LAS VEGAS – With the right horses under him, 2022 world champion bareback rider Jess Pope shines, especially at the National Finals Rodeo.
He’s a three-time winner of the NFR’s average championship and finished second a year ago. The computer-generated drawing system hasn’t been quite as kind to Pope in 2024. He’s had two rounds where his score didn’t reach 80 points, which is a big reason why he’s sixth in the aggregate race, seven points behind the leader.
The drawing gods looked out for him for Friday’s ninth round, though. Pope matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Secrets Out for 89.5 points to win the night and collect another payday worth nearly $34,000.
“I thought that (horse) was kind of lay-up in this pen,” he said, referring to the electric nature of the 6-year-old bay mare’s bucking style, which was highlighted in a grouping of horses considered the easiest to ride. “I told (fellow bareback riders) after the fourth round that I thought we had that horse mispenned, but there’s really no way we could move here around.”
“I think next year it’ll be penned differently, and I was kicking myself in the butt when I said that. When I saw the draw last night, I thought, ‘Boy, I’m glad nobody went through with this.’ ”
This is the first time to Las Vegas for the mare, but she’s excelled in the Thomas & Mack Center, the NFR’s home since 1985. She guided Texan Bradlee Miller to the Round 4 victory. In two nights of performing, she’s helped two cowboys earn more than $67,000.
Being the beneficiary of that, Pope increased his Sin City earnings to $106,896. He’s fifth in the world standings with $275,050 and has one night left on his 2024 season He is matched with C5 Rodeo’s Virgil for Saturday’s 10th round; the bronc is a two-time PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year and joins Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire as the Bareback Horses of this year’s NFR. Pope finished third after posting a 90-point ride on Gun Fire on Night 5.
“I know I’m riding good,” said Pope of Waverly, Kansas. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me today what I thought of my draw, and I finally just got to a point where I started telling people that I have no expectations. We’re going to have fun the last two rounds. We’re not going to worry about it and just enjoy the time that I get to be here.”