Miller, Mowry, and James Continue to be Unstoppable in Round Seven of 2024 NFR

There seems to be a pattern this year at the NFR... if an athlete gets tapped off, they are likely to rack multiple round wins

Kassie Mowry / PRCA Photo by Roseanna Sales

We are speeding towards the finish line of the 2024 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and with payouts higher than ever, the races are going to remain tight until Saturday night in the tenth and final round.

Bareback Riding

Bradlee Miller rode Frontier Rodeo Coffee Full Baggage for an 88.5 point ride and his third round win of the week. The NFR rookie has won checks in six of seven rounds so far. He has also crept up to second in the World Standings, behind Rocker Steiner. Miller sits fifth in the Average race, so he will also earn a solid check there at this rate.

"I have watched that horse on TV my whole life. I got on him at The American, but tonight went a whole lot better!" remarked an excited Miller about Full Baggage in his post-run interview.

As of Round Seven, Rocker Steiner still has the lead in the World Standings by $23,000 over Miller and $35,000 over Keenan Hayes, in third. Hayes currently leads the Average. A freak incident in Round Two has Steiner down a horse in the Average and currently not sitting to earn a check there. He continues to earn checks night by night, though, so it is possible the Average will not be the deciding factor.

Steer Wrestling

Dakota Eldridge and Jesse Brown split the win tonight at 3.5 seconds. Both of these cowboys are players in the World title race, so the plot continues to thicken. Brown made a horse change earlier in the week, looking to change his momentum. He won Round Five and split the win tonight, so that has certainly paid off for him. Eldridge has pulled checks through the week, but this was his first round win.

Brown stated in his post-run interview, "I got a really good start, I wasn't even sure I got out. I just hustled from there."

Eldridge may not have had the best steer in the pen on paper, but did not let that stop him, "Even if they don't have a good track record, you just have to have a good mindset and go run them and give them hell."

This is another race that is far too close to call. Eldridge jumped Lummus in the World Standings tonight, but Lummus currently holds the top spot in the Average and Eldridge is out of a check in that, at this time. Rowdy Parrott is sixth in the World, but second in the Average. Jesse Brown is Fourth in the World and holding the final check in the Average as of Round Seven.

Team Roping

The last team out, Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, took the round win with a 3.5 second run. The previous round record was a 3.6, so by one-tenth of a second, they broke that, tonight. Proctor is still very much a player in the All-Around race, alongside fellow team roper, Junior Noguiera and tie down roper, Shad Mayfield. Mayfield still holds the top spot, but Proctor is roughly $30,000 behind after tonight.

Proctor remarked in his post-run interview, "Luke Branquinho gave me some great advice last night. He told me, 'The only person that can turn that pressure valve up and keep it where it's supposed to be is you.' My first job is to head steers for this man (Medlin). Tonight was a big answer on a big crowd."

"We've spent a lot of time, a lot of preparation goes into this, and it's a sigh of relief when it comes togethere. Our week has been a little bit slower to this point, but we kept our heads down and trusted the process and finally our hard work paid off," heeler Medlin said.

Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp still remain ahead of the pack in the World Standings and as of now, none of the top cowboys in the World are key players in the Average race. This will be an interesting one to watch play out on Saturday night.

Saddle Bronc Riding

It was the semi-eliminator pen tonight for these cowboys and Brody Cress came out on top for the first time this week, at 88 points. Cress has won the Average multiple times and been a player in the World Championship race more than once, but we saw him come down an eliminator earlier in the week. That is something we rarely see from consistent Cress, but he battled his way back to the top.

"I got to get on that horse out here last year and knew he dang sure had some power, so I wanted to get a good start and just try to stay even the whole time. Once he starts coming around at the end there, you have to put some work in, but he gave me every chance to do my job and it worked out. This is just ten one-day rodeos. It sucks to have something bad happen early in the week, but you just have to show up and do your job," he stated.

As of now, Wyatt Casper leads the Average, with Zeke Thurston right behind him. Damian Brennan is back at fourth, by seven points. Casper, Thurston, and Brennan sit in exactly that order in the World Standings. Ryder Wright is on top at the moment, but the loss of a check in that Average race is going to hurt, at this point in time.

Tie Down Roping

It has been an exceptional NFR for the rookies and Dylan Hancock added to that list tonight. His first ever round win came with his first six-second run at 6.7 seconds. This time also tied the round record in the tie down roping.

In his post-run interview, Hancock reported, "We've been batting through it and making some good runs. I figured tonight would be a good night to cut loose and have some fun. This is everything I've ever dreamed of. I always told my family the first one I tied in six seconds, I was going to throw my hat. My first one to tie in six and to do it in the Thomas and Mack, it was pretty awesome."

Our World Championship race here continues, as well. Shad Mayfield had a calf tonight that COULD have changed things up, but Mayfield did not allow that. The calf got up on both previous runs, but did not get up tonight with Mayfield, who followed Joe Beaver's advice to a T. He remains second in the Average and is second in the World Standings by $13,000. Riley Webb took the sixth place check tonight and holds onto first in the World and the Average.

Barrel Racing

The barrel racing has been electric this year. All of my money was on the one and only Kassie Mowry coming into this week. I would pick the all-time winningest barrel racer, no matter what she is aboard. The icing on the cake this week, though, is her incredible partner, Force The Goodbye "Jarvis." Mowry earned her fourth consecutive round win with 13.19 seconds tonight. This shattered the previous round record and she smoked her competition tonight - second place was a 13.47. I anticipate this duo could easily break the arena record before this week is over.

Mowry stated, "I feel all of the support and I think Jarvis does, too. The crowd goes wild and he runs that much harder. It's incredible. It might be a possibility (to win the World) and it just wasn't something I was concerned with coming here. This horse deserves it and I would love to see that happen. We're going to give it our best shot, every night."

Tonight, Hailey Kinsel took down two barrels, which bumps her down significantly in the Average. She is now in seventh. Mowry is now just $7,000 behind the lead in the World Standings and moved up to fourth in the Average tonight, even with a downed barrel in round one.

Bull Riding

Cooper James has just showed up and out this week, another NFR rookie that certainly is not performing like one. He earned his second round win of the week tonight in the eliminator pen with an 88 point ride aboard Midnight Rider of Rafter H Rodeo. He has quickly become a contender in this World Championship race, as well.

In his post-ride interview on the Cowboy Channel, James reported, "I just knew it was the eliminator pen and I was going to have to keep moving. I talked to a couple buddies of mine who had rode him (Midnight Rider) and they said 'You better keep moving,' so I kept trying to get back to the middle and it worked out for me."

Currently, Josh Frost is on top of the World Standings and the Average, but James is hot on his heels. Frost also rode his bull tonight in a freak occurence, where the bull came out and somewhat disoriented himself after a foul on the chute. Frost opted not to take the re-ride and kept the score, which holds him in the Average and earned a fifth place check. These two will continue to duel it out through the week.