Cinch Timed Event Championship veteran Clayton Hass is using his experience in the Lazy E to his benefit, jumping ahead of the pack after five of the 25 head of competition March 10.
Hass, 38, of Weatherford, Texas, won $3,000 for winning the go-round, bringing his total career CTEC earnings to $47,000. Hass, who grew up in a ranching family, is a steer wrestler in day-to-day life who’s also won big in the heading in the PRCA to bring his ProRodeo career earnings to $1,257,691.
He’s been to 11 Cinch Timed Event Championships, so he’s seen just about every variation of CTEC cattle.
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“This year the team roping steers were user-friendly, the calves were dang sure big, and the tripping steers were dang sure big and fresh and the bull dogging steers are good,” Hass said. “It’s dang sure going to be a marathon looking at these steers.”
He started the event with a solid 8.2-second heading run with NFR heeler Billie Jack Saebens on the heel side, and was another solid 8.8 in the heeling with Saebens heading. In the tie-down roping, Hass drew a runner but ran him down in 18.2.
“In the bull dogging I almost got a horn when the steer let off right there, but I got him thumped over in six. The kind of counted me out to win the round, but I drew a good one in the steer roping and was able to get the win.”
That was the first steer Hass had tripped since the fifth round of the CTEC last year, getting a flag in 15.9 seconds.
“We’ve been rodeoing hard all winter, and with all the tournament-style rodeos, my group of four guys don’t like to battle with each other so we usually split two,” Hass said. “I got home and went straight to The American, so I only had three days home. I had a horse ready, and we tried to line up a couple days to rope on him but it never worked. So we tied some at home, but that’s it.”
Hass rode Robby Ritchey’s steer roping horse, and he borrowed JB James’ gray mare Peggy in the heading. Coleman Proctor mounted him in the heeling on Proctor’s friends Mickey and Heather Clayton’s horse, and he rode Winston McGraw’s gray bull dogging horse Mr. Bigs with Tyler Pearson hazing. Hass had to borrow a steer wrestling horse because his team is up at RodeoHouston with Will Lummus where they won the go-round.
Shad Mayfield traded Hass a calf roping horse for help in the practice pen in the bull dogging. TRJ
