LOGANDALE, Nev. -- And now for your instant replay….
Just 24 hours after he had won the short go in 3.9 seconds at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho, there was reigning World Champion Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho winning the Clark County Fair & Rodeo short round, in 3.9 seconds.
The 3.9 in Pocatello edged Sean Mulligan of Coleman, Okla., for the DNCFR title. The 3.9 in Logandale on April 12 left him second to Mulligan in the four-head average by four-tenths of a second, 19.1 to 19.5.
It was a remarkable week for Mulligan, a three-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. With his $4,489 in winnings as champion at the Clark County Fairgrounds and his event-best $19,650 at Pocatello, Mulligan banked $24,139 for the week.
"It was fun going head-to-head with Luke in two big rodeos like that," Mulligan said. "That was a real good week for me (financially), and it builds up your confidence for sure when you can compete like that against the world champion."
Mulligan had a 1.5-second lead over Branquinho entering the short go and "safetied up a little bit," to make sure he didn''t break the barrier. Still, Mulligan earned a time of 5.0 seconds, just a tenth of a second from earning a check in the short go, too.
In the ongoing discussion of whether DNCFR earnings should count -- they don''t currently -- in the PRCA World Standings, Mulligan''s vote is for inclusion.
"I''ve always thought that if the Heartland Championships money is counted, then the DNCFR should be counted too," Mulligan said. "To me, that''s just logical."
Trevor Brazile used the $7,423 he earned in winning the Clark County Fair & Rodeo tie-down roping average (along with $2,467 he earned in team roping with Patrick Smith at Oakdale, Calif.) to take over the all-around lead in the PRCA World Standings for the first time this year. The six-time and reigning World Champion All-Around Cowboy is seeking to equal the career record of seven held by Ty Murray.
He has total earnings of $53,366 this year to put him more than $5,000 ahead of second-place Clint Robinson and nearly $20,000 in front of Ryan Jarrett in third place.
Brazile, of Decatur, Texas, won the second round of the tie-down roping, placed in two other rounds and won the four-head average by 2.1 seconds over Jody Green of Marlow, Okla.
Sadddle bronc rider Taos Muncy had his first win since suffering a broken right ankle Feb. 17. Muncy, of Corona, N.M., tied with Josh Reynolds, of Corvallis, Mont., in the first round with an 84-point ride and was second to PRCA World Standings leader Bryce Miller in the short go to win the average with 165 points. The 2007 World Champion earned a total of $4,586.
The other winners of the average were bareback rider Steven Dent of Mullen, Neb. (171 points on two head), team ropers Luke Brown of Santo, Texas, and Martin Lucero of Stephenville, Texas (26.1 seconds on four head), bull rider Douglas Duncan of Alvin, Texas (170 points on two head) and barrel racer Layna Kight of Willispoint, Texas (52.35 seconds on three runs).
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