Ryan Gray returns at the Snake River Stampede

The Snake River Stampede is underway in Nampa, Idaho.

 The leaderboard through Wednesday night shows the return of bareback rider Ryan Gray from Cheney, Washington.

 Gray, who went to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last year, is second in the bareback riding with an 83 point score. He has been recovering from a broken leg but is still 15th in the World Standings with more than $27,000 won in just 24 rodeos this year. Andy Martinez leads the first round of the bareback riding with an 86.

 Rusty Allen from Utah is the saddle bronc riding leader with an 85 point score..Howdy Cloud from Texas leads the bull riding with an 84.

 The first rounds of the timed events are in the books in Nampa...

 World Champion steer wrestler Lee Graves from Canada won more than $3,500 for his 3.8 second time...Cody Odell and Boogie Ray from Texas won the first round of the team roping with a 5.0 worth more than $1,800. Cimarron Boardman from Missouri won the first round of the tie down roping with a 7.5 and collected $3,499.

 Bennette Barrington leads the first round of the barrel racing in Nampa with a 15.75. Rose Miller from Moses Lake, WA is second with a 16.0. The barrel race features one long round and a short round.

 Nampa's short round is Saturday night...The Snake River Stampede's website is snakeirverstampede.com...

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 Two time Columbia River Circuit Bull Riding Champion Marcus Michaelis from Caldwell, Idaho took home the average title at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs, Colorado last weekend, with a total of 152 points on two head. He posted a 74-point score in the first round and followed it up with a 78 in the Tour Round aboard Triple V Rodeo's High Yella. Ross Kleven and Jed Moore shared the Tour Round victory with identical 81-point rides. Kleven (Westminster, Colo.) rode Frontier Rodeo's #69, while Moore (Cheyenne, Wyo.) faced Frontier Rodeo's BA.

 The other winners in Colorado Springs...

 Team Roping - Ave: Cody Odell and Boogie Ray - Texas
 Tour Round: Shane Schwenke and Jhett Johnson
 Bareback Riding - Ave: Paul Jones, Nevada
 Tour Round: Tim Shirley, Colorado
 Steer Wrestling - Ave & Tour Round: Chad Hagen, Louisiana
 Saddle Bronc Riding - Ave: Steve Dollarhide, Arizona
 Tour Round: Dollarhide and Matt Hebbert, Nebraska
 Tie Down Roping - Ave: Scott Kormos, Texas
 Tour Round: Randall Carlisle, Texas
 Barrel Racing - Ave: Codi Baucom, North Carolina
 Tour Round: Brandie Halls, Wyoming

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 Steer Wrestler Trevor Knowles has jumped all the way up to ninth in the PRCA's World Standings. Knowles finished sixth in the average and placed fourth in the short round in Colorado Springs. He also placed at rodeos in Casper and Sheridan, Wyoming. Knowles $11,000+ weekend ran his 2006 total to more than $32,000. The two time National Finals qualifier jumped from 20th to 9th in the World Standings.

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 Ben Londo is on a hot streak.

 Londo won the bronc riding and split second in the bareback riding at the Fort Dalles Days Pro Rodeo July 13-15.

 Londo, who grew up in Milton Freewater, Oregon won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's All-Around title last month at the College National Finals Rodeo. He has won more than $5,000 at three rodeos in the last two weeks in the Columbia River Circuit. He won both of his events at the Elgin Stampede in Elgin, Oregon, he was second in the bareback riding and third in the bronc riding in Cheney, Washington, and then won the all-around in The Dalles.

 "I'll spend my summer here in Oregon and Washington and go to some rodeos in Utah before going back to California," Londo said. Londo, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is in the top ten in both the bareback riding and bronc riding in the California Circuit.

 The champions from the 41st annual Fort Dalles Days Rough and Wild Pro Rodeo...
 Bronc Riding - Ben Londo, Pendleton, OR 78 points
 Tie Down Roping - Tyson Durfey, Missouri 8.3 seconds
 Team Roping - Trevor Bott and Randy Polich, West Linn and Canby, OR 5.9 seconds
 Barrel Racing - Barb West, Oak Harbor, WA 17.24 seconds
 Bull Riding - Brian Sanders, Elgin, OR 69 points
 Bareback Riding - Grant Richie, Walla Walla, WA 81 points
 Steer Wrestling - Mark Boultinghouse, Ridgefiled, WA 4.6 seconds

 *****

 Frank Beard belongs in the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame...And that's where he is headed. The Ellensburg Rodeo Association has announced that the Beard Rodeo Company will be one of it's 2006 Hall of Fame inductee's.

 Saddle bronc rider Marty Wood, bulldogger Rod Lyman, former Daily Record editor publisher John Ludtka, and the "Spirit of the Trail" Pageant will join Beard in the Hall of Fame.

 Frank Beard grew up in the Yakama Indian Reservation near Toppenish, Wash., and began his rodeo career as a roughstock rider, pickup man, farrier and horse trainer. He founded the Frank Beard Rodeo Company in 1973 and has built it into one of North America’s premier rodeo stock contracting operations. As a surprise addition, a Frank Beard animal will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Aug. 31st banquet.


 The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame Association formed in 1997 to preserve the history and traditions of the Ellensburg Rodeo. Induction ceremonies will be held August 31 in a banquet at Central Washington University.

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 This week I'll be announcing the Mission Mountain Pro Rodeo in Polson, Montana. This is a beautiful city right on a lake south of Kalispell...The rodeo features the livestock of the Kesler Rodeo Company. Performances are Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at 3:30 Montana time...Maybe we'll see you there!

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 Here's a look at the top hands in the PRCA this week...

 ALL-AROUND COWBOY
1. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas $157,635
2. Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas 72,341
*3. Ryan Jarrett, Summerville, Ga. 70,329
4. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas 59,562
5. Joe Beaver, Huntsville, Texas 59,422

 BAREBACK RIDING
1. Andy Martinez, Pavillion, Wyo. (34) $68,190
*2. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas (50) 65,713
3. Wes Stevenson, Kaufman, Texas (47) 60,376
4. Chris Harris, Itasca, Texas (46) 53,945
5. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore. (41) 51,824

 STEER WRESTLING
1. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. (29) $66,829
2. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif. (34) 62,936
3. Ronnie Fields, Oklahoma City, Okla. (33) 57,374
*4. Lee Graves, Calgary, Alberta (31) 51,137
5. Gabe Ledoux, Kaplan, La. (29) 43,310

 TEAM ROPING (HEADING)
1. David Key, Caldwell, Texas (30) $57,487
2. Matt Sherwood, Malad City, Idaho (30) 54,997
3. Travis Tryan, Billings, Mont. (33) 53,881
4. Speed Williams, Llano, Texas (24) 47,626
5. Nick Sartain, Alva, Okla. (24) 37,289

 TEAM ROPING (HEELING)
1. Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas (28) $56,984
2. Walt Woodard, Stockton, Calif. (29) 54,997
3. Clay O'Brien Cooper, Morgan Mill, Texas (24) 47,626
4. Allen Bach, Weatherford, Texas (34) 44,144
5. Shannon Frascht, Alva, Okla. (24) 37,289

 SADDLE BRONC RIDING
1. Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La. (49) $111,005
2. Dan Mortensen, Billings, Mont. (46) 80,358
3. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D. (41) 64,644
4. Rusty Allen, Lehi, Utah (41) 51,098
5. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah (36) 49,328

 TIE-DOWN ROPING
1. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas (31) $89,981
*2. Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas (33) 67,056
3. Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas (29) 64,081
4. Ryan Jarrett, Summerville, Ga. (34) 52,641
5. Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas (30) 46,193

 BARREL RACING
1. Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, Okla. $78,197
2. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas 75,846
3. Denise Adams Fea, Lufkin, Texas 49,757
4. Kelly Maben, Spur, Texas 47,805
5. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta 45,928


 BULL RIDING
*1. Matt Austin, Wills Point, Texas (54) $95,713
2. Wesley Silcox, Payson, Utah (45) 83,172
3. Sonny Murphy, Herriman, Utah (48) 72,108
4. J.W. Harris, May, Texas (56) 59,667
5. Jason McClain, Lewis, Colo. (42) 59,032