(Johna Cravens for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo)
FORT WORTH, Texas – Dallee Mason of Weiser, Idaho, made the most of his opportunities during the opening performance of Bulls’ Night Out at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
Mason, who was not part of the initial 80-rider field for the bull riding event, caught a ride to Fort Worth from Denver on the chance he would get to replace an original entrant who was unable to compete.
He got the call letting him know he’d get to ride a bull here while traveling from Denver. “That was a good start,” he said. By the time Mason nodded his head to start his ride on Andrews Rodeo’s bull Western Rebel in the second section, other riders had put some high scores on the board.
National Finals Rodeo cowboy Trevor Reiste made the first qualified ride and scored 87. There had already been scores of 86, 85.5 and 85 plus four others above 80.
Mason promptly scored 86.5 points to rank third in the first round, behind Reiste and three-time PBR champion Silvana Alves, after 40 cowboys competed.
The top 10 scores in the first round qualified for the short round and the chance to ride another bull. The cowboys rode in reverse order with 10th-place qualifier Jeff Askey of Athens, Texas, competing first and riding 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s bull Ferdinand for 87.5. The next six riders hit the dirt, then Mason rode Hurst Pro Rodeo’s bull Yellow Hair and matched Askey’s score. That gave the Idaho bull rider a total of 174 points and the lead after opening night. He also received a $1,000 gift card from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
Forty more bull riders will compete Wednesday night. The championship will be awarded to the rider with the highest total score. Bulls’ Night Out at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Xtreme Bulls Tour.
When he was told that last year’s Bulls’ Night Out champion won more than $16,000, Mason said, “That’d be great. I don’t have anything right now.”
He will travel to Iowa for a rodeo this weekend and return to Fort Worth to compete at the World’s Original Indoor Rodeo on Monday and Tuesday.
permit last week at Lafayette, La., scored 88 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Last Cigarette to lead the short round and sit second overall with the highest one-bull score.
In the junior bull riding for youngsters 10 to 15, Hagen Braswell of Telegraph, Texas, was the winner for the night with a score of 83 points.
The final Bulls’ Night Out performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 23, with a new field of bull riders and junior bull riders.
Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo hosts its annual extreme team competition – Rodeo X presented by Schaefer Outfitters. This unique tournament-style rodeo features winners from eight of North America’s biggest rodeos competing in five events for bragging rights and $100,000 in one night.
The World’s Original Indoor Rodeo takes the arena at Will Rogers Coliseum beginning Friday, January 25, and continues for 29 performances over 16 days.
First Performance: 1 (tie), Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa, on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Relentless, and Silvano Alves, Decatur, Texas, on Andrews Rodeo’s Plano Bar Bandit, 87 points each. 3, Dallee Mason, Weiser, Idaho, 86.5. 4, (tie) Jordan Wacey Spears, Redding, Calif., and Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont., 86. 6, J.W. Harris, Goldthwaite, Texas, 85.5.
Short Round: (two rides) 1, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Ferdinand, and Dallee Mason on Hurst Pro Rodeo’s Yellow Hair, 87.5 points each.
Total on Two: 1, Mason, 174 points. 2, Askey, 169. (on one) 3 (tie), Reiste and Alves, 87. 5 (tie), Spears and Breding, 86.
Jr. Bull Riding: 1, Hagen Braswell, Telegraph, Texas, 83 points. 2, Brant Cooksten, Trinidad, Texas, 74. 3, Jack Mitchell, Weatherford, Texas, 73. 4, Carter High, Weatherford, Texas, 67.
