CFR Finish Line in Sight
It’s the most exciting time of the regular season in Canadian Professional Rodeo as the battles for the coveted twelve CFR qualifications reach fever pitch.
The bareback riding event typifies the hard-fought, frenetic back and forth tension of the final weeks of the season. And one guy who is making the most of his opportunity is Two Hills, Alberta cowboy Cruz McNulty.
After a tough start to the season that saw him miss several rodeos with a broken wrist, the former Novice Bareback Champion is feeling good and is mounting a late season charge. McNulty picked up two important cheques on the weekend, winning second at the Cranbrook Pro Rodeo with an 81.5 mark on Vold Rodeo’s 705 Good Times for $913, then matched that score on Outlaw Buckers’ 735 Night Magic at Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo to split 3/4 and add another $617 to his weekend haul. The placings saw McNulty jump from 13th in the standings (unofficially) to 10th. But he knows he can’t take his foot off the pedal as less than $300 separates 10th and 13th in the tight race for CFR berths.
He credits a change in attitude with the recent rise in his fortunes. “I’m just having fun,” he notes. “I’m not worrying about anything, that’s the biggest thing. Whatever happens happens. I just go out there and do my job and have fun doing it.”
The solid results have also provided a big boost to the young rider’s confidence. “I’m 100 per cent healthy and I’ve just kept my head down and not thought about anything else. Last night was the first time I actually sat down and looked at the standings. I’ve just been focussing on myself and what I can do. It’s got me this far and that’s my game plan for the rest of the season.”
The Biggar, Saskatchewan native was happy with his draws on the weekend and made both of them work well.
“In Cranbrook I had Vold’s Good Times. I’d been on him before up at Rocky Mountain House. He’s just nice, one of those ones you want to get on, and then at Pincher Creek I had Night Magic, a younger horse from Outlaw Buckers and he’s been outstanding everywhere he’s been; that’s a good feeling horse that you just go win on anytime, anywhere.”
It’s been a big challenge for the likable McNulty. “Missing those rodeos early in the season meant I’ve been playing catch up all season, but I think it makes me ride better, trying to catch those guys.
“Getting to the Finals is something I’ve dreamed about and thought about since I was a kid. To get there and be riding as one of the best would be pretty cool, for sure.”
But McNulty is very aware that he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. “Right now I have to focus on these next two weeks and we’ll see where we’re at after Langley (Valley West Stampede – the final stop of the regular season).
Another cowboy making a big move on the weekend is Bo Pickett, the Caldwell, Idaho tie-down roper who was 15th in the standings going into the weekend’s action. But a Cranbrook win (8.1 seconds, $1945.80) and a 3rd place (8.7, $1390.26) at Pincher Creek will see the 2024 CFR qualifier become a bigtime player in the fight for the last couple of CFR spots in that event.
And in breakaway roping, Taylor Flewelling improved her chances of a return trip to the CFR. The two-time Finals qualifier put together a couple of money runs, a 4.2 second, fourth place finish for $1394 at Cranbrook and a 4.0 second 6th place $611 at Pincher Creek and finds herself among the top twelve with the finish line for the regular season just two weeks away.
Elko, British Columbia bull rider Lonnie Phillips and Red Deer’s Ashton Sahli are duking it out for the 12th and final CFR spot in their event. Phillips strengthened his case for a third CFR appearance as he picked up the win at the Medicine Lodge Fall Roundup (Lonnie Phillips, 81 points on Duffy Rodeo’s 111 Long Covid, $1144.92), and was third at Cranbrook (84.5, $910.86). But Sahli stayed close behind as he got to the pay window (86.5, $1150.54) in Cranbrook.
This week sees CPRA stops at the Lethbridge Pro Rodeo (SMS Equipment Pro Tour) August 21-23, and Maple Leaf Circuit rodeos: Nanton Pro Rodeo, August 22-23 and Okotoks Pro Rodeo, August 22-24.
