Clay Smith and Jade Corkill topped off their week in San Antonio, Texas with a record-breaking run in 3.3 seconds, worth $9,000 each, plus their $3,000 earnings from Bracket 1, to win the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, making this Smith’s first San Antonio championship title.
The arena record was previously held by Dustin Bird and Levi Tyan with a 3.5-second run.
“It’s a prestigious rodeo, so I thought it was pretty cool to win San Antonio, finally,” said Smith, a two-time world champion. “Being the third team out and being as tough as it was, it made it pretty cool. Everybody made good runs, so it was pretty special.”
They drew a solid brown steer they had seen go three times before, which was the draw they needed in the finals round.
“We knew that he was going to be pretty sharp and straight,” Smith said. “We wanted something that was a little bit sharper through there to where you didn’t have to worry about scoring as much, you could just worry about roping. That steer was really good.”
Smith got to his horn and turned the steer quick for Corkill to throw his signature heel loop on the corner and get the run stopped.
“If any that keeps up with roping, or opens the magazine, you know that all you have to do is turn the steer and Jade will heel them,” Smith said about Corkill, who won the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in 2011 heeling for Chad Masters. “He makes my job pretty easy. He’s not going to mess up, and if he does, it’s very rare, and most the times, if he does it’s because of something I did. Basically, all you have to do is keep them in the arena and you’ll win something with him.”
Smith and Corkill started their run in Bracket I of five brackets and won the first round with a 4.6-second run, worth $1,500 each, and won the second round with a 4.3-second run, worth $1,500 each, which advanced them to the finals with $3,000 won.
“We had pretty good steers in the semi-finals which made it easier,” Smith said. “We were able to get them down and that money that we won helped carry us through. In a year like this you’ve got to win at the bigger rodeo like this because you’re not really sure when you’re going to have a chance to win that kind of money again. We appreciate that San Antonio had that rodeo and went against the grain.”
Smith was notably on his grade gelding, Marty, which has been Smith’s go-to mount when money and world titles are on the line.
“It’s hard to explain how special he is to me,” Smith said. “I’ve rode him less in the last couple of years thinking I might be easy with him. I thought he was being a little sluggish in the last year, so I’ve been riding him at home, roping on him and just using him and maybe taking him to a few jackpots just to kind of keep him in shape.
“What makes him special, like in that particular situation, he can read the run and be so fast that I don’t ever have to tell him to turn off or tell him to score or tell him what we need to see. All I have to think about is just trying to get my rope up and get it on the steer.”Full Results:
Bracket 1:
First round:
1. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 4.6-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Cody Snow and Junior Nogueira, 4.8-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Erich Rogers and Paden Bray, 5.1-second run, worth $800 each
4/5. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 5.7-second run, worth $300 each
4/5. Garrett Rogers and Jake Minor, 5.7-second run, worth $300 each
Second round:
1. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 4.3-second run, worth $1,500 each
2/3. Garrett Rogers and Jake Minor, 4.5-second run, worth $900 each
2/3. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 4.5-second run, worth $900 each
4. Erich Rogers and Paden Bray, 4.6-second run, worth $600 each
Semifinal Qualifiers:
1. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, $3,000 each
2. Erich Rogers and Paden Bray, $1,400 each
3/4. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, $1,200 each
3/4. Garrett Rogers and Jake Minor, $1,200 each
Bracket 2:
First round:
1. Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, 4.6-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, 5.4-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Wyatt Muggli and Casey McCleskey, 6.9-second run, worth $800 each
4. Jake Orman and Bryce Crites, 9.9-second run, worth $600 each
Second round:
1. Jake Orman and Bryce Crites, 4.5-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, 5.2-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Wyatt Muggli and Casey McCleskey, 6.1-second run, worth $800 each
4. Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, 13.9-second run, worth $600 each
Semifinal Qualifiers:
1. Jake Orman and Bryce Crites, $2,100 each
Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, $2,100 each
3. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, $2,000 each
4. Wyatt Muggli and Casey McCleskey, $1,600 each
Bracket 3:
First round:
1/2. Britt Smith and Jake Smith, 5.7-second run, worth $1,250 each
1/2. Hayes Smith and Caleb Anderson, 5.7-second run, worth $1,250 each
3. Garrett Tonozzi and Dustin Davis, 11.0-second run, worth $800 each
4. Reno Stoebner and Dillon Wingereid, 15.7-second run, worth $600 each
Second round:
1. Hayes Smith and Caleb Anderson, 5.0-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Britt Smith and Jake Smith, 6.0-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Kellan Johnson and Carson Johnson, 9.6-second run, worth $800 each
4. Cyle Denison and Colton Brittain, 9.7-second run, worth $600 each
Semifinal Qualifiers:
1. Hayes Smith and Caleb Anderson, $2,750 each
2. Britt Smith and Jake Smith, $2,250 each
3/4. Kellan Johnson and Carson Johnson, $800 each
3/4. Garrett Tonozzi and Dustin Davis, $800 each
Bracket 4:
First round:
1. Colby Lovell and Paul Eaves, 4.4-second run, worth $1,500 each
2/3. Manny Egusquiza and Kory Koontz, 4.6-second run, $900 each
2/3. Levi Simpson and Shay Carroll, 4.6-second run, worth $900 each
4. Kolton Schmidt and Hunter Koch, 4.9-second run, worth $600 each
Second round:
1. Clay Tryan and Jake Long, 4.3-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Manny Egusquiza and Kory Koontz, 4.7-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, 9.4-second run, worth $800 each
4. Kolton Schmidt and Hunter Koch, 10.2-second run, worth $600 each
Semifinal Qualifiers:
1. Manny Egusquiza and Kory Koontz, $1,900 each
2/3. Clay Tryan and Jake Long, $1,500 each
2/3. Colby Lovell and Paul Eaves, $1,500 each
4. Kolton Schmidt and Hunter Koch, $1,200 each
Bracket 5:
First round:
1. Nelson Wyatt and Levi Lord, 4.8-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Clint Summers and Ross Ashford, 5.3-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Charly Crawford and Douglas Rich, 6.3-second run, worth $800 each
4. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 11.0-second run, worth $600 each
Second round:
1. Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith, 4.3-second run, worth $1,500 each
2. Kaleb Driggers and Wesley Thorp, 5.1-second run, worth $1,000 each
3. Nelson Wyatt and Levi Lord, 5.2-second run, worth $800 each
4. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 8.9-second run, worth $600.
Semifinal qualifiers:
1. Nelson Wyatt and Levi Lord, $2,300 each
2. Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith, $1,500 each
3. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, $1,200 each
4. Kaleb Driggers and Wesley Thorp, $1,000 each
Semifinals 1:
1. Clay Tryan and Jake Long, 4.2 second run, worth $3,000 each
2/3. Nelson Wyatt and Levi Lord, 5.0-second run, worth $1,800 each
2/3. Kolton Schmidt and Hunter Koch, 5.0-second run, worth $1,800 each
4. Kellan Johnson and Carson Johnson, 5.5-second run, worth $1,200 each
Semifinal 2:
1. Hayes Smith and Caleb Anderson, 4.9-second run, worth $3,000 each
2. Britt Smith and Jake Smith, 5.3-second run, worth $2,000 each
3. Garrett Rogers and Jake Minor, 9.3-second run, worth $1,600 each
4. Kaleb Driggers and Wesley Thorp, 9.9-second run, worth $1,200 each
Wild Card:
1. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 3.5-second run, worth $3,000 each
2. Jake Orman and Bryce Crites, 3.7-second run, worth $2,000 each
3. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 3.8-second run, worth $1,600 each
4. Colby Lovell and Paul Eaves, 4.0-second run, worth $1,200 each
Finals:
1. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 3.3-second run, worth $9,000 each
2. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 3.6-second run, worth $6,000 each
3/4. Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett, 3.7-second run, worth $4,275 each
3/4. Nelson Wyatt and Levi Lord, 3.7-second run, worth $4,275 each
Champions: Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, $12,000 each
