If Cody Ohl decides to play some roulette while he’s in Las Vegas, he better not bet on nine. The number has been Ohl’s nemesis in the National Finals Rodeo, where he has a record 48 round wins in tie-down roping but none in the ninth go-round.
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There’s never a dull moment during the 10-day run of the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center. Trevor Brazile already has won his 11th all-around title and a record-breaking 19th world championship gold buckle.
To fully understand the mentality of a bull rider, one only has to listen to Trey Benton III talk for a few minutes about how things went at his last rodeo of the regular season, in Puyallup, Wash.
Well folks, we’re here again. On the precipice of history, with just one more round remaining at this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, only two hours of competition separate certain contestants from gold buckles and immortality.
There are many rodeo superstitions — from always shave before a performance (to clean yourself up for Lady Luck) to never compete with change in your pocket (because that might be all you will win) — but the biggest of them all is setting your hat on a bed.
Clay O’Brien Cooper is old enough to be the father of many of his team roping peers. Yet Father Time still hasn’t caught up to the 52-year-old, who is competing in his 27th National Finals Rodeo, his 23rd at the Thomas &Mack Center.
Defending champion Tuf Cooper came into the National Finals Rodeo with a big lead in tie-down roping, but he’s being challenged by five-time world champ Cody Ohl, all-around champ Trevor Brazile, Shane Hanchey and Scott Kourmos. Cooper is trying to become the first tie-down roper to win three straight world titles since his father, rodeo Hall of Famer Roy Cooper, won five in a row from 1980 to 1984.
Countless cowboys have been crowned world champions in Las Vegas since the city started hosting the National Finals Rodeo in 1985, but only four Nevada natives have won world titles in the 77-year history of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.