The sixth day of the 2021 World Cup Finals kicked off at 9am on 10/29/21. The day consisted of the 7.5 and 8.5 Trent Ward Saddle Ropings. The top five teams of each roping earned a saddle, giving away 20 in total.
The 8.5 Saddle Roping was up first. This high paying roping paid out $55,200, along with the 10 Trent Ward Saddles, to the top five teams:
1st: Layton Johnson & Cotton Walters, $18,400
2nd: Raelynn Johnson & Jose Gonzalez, $14,570
3rd: Stuart Glass & Ty Batie, $9,200
4th: Rylan Luman & Ed Molt, $6,900
Fast Time: Treyton Carlson & Logan Roy, $400
Out of 785 teams, these two claimed first. During their run, you could hear a pin drop in the arena. Once they both caught, the crowd erupted in cheer. Walters said he was just waiting to hear his mom and dad yell for the victory. As for the setup, Johnson said, “It was awesome. Perfect layout, really well-maintained.”
Reserve champion winners, Johnson and Gonzalez, were an exact second (37.82) behind the first place win of 36.82. Johnson had faith in her partner, saying she knew he was going to catch it, so she just had to do her part and spin it. Gonzalez complimented her by saying she did a great job handling it.
Third place winners, Glass and Batie, were successful to have each other as draw-in partners. The two seemed to work together like clockwork to place in the top five. Batie said, “Just catching them sometimes is way harder than anything,” but they got the job done.
“One steer at a time” is how Molt stays focused on his runs. When a Trent Ward Saddle is up for grabs, focus is key. The two complimented the steers and appreciated having both arenas going to move faster to the short round.
From 20th callback, up to 5th place, Micthell and Bray were able to do what it took in order to place for a saddle. They had a close call, but they helped each other out and pulled the win.
The 7.5 Saddle Roping ended the day around 10 pm. A total of $$36,130 was paid back to these teams, along with the other 10 Trent Ward Saddles:
1st : Jet Cartwright & Ethan Claiborn, $11,930
2nd: Jaden Johnson & Rylan Luman, $8,260
3rd: Jim Watkins & Seth Glass, $7,200
4th: Dustin Birk & Rykn Belshe, $4,880
5th: Aaron Johnson & Les Bradbury, $3,860
Fast Time: Jill Elwood & Tim Cash, $400
Being second high callback, this duo balanced each other out in the nerves department. Cartwright was nonchalant before and after his runs, but Claiborn said he was “shaking like a leaf” every time he backed in the box. Nervous or not, both boys did their part on catching the steer and taking home first.
Luman won himself a second Trent Ward Saddle in the 7.5. He was nervous being the fifth high callback, but his nerves paid off. Johnson is going to be wise with his winning money and “save it for next year to rope.”
Being third high callback and placing third in the short-go, consistency was key with Watkins and Glass. Watkins did his job of keeping the steer in line and Glass cleaned things up.
Birk and Belshe have had the chance to rope together before, so they knew just what to do with one another. The two worked as one, and it allowed them to win some cash and a new saddle.
The final winners of the day, Johnson and Bradbury, squeezed their way in to a winning spot. First time partners, the duo kept their nerves at bay. Johnson said, “When I rode in the box, I just did my thing, and my heeler did all the work.”
We want to thank Purina Animal Nutrition for being the Official Feed Sponsor of the 2021 World Cup Finals. Purina has over 125 years of expertise, research and experience in feeding some of the most competitive horses in the rodeo world.
These athletes had a great day of roping and still have plenty ahead of them at the Lazy E Arena for the World Cup Finals. Watch the event live by checking back to our Facebook Page each day for the updated link. To learn more about the finals, check out the details here.
