LAS VEGAS – The race to the 2014 saddle bronc riding world championship will go down to the wire.

Cort Scheer of Elsmere, Neb., is on the longest sprint of his life. He is third in the world standings with four days remaining. In horseracing terms, he’s just past the halfway point on the track and can’t even see the finish line from his viewpoint on the other side of turns 3 and 4. But he’s running as fast as he can.

Only $735 separates the No. 1 cowboy from the No. 3 man. Louisianan Heith DeMoss is in the top spot, while Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M., is a neck behind. All three cowboys have pocketed more than $141,000 this season.

Scheer – who attended Montana State University, Garden City (Kan.) Community College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University – won the first go-round, then was the runner-up the next night. He returned to the pay window after Tuesday’s sixth round, where he added $1,532 for finishing in a tie for sixth place after a 76.5-point ride on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Happy Valley.

Scheer has earned nearly $39,000. He also is second in the average race, with a cumulative score of 469.5 points on six rides. He is 10 points behind average leader Spencer Wright.

But that doesn’t matter to the Nebraskan, who is riding this year for round wins. Those pay $19,000 a night. He knows in order to win that coveted gold buckle, he needs to finish the season with more money earned than any other bronc rider in the field.

That’s just the way he likes it.