tyler Wade a bringing the heat to try and stay in the roping.
“It’s funny, as much as roping has changed—the 15 years that I’ve been out here—it’s still fundamentals—you still have to ride a good horse, you still have to rope sharp,” Brown said. “As fast as they are nowadays you still have to go through the fundamentals. I’m learning that the hard way. I watch Dustin Egusquiza. No one even hollers for him anymore. The greatest heading shots I’ve ever seen, and people are just like, ‘well, that’s just Dustin.’ It’s just crazy. TWade (Tyler Wade) is the same way—it’s just amazing. I had a leg on one and I was trying to figure out how fast I needed to be to stay in it and then I was honest to myself. I was like, ‘you can’t do that. You’re going to miss.”
[LISTEN: The Score Season 1, Episode 15 with Travis Graves]
[READ: Tips: Spoke Length with Travis Graves]
Brown rode Scarlet, a 13-year-old bay mare, who took the heat on the five steer, enter four time, roping.
“I honestly thought the roping was a four header because it’s called the gunslinger,” Brown admitted. “I don’t know why I thought it was, but I get here and it’s a five header and I brought one horse. I was already feeling sorry for her before I roped. But she had to deal with it. She did great. She’s so easy.”
Graves heeled down on a 14-year-old sorrel he calls Lunchbox.
“I rode Lunchbox, a horse I’ve had for a couple years now,” Graves said. “He’s just a good horse and he worked pretty good today.” TRJ
[READ: Swing Consistency with Travis Graves]
Full Results:
1. Luke Brown and Travis Graves, 33.33 seconds on five head, worth $5,000 a man
2. Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, 33.78 seconds on five head, worth $3,000 a man
3. Mason Rust and Colton Johnson, 34.02 seconds on five head, worth $2,000 a man
4. Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp, 34.24 seconds on five head, worth $1,550 a man
5. Clay Smith and Jake Long, 34.80 seconds on five head, worth $1,250 a man
6. Kolton Schmidt and Hunter Koch, 34.82 seconds on five head, worth $1,000 a man
7. Chad Masters and Douglas Rich, 35.28 seconds on five head, worth $750 a man
Round 1 Fast Time:
1. Cody Snow and Paul Eaves, 5.25 seconds, worth $500 a man
2. Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp, 5.38 seconds, worth $250 a man
Short Go Fast Time:
1. Kaleb Driggers and Jade Corkill, 4.44 seconds, worth $500 a man
