Though five-time world tie-down roping champion Joe Beaver is competing at a lucrative rodeo in Laughlin, Nev., this week, he’ll also find time to ride in his hometown.

In Beaver’s mind, the Walker County Fair and Rodeo, which runs Friday and Saturday at the Walker County Fair Arena in Huntsville, is the smaller rodeo that could.

That’s the reason he flew to Las Vegas on Monday night so he could compete the next day at Laughlin’s annual Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association show. After that, it’s back to Huntsville.

One reason the Huntsville rodeo draws top timed-event competitors such as Beaver, a three-time world all-around champion, is because its organizing committee has made a staunch commitment to pay them well.

For example, the local committee puts up $6,000 in “added money” in tie-down roping and steer wrestling, twice as much as bull riding and saddle bronc riding.

Added money is the organizing committee’s contribution to the rodeo purse that’s coupled with competitors’ entry fees.

“A lot of towns don’t add what they could at their rodeo,” Beaver said. “But we just make it happen.” 

The 2007 Huntsville rodeo has drawn four-time world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur, defending world tie-down roper Cody Ohl of Hico, former National Finals Rodeo steer wrestling qualifier Cash Myers of Athens and former NFR tie-down roping qualifier Stran Smith of Childress.

“Over the years, we’ve built a good timed-event rodeo,” said Byron Sandel, who chairs the rodeo’s organizing committee. “But we’re also working on making the roughstock end of the rodeo stronger.”

Look for the rodeo to also draw accomplished bronc and bull riders. The Huntsville committee has hired Stace Smith of Athens for the first time. He’s the PRCA’s top stock contractor in 2004, ’05 and ’06 and he has a following.

“We always try to bring the best stock we can wherever we go and we have a lot of the top guys in the world entered in Huntsville,” Smith said.

 

Cutting’s Triple Crown

Thoroughbred horse racing has its celebrated Triple Crown Series. So does the cutting horse industry.

The show that features the second jewel of the National Cutting Horse Association’s Triple Crown Series began its 20-day run Tuesday in Fort Worth and organizers were boasting of offering a record $3.1 million purse.

The show is called the Super Stakes and it’s divided into two segments: 5- and 6-year-old horses who are second- and third-year competitors and 4-year-olds who are first-year competitors.

The 5- and 6-year-old segment started Tuesday and runs through April 4. The 4-year-old segment is April 5-15.

The second jewel of sport’s the Triple Crown is the 4-year-old open division, which features mostly pro riders. The horse with the highest score during the April 15 Super Stakes open finals is the winner of the second leg of the Triple Crown.

The December NCHA Futurity is the first leg of the series and the July Summer Spectacular is the third jewel. All three jewels are in Fort Worth.

The winner of the first leg was Oh Cay Felix and rider Craig Thompson of Buffalo. When the gelding debuted at the 2006 NCHA Futurity, Oh Cay Felix proved that it could accommodate an amateur rider and perform for a pro.

Oh Cay Felix first commanded respect by winning the amateur title on Dec. 15 with owner Patrick Collins of Lincoln, Ill. Two nights later, Oh Cay Felix won the open division title with pro rider Thompson aboard.

It was a dramatic finish because Oh Cay Felix was the last horse to compete in the open finals and turned in a lofty score of 227. Oh Cay Felix edged reserve champion Hydrive Cat and rider Clint Allen of Weatherford by two points.

The open division title earned owners Patrick and Laura Collins the coveted $250,000 open prize. Collins also earned $12,164 after winning the amateur title with a 222.

“He’s one of the grittiest horses and he just loves to work,” Thompson said. “He’s just extremely smart about a cow. He’s not the most physical horse who was down there competing, but he tries his guts out every time.”

 

March Madness

Justin McBride, the 2005 Professional Bull Riders world champion from Elk City, Okla., has earned more than $140,000 as the result of winning three of past four tour stops.

After topping the Build Ford Tough Series field of riders last weekend in Omaha, Neb., McBride earned $42,092. He also earned $30,660 on March 4 by winning in New Orleans, and he pocketed $71,808 on March 11 in Kansas City.

In the world-title race, McBride has a commanding lead over J.B. Mauney, 6,417.5 points to 5,513.5.

 

Awesome in Austin

Chris Harris of Itasca earned $8,060 after winning the bareback riding title at RodeoAustin and the former NFR qualifier was among six Texas competitors who finished first at the state capital last weekend.

The other winners were Cade Swor, Chico, tie-down roping, $4,536; Annesa Self, Valley View, barrel racing, $4,449; Bryan Richardson, Dallas, bull riding, $10,655; and Travis Tryan, Chico, and Michael Jones, Hico, team roping, $5,805 each.



On the horizon

The Dogwood Classic PRCA Rodeo is April 13-14 in Palestine; the Angelina County Benefit Rodeo is April 25-28 in Lufkin and the Henderson County Stampede is April 27-28 in Athens.

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo in Mesquite, billed as the world’s most famous weekly rodeo, opens its 50th season on the weekend of April 6-7.