Hobbsan places at National High School Finals Rodeo

Kenna Hayes McNeill of Hobbs finished fourth in the barrel racing title race at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyom.

McNeill finished seventh in the first round with a time of 17.52 seconds and second in the second round with a 17.32. During the final round, she came in 10th with a 17.58.

After finishing in the top 10 in all three rounds, McNeill finished fourth in the average with a three-run time of 52.42. Utah cowgirl Amanda Butler clinched the title with a 52.139.

Texas clinched the team title after earning 11,275 points. New Mexico finished seventh with 4,430.

Cutting horse update

When James Payne competes in a National Cutting Horse Association show on PG Heavily Armed, the Ardmore, Okla., cowboy is not afraid to ask the stallion to work a cow for a longer-than-average time in order to earn a higher score.

“I can work a cow for a long time and I kind of use that to my advantage,” Payne said.

When the title was at stake on Saturday night in the Metallic Cat NCHA Summer Spectacular Classic/Challenge open division finals in Fort Worth, Payne and PG Heavily Armed held three testy cows at bay and clinched the title in the 5- and 6-year-old class for second and third year horses with a lofty score of 229 at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

“I felt like I worked forever,” Payne said. “Everybody has the thing they try to sell when they show. My deal is I can go work a cow for a long time.”

The victory earned PG Heavily Armed’s owners, Michael and Brenda Armstrong of Marietta, Okla., the $18,639 prize.

Matt Miller of Poolville, Texas, and Metallic Smart Cat finished second in the title race with a 224. The stallion’s owner, Cynthia Villa of Chico, Calif., pocketed $16,806.

Lloyd Cox and a mare named Second Spot finished third with a 222.5. Second Spot’s owners, Gary and Shannon Barker of Madill, Okla., earned $14,973.

PRCA update

At the renowned California Rodeo Salinas in Salinas, Calif., defending world all-around champion Tuf Cooper, who has residences in the North Texas towns of Weatherford and Decatur, paced the field during the short round on Sunday (July 22) with a 9.7 and finished third overall with a 37.3. Cooper pocketed $4,465 at the July 19-22 rodeo.

The world’s top competitors also were in Nampa, Idaho, last weekend to compete in the July 17-21 Snake River Stampede. Cooper tied for fourth in the tie-down roping second round with an 8.2 and earned $2,016. Trevor Brazile, a 23-time world champion from Decatur, Texas, clinched the all-around title after earning $5,384 in tie-down roping and team roping.

Brazile also tied for first in tie-down roping with a 7.3 at the July 20-22 K-Days Rodeo in Edmonton, Alberta, where he earned $9,567. After all that, Brazile is ranked second in the world all-around title race (the July 23 standings) with $123,180. Cooper is ranked No. 1 with $138,258.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s top competitors also were in Cheyenne, Wyo., last weekend. The renowned Frontier Days Rodeo began Saturday, July 21, and runs through Sunday, July 29.

Cooper won the steer roping second round with a time of 12.2 and earned $5,982. Cooper also is ranked No. 1 in the average race with a two-run time of 29.7.

PBR update

On the Professional Bull Riders circuit, three-time world champion Silvano Alves, a Brazilian who lives in Decatur, Texas, clinched the title at the Touring Pro Division tour stop on July 18 in Salinas, Calif., after turning in a two-ride score of 174. He earned $8,730.

Brett Hoffman, a Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame member, has reported on rodeos for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for more than three decades. Email him at bchoffman777@ earth-link.net .