LAS VEGAS – Montanans cooled down slightly in the second round of the Wrangle National Finals Rodeo after five placed in the top three on Thursday, but plenty still secured big checks.
New Stevensville resident Richmond Champion placed third in the bareback with an 89-point ride after winning the go-round in Round 1. Champion leads the average with a 180.5 score on two head.
In steer wrestling, neither Helena’s Ty Erickson nor Stevensville’s Bridger Chambers finished in the money after both broke the barrier on their runs. Erickson, who entered the NFR ranked No. 1 in the World Standings, is currently 13th out of 15 in the average race.
Three-time world champion header Clay Tryan of Billings bounced back after failing to catch a steer in Thursday’s team roping. Tyran and partner Jake Long recorded a 4.6-second time, which placed second in the go-round. Clay’s cousin, heeler Chase Tryan of Helena, finished out of the money at 5.1 seconds on Friday but sits third in the average with 9.6 seconds on two.
Deer Lodge cowboy Chase Brooks finished No. 2 in the world in 2018 but was bucked off Friday night to fall to ninth in the world standings.
Miles City’s Haven Meged continued his torrid NFR debut with an 8.6-second time in the tie-down roping. Meged split third-place money in the go-round and sits third in the average (16.9/2). Meged is projected to finish second in the world after two rounds.
Circle native Lisa Lockhart earned another check with a 13.74-second run in barrel racing on Friday. Lockhart has qualified for every NFR since 2007 but has never claimed a world title. She sits second in the average and has a good shot at her first gold belt buckle.
