THIRD GO-ROUND SUMMARY

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If anyone can read a horse, it’s Cody Ohl.

The six-time calf roping world champion rode a new horse for the first two go-rounds of the National Finals Rodeo but switched back to his veteran steed Luke for Saturday night’s go-round and it produced a 6.9-second time to win $16,766.

“Luke has been real sore in his heels, and I didn’t really have any confidence (in him),” he said. “I practiced on him three days ago and we’ve been working on him every day since and got him feeling good.

“It was time for a swap.”

Ohl of Hico, Texas, had his own physical maladies this season. He was hampered by a groin injury in the middle of the year that accounts for his ninth-place ranking.

“It was also baseball season for the kids, so I stayed home quite a bit.”

Runner-up to Ohl was seven-time calf roping world champion Fred Whitfield, who missed last year’s Finals after having two surgeries earlier in the year.

BAREBACK RIDING

Royce Ford of Briggsdale, Colo., was scored for 88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage to earn the go-round win.

“With this pen of horses, you walk down the alley right before it starts and they’re all long-maned, snorting ‘broncy’ son-of-a-guns,” he said.

STEER WRESTLING

Dean Gorsuch of Gering, Neb., turfed his steer in 3.5 seconds to win the go-round.

It was another step in a comeback of the 2006 bulldogging champion who missed last season with an injury.

“It feels good. It’s a blessing to be back,” he said. “It feels good to be back here instead of watching it on TV.”

Luke Branquinho continues to be the hottest in the field. He placed third to earn $10,006 and push his lead in season money to $27,000 over Wade Sumpter, who tore his pectorals muscle on Friday night and added a strained shoulder on Saturday.

TEAM ROPING

Matt Funk of Hermiston, Ore., and Bucky Campbell of Benton City, Wash., stopped the two-round winning streak of Garrett Tonozzi and Kinney Harrell.

Funk and Campbell roped their steer in 4.0 seconds

Season leaders in header and heeler categories changed.

Teammates Matt Sherwood of Pima, Ariz., and heeler Randon Adams of Logandale moved to first in their respective categories by placing second with a time of 4.1 seconds to win $10,006.

SADDLE BRONC

On a night when five of 15 riders were bucked off, veteran Billy Etbauer rode high in the saddle to win the go-round with a score of 89.5 on Franklin Rodeo’s Blue Too.

It was the third straight night Etbauer earned a check. He has won $37,049 in the Finals to extend his season lead to $22,300 over Utah’s Cody Wright, who has not yet cashed a check.

“What a horse,” Etbauer said. “He just jumped out of there. He jumped and kicked and got some rein from me out there in the middle (of the arena), and I had a little trouble.”

The 45-year-old South Dakota native living in Edmond, Okla., is gunning for his sixth world championship that would tie a record held by Casey Tibbs and Dan Mortensen.

BARREL RACING

Lindsay Sears of Nanton, Alberta, pushed her season earnings to over $200,000 by winning the go-round with a time of 13.91 seconds on Martha, an 8-year-old sorrel mare.

It was the first time she cashed in three nights.

“Martha came alive tonight,” Sears said. “She’s had a month off and just needed time to get warmed up.”

BULL RIDING

It was a rough night for 13 of 15 bull riders, and the only two that covered scored matching 91.5 scores to each win $15,009.

Douglas Duncan of Huntsville, Texas, was first out and conquered Corey & Horst’s War Zone.

After 13 consecutive victories by the “eliminator” bulls, season money leader Chance Smart of Philadelphia, Miss., lasted eight seconds on Growney Brothers’ Scoundrel.

Because they were the only to score, they also split the balance of the unpaid purse to receive $12,034 apiece. That money does not count in the world standings but it spends the same in casinos.

INJURY REPORT

Saddle bronc rider Chad Ferley fractured his left wrist and will miss at least two go-rounds. …

Wade Sumpter, who tore a pectorals muscle Friday, strained his right shoulder and is questionable for today.

THE END….