Three rounds in, Round 4 will mark the second run on the first set of Hill Rodeo Cattle’s outstanding Mexican steers. Adam Rose, who won Fort Worth this year, is at the Finals watching his wife Lacinda compete in the barrel racing and has been watching the team roping in person each night. Here’s his break down of what roping fans need to know going into the fourth round:
Round 3: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $36,230.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $186,742 (Smith) ; $144,868.70 (Corkill)
Average: 13
World Standings: 1; 2
Rose’s take: “Man, he missed last night, but goodness gracious that horse is so good and he ropes so good. They’ll catch all the rest fast. They’ll dang sure place if not win three day monies. Jade will heel every one of them.”
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira
Round 3: 4.6
Round Winnings: $11,000
Total NFR Earnings: $35,102.56 each
World Standings Earnings: $153,557.86 (Driggers); $150,877.22 (Nogueira)
Average: 2
World Standings: 2, 1
Rose’s take: “They look like they’re just practicing and placing in the day money every night. It looks like it’s effortless for them. It’s so easy. Driggers is nailing the barrier on that yellow, getting it on the horns tight, and setting up the shot for Junior. Junior’s heel horse is working amazing, and there’s not much else to say about how Junior is heeling.”
Coleman Proctor and Ryan Motes
Round 3: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000 each
World Standings Earnings: $114,318.34 (Proctor); $119,166.08 (Motes_
Average: 15
World Standings: 8, 9
Rose’s take: “Coleman is fighting it, and I don’t know why. It’s going to click and they’re going to win the day money or two this week. He hasn’t gotten great gos at them, but when he does they’ll be fast. I think he’ll stay on his bay horse. He’s rode that horse here before. He’s just getting weird gos, but when he gets a good go they’ll be fast.”
Clay Tryan and Jake Long
Round 3: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $30,730.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $133,895.53 (Tryan); $137,627.26 (Long)
Average: 14
World Standings: 4, 3
Rose’s take: “I thought it was going on a half-head last night. He’ll turn them fast and try to win first every night. When he gets them turned back, nobody heels better than Jake Long in this barn. He’ll wear them out.”
Ty Blasingame and Travis Graves
Round 3: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000 each
World Standings Earnings: $111,489.65 (Blasingame); $113,164.76 (Graves)
Average: 11
World Standings: 10, 11
Rose’s take: “I was impressed. Blaster’s old roan is strong up the wall and he’s not getting hung up facing. TG is a war horse. He won’t make a mistake. He’s going to catch them by two feet. I think the other little brown horse is a little more forgiving, but the gray he can throw faster and get tighter on. The grey can really run and he can get around the end of the steer really easy on. He is looking to get around there and heel them a jump faster.”
Round 3: 4.0 +10
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $25,653.85 each
World Standings Earnings: $99,652.85 (Rogers); $124,383.68 (Lockett)
Average: 6
World Standings: 12, 7
Rose’s take: “He will just get them on the horns every night and Meat will heel them. I couldn’t see how bad he got the barrier last night, but I think his steer just didn’t start as much as the rest of them. He’s so mentally tough, he does not make mistakes. Kyle, it doesn’t make a difference what happens, he can catch two feet.”
Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison
Round 3: 4.7
Round Winnings: $6,769.23
Total NFR Earnings: $16,769.23 each
World Standings Earnings: $112,297.95 (Masters); $115,046.82 (Harrison)
Average: 5
World Standings: 9, 10
Rose’s take: “They’re just going to keep doing the same thing. Chad will get a great start, get it tight around the horns and let Joseph do his thing. Joseph just bobbled his dally last night or they’d have been 4.5. Chad will set them up so Joseph can heel them fast. That yellow horse Chad is on now is phenomenal in here. I bet they’ll be 4.4 to 4.7 the rest of the week and never miss another star.”
Riley and Brady Minor
Round 3: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $27,769.23 each
World Standings Earnings: $125,418.18 each
Average: 10
World Standings: 6
Rose’s take: “That was surprising to me. Brady got in a weird mistake. That doesn’t happen ever. I don’t foresee another mistake coming from them the rest of the week. Brady will catch them all. Bob, of Riley’s, is so good. He never gets hung up in the wall.”
Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp
Round 3: 4.0
Round Winnings: $15,653.85
Total NFR Earnings: $25,653.85 each
World Standings Earnings: $120,707.37 (Snow); $112,949.84 (Thorp)
Average: 3
World Standings: 7, 12
Rose’s take: “Cody has amazing talent. He’s trying to win first every time. And Thorp is an animal back there. He heels every steer. But Cody is tapped off and not really pushing the envelope and has everything under control. They’re continuing to make their run and do the same thing. They’re not panicking.”
Luke Brown and Paul Eaves
Round 3: 3.9 +5
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $12,115.38 each
World Standings Earnings: $97,054.57 (Brown); $101,561.92 (Eaves)
Average: 12
World Standings: 13
Rose’s take: “It pays $26,000 so they’re trying to win first. He’s been here so many times that he’s just going to turn a lot of steers. Paul missed one earlier in the week but that won’t happen again. He’s last year’s world champ and he ropes so good.”
Round 3: 3.9
Round Winnings: $20,730.77
Total NFR Earnings: $41,730.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $130,657.34 (Hall); $128,075.86 (Tryan)
Average: 2
World Standings: 5
Rose’s take: “Brenten’s dad was a winner, and he was a reacher. That kid is such a good kid too. He didn’t grow up very far from where I live and I watched him Junior Rodeo. He’s not made a mistake. It’s his first NFR and he’s turned every steer. Hock is heeling as good as I’ve ever seen him rope. I’m a big fan of those guys.”
Matt Sherwood and Hunter Koch
Round 3: 5.1
Round Winnings: $4,230.77
Total NFR Earnings: $34,961.54 each
World Standings Earnings: $111,165.61 (Sherwood); $119,268.61 (Koch)
Average: 4
World Standings: 11, 8
Rose’s take: “Hunter heels so good. And his style first so good in here. Matt will make sure he catches and sets them up where Hunter can heel them fast. Matt’s record in this building is impeccable. I don’t think anybody has ever done any better here than he has. He’ll keep setting them up for Hunter to heel him fast. I like that black Sherwood’s on—he looks great.”
Tate Kirchenschlager and Tyler Worley
Round 3: 4.5 +10
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $17,333.33 each
World Standings Earnings: $93,070.97 (Kirchenschlager); $88,523.54 (Worley)
Average: 7
World Standings: 14, 15
Rose’s take: “Tate’s doing a great job—I’m proud of him. I was surprised when Worley got a leg the other night, but I’m a huge fan of him. That guy’s dad was hard to beat. But he looks amazing good. He’s so talented. And Tate is doing a great job of scoring and getting it on the horns.”
Round 3: 3.7
Round Winnings: $26,230.77
Total NFR Earnings: $62,461.54 each
World Standings Earnings: $135,855.78 (Wade); $134,370.85 (Davison)
Average: 1
World Standings: 3, 4
Rose’s take: “TWade is rank. He’s spinning the wheels off them. That bay looks great. TWade is ringing the barrier out, getting on the horns so tight and keeping them going When it goes on the horns, that steer is legal. It won’t surprise me if they win three or four more day moneys. They have a no-time so TWade is trying to win first every night. Cole is getting in a good spot like last night to catch them by two feet from here on out. That horse is outstanding, too.”
Jake Cooper and Caleb Anderson
Round 3: 4.8+10
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $17,333.33 each
World Standings Earnings: $90,524.28 (Cooper); $89,722.93 (Anderson)
Average: 8
World Standings: 15, 14
Rose’s take: “I like Jake and that horse he got from Trevor a lot. His partner can heel so fast. That was the best shot so far of the Finals in Round 2. He is just going to try to make sure he sets his guy up every night. He’s just got to rope the horns and set the steer up to let Caleb heel them super fast.”
