LAS VEGAS – In his previous three trips to the City of Lights for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Seth Glause rode a combined four bulls.

He’s matched that at this year’s championship, the most recent coming in the sixth round on Tuesday night. He matched moves with Western Rodeo’s Cross off for 80 points to finish in a tie for second place, worth $12,662.

“I’d seen him a couple times earlier this year, but I didn’t know a lot about him,” said Glause, a four-time NFR qualifier from Cheyenne, Wyo. “I knew he turned back right there out of the chute.

“He was really wanting to pull me down over his head. I wanted to just stick my chest out and push on my hand.”

Glause is now second in the average by riding four of six for a cumulative total of 336 points. He trails only Beau Schroeder of China, Texas, who won the sixth round. More importantly, Glause has pocketed $46,232 in less than a week in Las Vegas.

“I feel like I’m riding good,” said Glause, who attended Central Wyoming College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “I wish my body felt better, but I’m not going to complain.”

That wouldn’t be his way, but he’d have reason to do so. He suffered a broken nose after getting a horn to his face in the second round – shortly after making the whistle and scoring an 86.5-point ride to finish fourth.

“I think the big thing is being confident, believing in yourself and just having fun,” Glause said. “I’m just going to try to keep having fun, keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’ll stay focused and let the rest of it take care of itself.”