Brazile keeps a steady pace

Monday, Dec. 6, 2004 | 9:02 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

Trevor Brazile may not take as many chances as he used to at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but he certainly knows how to take advantage when the opportunity presents itself.

A two-time and reigning world all-around champion from Decatur, Texas, Brazile has learned that playing things safe puts him in better position in the lucrative aggregate race. But on Sunday in Round 3 action at the Wrangler NFR, Brazile went for the tie-down roping win and got it, recording a time of 7.7 seconds in front of a capacity crowd of 17,390 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

For Brazile, who padded his lead in the all-around standings to $83,198 and moved into fifth place in tie-down roping, it's more about being smart than just purely aggressive.

"I'm just going to keep it simple," Brazile said. "I am just going to try and keep roping sharp, roping smart and cashing some checks."

In three nights in Las Vegas, Brazile has placed each time in tie-down roping, finishing fourth on Friday and second on Saturday, good for $32,694. He also has earned a check by placing in one round of team roping.

Brazile is on pace to become the first cowboy to claim three consecutive world all-around titles since Ty Murray, who won six in a row from 1989-94. But that's the furthest thing on his mind, even with the season's end just one week away.

"I'm really not even thinking about it," Brazile said. "My goal is the all-around. Everything that comes with it makes it that much sweeter."

The Wrangler NFR is marking its 20th year in Las Vegas. Only the top 15 contestants in each of rodeo's events qualified for the event, which will crown world champions at its conclusion on Sunday. Competition resumes at 7 p.m. today with the fourth round.

Like Brazile, saddle bronc rider Cody DeMoss of Crowville, La., also took advantage of an opportunity and took a victory lap of his own. DeMoss scored 84 points on his re-ride horse, Bar T Rodeo's Paper Tiger, after his first horse didn't cooperate.

His second horse nearly cooperated too much.

"When the horse hit the ground, he just smoked a bunch of rein out of my hand," DeMoss said. "After that, the only thing I was just thinking was to keep moving and just keep trying. I hoped it would all work out."

DeMoss won $14,778 for the victory and moved closer to injured cowboys Dan Mortensen of Billings, Mont., the reigning world champion, and Glen O'Neill of Didsbury, Alberta. Neither is competing after suffering injuries earlier in the season, but both still hold the top two spots in the world standings. DeMoss is $11,559 behind Mortensen.

World champion steer wrestler Frank Thompson, who won the 2000 title, displayed that winning form Sunday in claiming the third-round title. He downed his steer in 3.4 seconds. Two team roping champions, seven-time world titlist Jake Barnes of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Allen Bach of Weatherford, Texas, who owns three gold buckles of his own, topped the field in Round 3. The team stopped the clock in 5.5 seconds, a vast improvement after failing to record a time in the first two rounds.

Bareback rider Jason Jeter of Mansfield, Texas, won Round 3 with an 88.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo's Smokeless Spotted Bird, and bull rider Paulo Crimber brought the crowd to its feet with a PRCA career-high score of 93.5 points on Diamond G's Mr. Smokeless Mr. USA.

Barrel racer Kelly Maben of Spur, Texas, won her second round in a row, winning with a time of 13.92 seconds to become the Wrangler NFR's first repeat winner.