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Pace Chute-out sends cowboys into summer with a bang COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - World titles won’t be awarded until December and ProRodeo’s summer season won’t get cranked up for another month, but don’t underestimate the impact of this weekend’s Pace Picante ProRodeo Chute-out in Las Vegas. The Pace Chute-out was the first of the PRCA’s four major rodeos for 2004. The Pace Series continues at the Pace Picante ProRodeo Challenge, Sept. 23-25 in Omaha, Neb., and culminates with the Pace Picante ProRodeo Classic, Nov. 12-14 in Dallas. As usual, the season wraps up with the 45th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 3-12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Besides the earnings from the Pace Series events counting toward the Jack Daniel’s World Standings and qualification to the Wrangler NFR, finalists from the Pace Chute-out and Pace Challenge automatically qualify for the Pace Classic, which is held on the final weekend of the season and gives contestants one more shot at either reaching the Wrangler NFR or solidifying hopes at claiming a world championship buckle. Steer wrestler Luke Branquinho of Los Alamos, Calif., was No. 1 in the world standings heading into the Pace Chute-out, and the three-time Wrangler NFR qualifier only helped his cause toward his first world title last weekend. He won the first round, semifinals and U.S. Army Championship rounds, giving him a championship crystal cup and $22,129. The three-day haul extended his lead atop the world standings to $24,256 over Ronnie Fields. Although bareback rider and reigning world champion Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas, didn’t win his fourth straight Pace Series title, he remained in first place in the world standings. However, Pace Chute-out bareback riding champion Royce Ford gained ground on the leader and trails by only $6,300. Team ropers David Key and seven-time world champion Clay O’Brien Cooper were their event’s top money earners in Las Vegas with each bagging $15,471 each. They remained No. 1 in their respective specialty, but the hard-charging team of world champion Steve Purcella of Hereford, Texas, and Britt Bockius of Claremore, Okla., won the Pace Chute-out title and $14,394 each and moved into second in heading and heeling, respectively. The past two world saddle bronc riding champions - reigning champion and sixtime titlist Dan Mortensen of Billings, Mont., and Glen O’Neill of Didsbury, Alberta (2002) - each fared quite well in Las Vegas. O’Neill claimed his second Pace Series crown and $15,667, while Mortensen finished second and won $13,317. Both riders have used Pace Series titles to catapult them to world titles - O’Neill in Dallas in 2002 and Mortensen in Omaha last summer. Tie-down roper Blair Burk of Durant, Okla., won an event-best $13,317, while Stran Smith of Childress, Texas ($11,750) and seven-time world champ Fred Whitfield ($6,854) all gained ground on standings leader and reigning world champion Cody Ohl of Stephenville, Texas. Pace Chute-out champion Jason McClain of Lewis, Colo., and runner-up Myron Duarte of Auburn, Wash., entered the event in 17th and 16th place, respectively, in the world standings. After McClain earned $15,275 and Duarte $13,904, their Wrangler NFR and world title hopes definitely took a shot in the arm. Meanwhile, world standings leader B.J. Schumacher of Hillsboro, Wis., added another $12,827 to his wallet. SOURCE: PRCA |
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