Cody Tew and Coy Brittain have secured their spot in the $25,000 Gold Medal Round after knocking down their steer in 5.94 seconds during the final performance of the semi-final rounds at the WCRA Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo.
“It’s like a survivor game and we get to stay in it,” Tew, 35, of Belgrade, Mont., said.
Tew and Brittain were one of only two teams who turned in a qualifying run, with Alex Muratori of Alpine, Texas, and Cole Cooper of Montrose, Colorado, turning in a 13.21-second run to finish second.
“We knew we had the loper and it was like he was almost too slow,” Brittain, 27, of Rockwall, Texas, said. “We just planned on seeing him way out and just going and knocking him down. We knew that he was gonna be an easy one to jackpot and probably make it back on.”
Both Tew and Brittain flew in to compete in the Days of ’47 Rodeo and rode borrowed horses – Tew rode a horse borrowed from his brother, Casey Tew, and Brittain rode a horse borrowed from Cole Cooper.
“I was lucky that I was able to ride something that I was familiar with,” Tew said. “My brother was up here rodeoin’ and happened to be up here the same night. So that was the biggest blessing for me was being able to ride that horse cause at least I was familiar with him.”
Tew and Brittain are preparing for their battle in the Gold Medal Round for a chance at the $25,000 cash prize and the gold medal.
“We’re just going to relax tomorrow and come back for vengeance Monday,” Brittain said.
The field for the Gold Medal Round has been finalized, with Zachary Kilgus and Jake Edwards being the No.1-seeded athletes. Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, and Cody Tew and Coy Brittain each earned their qualifications after winning their respective semi-finals rounds. Brady Tryan and Jake Long, Cory Kidd and Lane Mitchell, and Payden Emmett and Lucas Falconer each made wildcard spots with the fastest times from all four combined semi-final performances.
Action at the Utah Day of ’47 Rodeo continues July 25 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Live streaming is available on PBR RidePass on PlutoTV nightly at 7:30 p.m. MT. CBS will air the Gold Medal Round of the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo on July 31 at 11 a.m. MT.
WCRA Days of ’47 Rodeo Semi-Final Round 4 Results:
1. Cody Tew, Belgrade, MT/Coy Brittain, Rockwall, TX, 5.94 seconds, $1,600 each; 2. Alex Muratori, Alpine, TX/Cole Cooper, Montrose, CO, 13.21, $1,200 each; no other qualified times.
WCRA Days of ’47 Rodeo Gold Medal Round Current Qualifiers:
Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill, Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, Cody Tew/Coy Brittain, Brady Tryan/Jake Long, Cory Kidd/ Lane Mitchell, Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, Zachary Kilgus/Jake Edwards
