LAS VEGAS (AP) — Steven Peebles finished in a three-way tie for first place in the 10th round of the National Finals Rodeo on Saturday night, winning the world championship and aggregate standings title.
The Redmond, Oregon, rider ended Kaycee Feild’s streak of four straight world championships, scoring an 83.5 on Good Time Charlie. Peebles, who entered the NFR in 14th place, won five of the 10 rounds and took the aggregate title with 832.5 points over the 10 rides.
Winning the aggregate gave Peebles a $67,269 bonus and allowed him to finish with $314,140 and claim his first gold buckle. Peebles also broke Feild’s 2011 NFR earnings record of $179,327, as he finished first among all NFR competitors with $224,055.
“I fought through a lot of injuries and a lot of pain this year, so to be standing here right now as the world champion has me speechless,” Peebles said. “There were times this season after my accident (in May) that I couldn’t breathe because there was no air in my lungs, but I just kept moving forward and wanted the gold buckle more than everything.
“This entire NFR has been crazy and it’s been up and down. One night I had a good chance to win it, then the next I didn’t. Tonight, I just tried to mark the horse out and let him go and make it look as good as I could. This whole thing is so cool.”
Field, of Spanish Fork, Utah, finished with $303,617. He did not place among the top six with a 77 on Times Uo. He ended up third in the aggregate with 792.5 points over 10 rides.
Tim O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa, on Top Flight, and Tanner Aus of Granite Falls, Minnesota, on Much Dinero, tied Peebles for first in the final round.
In steer wrestling, Hunter Cure of Holliday, Texas, won his second world championship after tying for second place with a time of 3.9. Cure earned $241,515, including $54,577 for placing second in the aggregate with a time of 52.1 over 10 rounds. He also earned an event-best $139,122 at the NFR.
“This was anybody’s ballgame and it was there for whoever was going to step up and take it,” Cure said. “I felt like my horse (Charlie) had worked great all week long and my hazer (Matt Reeves) did an outstanding job, so I just needed to stay the course and work on my craft and see how it worked out in the end.”
Dakota Eldridge of Elko, Nevada, won the aggregate championship with a time of 45.6 over 10 rounds after finishing outside the top six in 4.3 in round 10. He also was second in the world standings with $211,669.
Baylor Roche of Tremonton, Utah, won his first round of the 2015 NFR in a time of 3.6.
In team roping, header Aaron Tsinigine of Tuba City, Arizona, and heeler Ryan Motes of Weatherford, Texas, won round 10 in a time of 4.1, enabling Tsinigine to win the headers’ world title with $227,672 and Motes to finish second among heelers with $226,541.
Heeler Kollin VonAhn of Blanchard, Texas, who finished sixth in 9.6 with header Luke Brown of Stephenville, Texas, won the heelers’ crown with $231,601. More importantly, the placing helped Brown and VonAhn to win the aggregate championship with a time of 65.3 over 10 rounds.
In saddle bronc riding, Jacobs Crawley of Boerne, Texas, won the world standings title with $276,247 upon claiming the aggregate standings crown with 810.5 points over 10 rides and gaining the $67,269 bonus.
Crawley finished the NFR by placing outside the top six with an 81 on Big Tex.
Wade Sundell of Coleman, Oklahoma, won round 10 with an 88.5 on Wound Up and wound up with $273,065, which was good enough for second in the world standings.
In tie-down roping, Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, fell short in his quest for a 24th gold buckle and fourth world standings crown when he didn’t place among the top six with a time of 13.90 in round 10.
Brazile, with $228,055, had the world standings lead after nine rounds, but he lost it to Caleb Smidt of Bellville, Texas, who ends up with $242,354. Smidt, who tied for sixth in 7.9 in round 10, also won the aggregate standings crown with a time of 80.7 for 10 head.
Defending three-time world champion Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas, tied for first with Tyson Durfey of Savannah, Missouri, with times of 6.7.
In barrel racing, world standings champion Callie DuPerier of Boerne, Texas, who was outside the top six in 14.12 in round 10, claimed the aggregate standings crown with a time of 140,41 over 10 rides. The $67,269 bonus allowed DuPerier to claim her first world championship with $303,846.
Sherry Cervi of Marana, Arizona, won round 10 in a time of 13.55.
In bull riding, defending world and aggregate champ Sage Kimzey of Strong City, Oklahoma, who clinched his second consecutive world standings championship during round nine, was unable to claim the aggregate crown after placing fourth with an 84.5 on Priefert Sweep in round 10.
“This year was a lot different,” Kimzey said. “I knew what to expect and how everything worked. Last year, everything was new, but it was a magical year, one I’ll never forget.
Kimzey earned $327,178 while Cody Teel of Kountze, Texas, was second in the world standings with $278,749 after finishing sixth with an 82.5 on Foolish Man in round 10. Teel, who was second at the 2015 NFR with $195,731, won the aggregate standings title with 656.5 points for eight rides and was the lone rider with eight successful rides.
Wesley Silcox of Santaquin, Utah, won round 10 with an 88 on Breaking Bad.
In all-around, Brazile, who clinched his 13 all-around crown in round six, finished the season with a record $518,011 in steer roping, team roping and tie-down roping.
