Saddle bronc rider Jake Watson won his second round of the Wrangler NFR Thursday pushing his winnings to $83,000 through eight rounds.
On Canada night at the NFR, the Canadian cowboy took home round 8 with an 89.50-point ride.
“It’s pretty cool, and I know there’s going to be a lot of people cheering for me. This is our night, and that’s kind of how we go at it.”
Watson won the round on Calgary Stampede’s Stampede Warrior, a horse he has a not so great history with.
“I’m not very good at math, but it’s either 23 or 24 points higher than the last time I had her. She was a lot better today, and I was much, much better today. It worked out really good. I just picked up on my rein, and I think she had a little step sideways or something. It didn’t really surprise me, but it reminded me that I had to ride her, and she wasn’t going to do it for me. I had to pick up on my rein and spur.
The Canadians have taken over saddle bronc, winning four rounds in a row and five of the first eight.
“It’s pretty cool, and I actually didn’t even realize that. I knew We’d gotten half the rounds so far, and hopefully, we get seven out of 10. We’re pretty easygoing, and when we leave the dressing room we give each other a fist bump and say, ‘Let’s go.’ The first one out needs to set the bar high, and everybody else can go chase him and try to beat him.”
Saddle Bronc World Standings (NFR money in parentheses)
1. Zeke Thurston - $277,953 ($100,961)
2. Ryder Wright - $261,988 ($37,500)
3. Spencer Wright - $199,207 ($79,102)
4. Rusty Wright - $199,884 ($77,692)
5. Chase Brooks - $194,860 ($78,397)