(PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)
GUNNISON, Colo. – Blane Cox knows what it means to be among the top 20 tie-down ropers in ProRodeo.
He’s done it four times in the last five years. If he’s going to do it again this year, he will need to get on a roll like only few others have ever seen. He’s 47th in the world standings heading int the final two weeks of July, and he would absolutely love to be among the top 15 and earn the second National Finals Rodeo qualification of his career.
He’s giving himself a fighting chance this week in the Rocky Mountains. On Saturday night, he roped and tied his calf in 7.4 seconds to win the title at the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, which was worth $2,500 of the $86,000 purse in Gunnison.
“That was a great calf,” said Cox, 28, of Cameron, Texas. “My horse caused me to be a hair late, but it worked out. (The calf) stepped off to the right and gave me a good throw at her, and she was great on the ground. The horse worked great other than out of the box a little bit.”
It’s coming at the right time.
“It’s been a pretty slow summer,” he said. “The Fourth (of July run) was terrible. I’ve been roping really good, and the horse has been working pretty good, but I’ve been having heck drawing good calves.
“It turned around (last week) in Laramie, Wyoming, and winning Westcliffe (Colorado on Saturday) morning, and now this.”
Cox qualified for the NFR in 2016 and finished 12th in the final world standings. He has just missed ProRodeo’s grand finale three times: he was 19th last year and finished 16th in 2017 and ’18. He’s a veteran, and he understands what it takes to move back toward the top, even if the year has been a bit of a struggle.
“Horsepower is everything in calf roping,” Cox said. “It’s 75 percent horsepower in my opinion.”
He’s got that in Billy, a 10-year-old sorrel gelding he purchased this past February.
“He’s been really good to me,” he said of the horse. “I loved him from the get-go.”
Now in his 10th year competing in ProRodeo, this year was the second straight trip to Gunnison for its annual rodeo. Many of the top contestants in the sport found this gem in the mountains last year, when the community’s rodeo was one of the few that took place in spite of the global pandemic. He liked what he saw, so he made sure to return.
“It was pretty exciting,” Cox said. “The crowd was really good tonight, and they had packed stands. The cooler weather makes it really nice, too.”
Cattlemen’s Days
Gunnison, Colo.
July 15-17
Bareback riding: 1. Will Lowe, 88 points on Hurst & TNT’s Casino, $1,974; 2. Cooper Bennett, 84.5, $1,513; 3. Chad Rutherford, 83.5, $1,119; 4. (tie) Jayco Roper, Tucker Zingg and Tyler Johnson, 82, $504 each; 7. Trenton Montero, 81.5, $263; 8. Jake Brown, 81, $197.
Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Jace Melvin and Wyatt Jurney, 3.5 seconds, $2,243 each; 3. Sam Goings, 3.7, $1,774; 4. Tristan Martin, 3.8, $1,461; 5. Riley Duvall, 4.0, $1,148; 6. Payden McIntyre, 4.1, $835; 7. Colt Honey, 4.3, $522; 8. (tie) Mike McGinn, Mike Garcia and Jacob Sterkel, 4.4, $70 each.
Team roping: 1. Rhett Anderson/Cullen Teller, 4.0 seconds, $2,661; 2. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/JC Flake and Coy Rahlmann/Douglas Rich, 4.1, $2,240; 4. Tyler Walker/Trey Yates, 4.3, $1,821; 5. (tie) Garrett Tonozzi/T.J. Watts and Kyon Kruetzer/Clancey Kreutzer, 4.7, $1,401 each; 7. (tie) Jake Orman/Brye Crites and Dylin Ahlstrom/Caleb Hendrix, 4.8, $840 each; 9. Jack Graham/Calgary Smith, 5.2, $420; 10. Nick Pullara/Jason Gilchrist, 5.7, $140.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Tegan Smith, 88 points on Hurst & TNT’s Charlie’s Angels, $2,042; 2. Cody DeMoss, 86, $1,565; 3. Mitch Pollock, 83.5, $1,157; 5. Ryan Sanford, 82, $749; 5. Jarrod Hammons, 81, $476; 6. Rowdy Dunklin, 80.5, $340; 7. Mason Laviolette, 78.5, $272; 8. Jack Bentz, 74, $204.
Tie-down roping: 1. Blane Cox, 7.4 seconds, $2,500; 2. Ty Harris, 7.8, $2,237; 3. Macon Murphy, 8.0, $1,974; 4. (tie) Tyler Milligan and Luke Potter, 8.3, $1,579 each; 6. Thomas Conway, 8.4, $1,184; 7. Tyler Prcin, 8.5, $921; 8. (tie) King Pickett and Ross McAdow, 8.7, $526 each; 10. Colton Farquer, 9.1, $132.
Barrel racing: 1. Molly Otto, 17.46 seconds, $2,581; 2. Lake Mehalic, 17.49, $2,194; 3. Amanda Welsh, 17.53, $1,807; 4. Sarah Kieckhefer and Virginya Foran, 17.55, $1,420 each; 6. Jimmie Smith, 17.57, $903; 7. Cassidy Champlin, 17.61, $645; 8. Jessi Fish, 17.67, $516; 9. Carly Taylor, 17.73, $452; 10. Kenna Kaminski, 17.79, $387; 11. Kelly Yates, 17.80, $323; 12. Chenae Vest, 17.86, $258.
Bull riding: 1. Ky Hamilton, 83 points on Rafter G’s Johnny Cash, $3,757; 2. Braden Richardson, 81, $2,274; 3. Parker Cole McCown, 79, $1,861; no other qualified rides.