Rodeo stars to invade LV this weekend

Wednesday, June 7, 2000 | 10:09 a.m.

Locals who have never been able to attend the annual sold-out National Finals Rodeo will have an opportunity to see the next best thing as the Copenhagen Cup Finale of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour makes it debut this weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

In fact, the finale of the newly formed winter tour may be even more star-studded than the NFR. Six reigning world champions, including all-around cowboy Fred Whitfield, head a list of 19 past or present world champions competing for $470,00 in prize money and bonuses Thursday through Saturday.

Tickets priced from $15 to $150 for all performances are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office and all TicketMaster locations.

The top 10 competitors in each of seven events (bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping, bull riding and barrel racing) qualified for the finale by earning points at each of eight Wrangler ProRodeo Tour stops this year.

Each stop on the winter tour was televised by The Nashville Network in an attempt to increase interest in the sport. So far, according to bareback rider Kelly Wardell, that strategy is working.

"I feel very excited about a chance to win more money," said two-time NFR qualifier Wardell, who sat out last year after suffering a shoulder injury. "There are some things that need work on, but this is the first year and I think eventually it will be a really good thing.

"I think guys would like to have a little more input on the rodeos that are selected for the tours but I think if it works the way it's planned, it'll be great for rodeo and great for the cowboys."

For Wardell, this weekend will mark his first trip to Las Vegas for a rodeo since he qualified for the 1997 NFR. Last year, he was fifth in the world rankings when a horse fell on him during a ride and severely damaged his shoulder.

"It tore my shoulder apart and they operated on it and I went through about nine months of rehab. Last year was the best start I ever had and when the doctor told me I was done for a year, it was like somebody kicked me in the head.

"It was a pretty miserable couple of months but this year has been good and I always felt like I could do better at the NFR than I did and I want to go back and prove that I can."

Before he qualifies for the NFR, however, Wardell would like to make a statement at the Copenhagen Cup Finale -- which he says may prove to be a more exciting format than the NFR.

All 10 competitors in each event will compete Thursday and Friday. The field will be pared to the top eight in each event on Saturday, then to the top four for Saturday night's final round.

"It's an excellent format," he said. "I think the finals will be pretty exciting for the fans because they'll get to see back-to-back performances by better horses."