TORRENTIAL RAIN DIDN’T DAMPEN THE SPIRIT OF THE DAYS OF ’47 COWBOY GAMES & RODEO IN SALT LAKE CITY ON THURSDAY NIGHT

SALT LAKE CITY (July 22, 2021) – It was a night full of dodging multiple rain storms that passed through the Salt Lake Valley on Thursday night for the third performance at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo presented by Zions Bank. The performance was initially delayed 30 minutes due to lightning and then again in the middle of the team roping due to more lightning, high winds and torrential rain.

2019 PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider Clayton Biglow took the first victory lap on Thursday night following the first weather delay after posting an 80.5 points ride aboard Legend Rodeo’s Smokey Bay. Biglow of Clements, CA, punched his ticket to the Gold Medal Round on Saturday night and will be looking to add a gold medal to his PRCA gold buckle already in his trophy case. Nate McFadden of Elsmere, NE, took second worth $1,200 after spurring Flying U Rodeo’s Gold Coast Jackie for 78 points.

A total of 288 competitors will take their shot at a share of the $562,500 in prize money and a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal that will be awarded on Saturday, July 24. There will be 32 competitors in each of the following events: bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, women’s breakaway roping, barrel racing and bull riding.

The full field of 32 competitors is divided into four groups of eight each and compete in one of the first four performances (July 20-23). The one (1) highest score/fastest time from each discipline of each performance will advance to the Gold Medal Round along with the three (3) highest scores/fastest times overall, from all four combined Semi-Final performances that have not yet advanced. In addition, the #1 ranked athlete in each discipline (for team roping it is highest ranked team after pairing) of the final audited standings of the WCRA Segment 8 Leaderboard will be automatically qualified for the Gold Medal Round making a total of eight (8) contestants in each discipline to compete in the Gold Medal Round. Scores/times from the Semi-Final performances will NOT carry forward to the Gold Medal Round (only to break ties). The 8 competitors in each event in the Gold Medal Round will compete in a sudden-death format with the winner collecting a Gold Medal and $25,000 cash.

Stockton Graves of Alva, OK was the fastest in the steer wrestling stopping the clock in 4.92 seconds and will be back on Saturday night for the finals with hopes of landing on the medal podium. The next closest competitor to his time was Sterling Walton with a 6.09.

Halfway through the team roping another 30-minute delay hit the arena with more wind, lightening and rain. Prior to the delay only one team, Reno Stoebner and Coy Brittain, had a qualified time with 10.48 seconds. It got quick following the delay with Luke Brown of Lipan, Texas and Hunter Koch of Vernon, Texas taking the top time on Thursday night with a 4.91 second-run. They will be back on Saturday night looking to finish atop the medal podium.

Brody Cress landed atop the leaderboard in the saddle bronc riding with an 89-point ride aboard Flying U Rodeo’s Colt 45. Isaac Diaz was a close second with an 86.5 on Bar T Rodeo’s Lady Vain. Cress pocketed $1,600 and will be looking to add $25,000 on Saturday night.

Trenton Smith stopped the clock in 9.01 seconds winning night No. 3 in the tie-down roping. Ace Slone was second in 10.93, while reigning world champion Shad Mayfield had a tough night finishing with a 12.16.

Bradi Good of Abilene, TX, made her trip to Utah count stopping the clock in 2.52 in the women’s breakaway roping. She will be looking to carry her momentum into the final round on Saturday night to earn her first Days of ’47 medal.

Due to ground conditions the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo made the decision to delay the barrel racing for performance three until Friday.

The performance came to a close with the first 90-point ride at the 2021 event in bull riding. Claudio Montanha Jr. hailing from Brazil matched HD Page’s Flight Risk jump for jump and the judges rewarded him. He knocked Dalton Davis off the leaderboard, who two rides before had posted an 88.5 point ride aboard HD Page’s Cold Chill. Montanha secured his spot in the final round and Davis is in the driver’s seat to also return as one of the wildcards based on his score tonight.

The Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo presented by Zions Bank, is taking place at the $17.5 million state-of-the-art Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark, custom designed and built for rodeo. The venue—an outdoor arena located in the heart of Salt Lake City—features over 10,000 stadium-style seats.

For only the sixth time in the history of rodeo, riders will have an opportunity to compete for Gold, Silver or Bronze Medals. The first two times were in conjunction with the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary (1988) and Salt Lake City (2002), when rodeo was part of the Cultural Olympiad and the other three times being the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo 2017-2019. This will be the second time for breakaway ropers as their event was added to the roster in 2019. The medals that will be awarded at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo will be produced by OC Tanner, the same company that made the Olympic medals for the champions of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Tickets are still available for Friday night at www.axs.com. For more information on the event visit www.daysof47cowboygames.com.

For those unable to attend in person the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo is being live streamed on RidePass PlutoTV-Channel 720 nightly at 7:30 p.m. MT. CBS will air the Gold Medal Round of the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo on July 31 at 11 a.m. MT.

Action at the Day of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo continues July 23 at 7:30 p.m. MT.

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Results: – Performance 3 – July 22, 2021

Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, Clements, CA, 88.5 points on Legend Rodeo’s Smokey Bay, $1,600; 2. Jacob Lees, Pismo Beach, CA, 80.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Mental Illness, $1,200; 3. Nate McFadden, Elsmere, NE, 78 on Flying U Rodeo’s Gold Coast Jackie, $800; 4. Montana Duvall, Oktaha, OK, 68.5 on Legend Rodeo’s Chaorone, $400.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Caleb Bennett (WCRA No. 1), Richmond Champion (Perf 1 winner), Trenten Montero (Perf 2 winner), Clayton Biglow (Perf 3 winner)

Steer wrestling: 1. Stockton Graves, Alva, OK, 4.92 seconds, $1,600; 2. Sterling Walton, Houston, TX, 6.09, $1,200; 3. Hazen Smith, Holbrook, ID, 6.10, $800; 4. Juan Alcazar, Okeechobee, FL, 6.74, $400.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Will Lummus (WCRA No. 1), Cody Devers (Perf 1 winner), Riley Duvall (Perf 2 winner), Stockton Graves (Perf 3 winner)

Team roping: 1. Luke Brown, Lipan, TX/Hunter Koch, Vernon, TX, 4.91 seconds, $1,600 each; 2. Cody Snow, Stephenville, TX/Wesley Thorp, Stephenville, TX, 5.24, $1,200; 3. Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, OK/Daniel Braman, Refugio, TX, 6.18, $800; 4. Reno Stoebner, Stephenville, TX/Coy Brittain, Rockwall, TX, 10.48, $400.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira (WCRA No. 1), Joe Mattern/Lucas Falconer (Perf 1 winner), Coy Rahlmann/Douglas Rich (Perf 2 winner), Luke Brown/Hunter Koch (Perf 3 winner)

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Brody Cress, Hillsdale, WY, 89 point on Flying U Rodeo’s Colt 45, $1,600; 2. Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, TX, 86.5 on Bar T Rodeo’s Lady Vain, $1,200; 3. Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, SD, 83.5 on Legend Rodeo’s 83.5; 4. (tie) Cody DeMoss, Heflin, LA, on Powder River Rodeo’s Chrome and Wacey Hathcock, Sulphur Springs, TX, on Powder River Rodeo’s Foxy Mama, 58 points, $200 each.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Kolby Wanchuk (WCRA No. 1), Lefty Holman (Perf 1 winner), Riggin Smith (Perf 2 winner), Brody Crewss (Perf 3 winner)

Tie-down roping: 1. Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, TX, 9.01 seconds, $1,600; 2. Ace Slone, Cuero, TX, 10.93, $1,200; 3. Shad Mayfield, Clovis, NM, 12.16, $800; 3. Shane Hanchey, 13.63, $400.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Riley Webb (WCRA No. 1), Westyn Hughes (Perf 1 winner), Ryan Jarrett (Perf 2 winner), Trenton Smith (Perf 3 winner)

Breakaway roping: 1. Bradi Good, Abilene, TX, 2.58 seconds, $1,600; 2. Daysha Steadman, Georgetown, ID, 2.92, $1,200; 3. Abby Medlin, Stephenville, TX, 7.57, $800; no other qualified times

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Josie Conner (WCRA No. 1), Tibba Smith (Perf 1 winner), Tacy Kay Webb (Perf 2 winner), Bradi Good (Perf 3 winner)

Barrel racing: Delayed until Friday due to ground conditions.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Hallie Hanssen (WCRA No. 1), Kassie Mowry (Perf 1 winner), Sue Smith (Perf 2 winner)

Bull riding: 1. Claudio Montanha Jr., Pacaembu, Brazil, 90 points on HD Page’s Flight Risk, $1,600; 2. Dalton Davis, Yakima, WA, 88.5 on HD Page’s Cold Chill, $1,200; no other qualified rides.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Joao Ricardo Vieira (WCRA No. 1), Keyshawn Whitehorse (Perf 1 winner), Dalton Rudman (Perf 2 winner), Claudio Montanha Jr (Perf 3 winner)