Saddle bronc rider Dan Mortensen missed last year's National Finals Rodeo with an injury, but it didn't take him long to feel at home again in the Thomas & Mack Center.
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Mortensen, 37, faced the eliminator pen of bucking horses but was able to score 87.5 on Calgary Stampede's Knight Rocket to win the second go-round of the 10-day NFR and $16,022.
It was Mortensen's 24th go-round victory in the NFR.
"I'm just glad I wasn't one of the guys who hit the dirt," he said after seven of 15 contestants were bucked.
A year ago he sustained a major injury to his foot in the regular-season finale at Dallas, the second straight year he was injured there. This year, he opted to head north to compete in the Canadian finals, where he won about $19,000.
"My foot is feeling really good," he said. "I'm just thankful to be rodeoing with the injury I had."
The six-time saddle bronc riding and 1997 all-around cowboy world champion has won eight rodeos this year and shared first in three others. He started the NFR ranked third and remains third but is within $3,700 of the lead.
Jeff Willert of Belvidere, S.D., who finished third behind Mortensen, backed up his winning ride from opening night.
Cody DeMoss, $301 behind leader Chad Ferley's $145,846, took a big hit when he was bucked in the grueling round. Ferley scored a 68, but is still alive in the event aggregate race.
* ALL-AROUND -- Runaway leader Trevor Brazile, suffering from a sports hernia, earned his first checks in the NFR this year by placing third in team roping and fourth in calf roping to earn $14,987 and increase his season total to $281,083. His lead is about $117,000 ahead of Joe Beaver.
* BAREBACK RIDING -- Competing in his first NFR, Jess Davis of Payson, Utah, scored 86 on Greg Kesler Rodeos' Painted Smile to earn $16,022 by finishing first.
Money leader Will Lowe placed third to pad his lead.
* STEER WRESTLING -- Shawn Greenfield of Lakeview, Ore., turfed his steer in 3.7 seconds to win the round. He moved to within around $9,000 of leader Dean Gorsuch, who placed sixth for $2,584.
"I'm gaining," Greenfield said. "I've got to keep having a good Finals and throwing them down and sort the chips out in the end."
* TEAM ROPING -- Roping great Allen Bach of Weatherford, Texas, and header Chad Masters of Clarksville, Tenn., won the round with a time of 4.5 seconds.
"(Masters) read that barrier so good," Bach said of his header's start. "You take a chance of breaking a barrier and getting fined 10 seconds, but yet if you can take a chance ... the steer isn't so far out there."
Logandale brothers Jay and Randon Adams had their second straight bad night, placing 13th in 26.4 seconds. Cody Hintz of Spring Creek placed eighth at 10.1.
* CALF ROPING -- Cody Ohl did it again, winning the go-round with a time of 7.2 seconds. The five-time champion further padded his lead in the standings by $52,000 over Brazile.
And it was another stellar night for his horse, Luke, who was selected by Ohl's competitors as the calf roping horse of the year.
Las Vegas resident Matt Shiozawa placed 14th with a time of 21.6 seconds.
* BARREL RACING -- Kelly Maben of Spur, Texas, completed the course in 13.72 seconds to win the round while Shelly Anzick of Livingston, Mont., was second after winning the first go-round on Bubba, a 13-year-old gelding.
* BULL RIDING -- Zeb Lanham of Sweet, Idaho, scored 94.5 points on Broken Arrow Rodeo's Smokeless War Dance and came close to the NFR record of 96 set in 2001 by Cody Hancock on Mr. U.S.A.
Three riders scored 90 or better, and all but five of the 14 contestants completed their rides.
Matt Austin, who leads B.J. Schumacher by $23,600 in the world standings, is doubtful to compete tonight after he aggravated his sports hernia after getting bucked off.
