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2007 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

Round 9 Results and Highlights
Friday, December 14th

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Bareback Riding Results:

1 Will Lowe - 86 on Gorgeous Connie
2 Jason Jeter - 83.5 on Multi-Chem Hostage
3 Royce Ford - 83 on Rios Edge
4 Tom McFarland - 82 points on Wild Flower
5 Chris Harris - 81.5 on Scarlett's Topper
6 Bobby Mote - 81 on Oakey Robin

"They usually do really well on that horse, and she's a lot of fun," Lowe said. "She feels good and really sends your feet flying and helps you a lot. Some of those hoppers are tough to get things rolling on because they don't have enough to really send your feet to your rigging, but she really helps a guy out a lot. She's just as honest as they come."

Status of the race: Could be Mote's or McDaniel's. Round 10 will decide.

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Steer Wrestling Results:

1 Luke Branquinho - 3.2 seconds
2 Wade Sumpter - 3.6
2 Matt Reeves - 3.6
4 Lee Graves - 3.8
4 Joey Bell Jr. - 3.8
6 Josh Peek - 4.0
6 Trevor Knowles - 4.0

"People kept saying I was drawing bad and not having any luck," Branquinho said. "As far as I'm concerned, luck is for rabbits. My poor performance this week has been self-inflicted; I hadn't done my job. I was just trying to get in too big of a hurry, but something clicked tonight and it felt outstanding. I just wish I'd done it a little earlier in the week. I feel confident now, and everything felt really good."

Status of the race: Way too close to call.

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Team Roping Results:

1 Colter Todd / Cesar de la Cruz - 4.1 seconds
2 Keven Daniel / Jhett Johnson - 4.2
3 Trevor Brazile / Patrick Smith - 4.4
4 Brandon Beers / Mike Beers - 4.5
5 David Key / Kory Koontz - 5.4
5 Jake Barnes / Clay O' Brien Cooper - 5.4

"I just have to rope one more round, and that's all I have to think about, let the chips fall where they may," said de la Cruz, of Tucson, Ariz. "There are a lot of good guys still in the average deep, so we have to put on a lot of pressure tomorrow. I'm just hoping for a two-foot catch. My heroes, like Allen Bach, Clay Cooper and Walt Woodard, they're still in the mix, and it’s pretty awesome (to be there with them)."

"I actually thought I broke the barrier tonight and was hoping that I didn't," Todd said. "He (the steer) did what he was supposed to, kind of broke slow and then eased to the left. He cleaned up well, and Cesar did a great job of finishing. My daughter was here in the stands tonight and so was my grandpa, and I won the round last year when he was here. I love to do good when he's around – he taught me good, hard work ethics and to work for what you get."

Status of the race: Down to the wire.

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Saddle Bronc Results:

1 Taos Muncy - 86.5 points on Blood Brother
2 Cody DeMoss - 84 on Shady Cat
3 Rod Hay - 83 on Black Bart
3 Justin Arnold - 83 on Big Ugly
5 Cody Wright - 82.5 on Drop Out
6 Isaac Diaz - 81 on Turtle Dove

"I'm just going to stay calm about it and get on another bronc, I guess," said Muncy, who also won Round 5 and Round 7. "I try to treat all the horses the same way, and it's just another horse."

Status of the race: Close with Muncy entering the mix.

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Tie-Down Roping Results:

1 Stran Smith - 7.2 seconds
2 Blair Burk - 7.4
3 Tyson Durfey - 8.2
4 Jerome Schneeberger - 8.6
5 Scott Kormos - 8.7
6 Cody Ohl - 9.2

"When I got here, I saw that I had drawn the calf that I wanted," Smith said of Childress, Texas. "I didn't think that calf was the very best one in the pen, but he was the one I wanted because he was a little bigger, faster and stronger. When I came in and saw what I had tonight, I knew I would have a good opportunity to move up in the average and maybe win the round."

Status of the race: Brazile is on top but it's by no means decided.

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Barrel Racing Results:

1 Lindsay Sears - 13.81 seconds
2 Terra Bynum - 13.90
3 Jill Moody - 13.93
4 Lisa Lockhart - 13.96
5 Brittany Pozzi-Pharr - 14.02
5 Maegan Reichert - 14.02

"Martha (her horse) has just been on fire and has gotten stronger," Sears said. "She has a spark in her that is indescribable, and it’s really her, she is doing it every night. I’m just trying to show up and stay out of her way every night. She has just been awesome, and I’m so thankful for her. She has really gotten confident, and I can feel it inside of her that she has a fire in her and that she wants to go out there and win and she loves it. It’s such a neat feeling to have her feeling great, and for her to be doing that for me is just unbelievable."

Status of the race: Pozzi-Pharr clinches it if she stays on top of the average.

National Finals Rodeo
Round 9 Bull Riding Results:

1 Wesley Silcox - 86.5 points on Vertical Exit
2 Kanin Asay - 80 on Mortachi
3 Chance Smart - 78 on Dippin' Dot

"Hopefully I'll be the world champ, but I've got one more bull, so we'll see what happens," said Silcox, who also won Round 2. "It's going to be a tough round tomorrow. Everyone has been riding well, and it's been a riding contest all year. I figured it would come down to a riding contest, and it has. We'll see what happens."

Status of the race: Looks to be Silcox's but it could come down to the math.

(All Quotes are Courtesy of the PRCA.)

Next stop Round 10...Last Round!

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