Brazile Starts Strong Opening Day

Brazile Starts Strong Opening Day

Trevor Brazile stays in the lead at the Cinch Timed Event Championship after two rounds of competition.

Mar 4, 2017 by Cassie Emerson Emerson
Brazile Starts Strong Opening Day
GUTHRIE, Okla. -- The new format with the CINCH Timed Event Championship seems to be a hit amongst the cowboys.

After 32 years of paying out the fastest go-rounds at the conclusion of the five-round affair, the organizers have opted to adjust that $30,000 into the five rounds. For the first time ever, the winner of each round earns $3,000.

I don't have any complaints about it," said Trevor Brazile, the only seven-time champion of the Timed Event and the winner of Friday's first and second go-rounds. "I think it's good for the fans to see a winner each performance, too.

Brazile won the first round by making five runs in 56.3 seconds in heading, tie-down roping, heeling, steer wrestling and steer roping. He then posted a 54.7-second round Friday night. His 10-run cumulative time of 111.0 seconds gives him the lead heading into Saturday's third and fourth rounds.

He is 10.7 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Clay Smith of Broken Bow, Okla. But the big part of the day was Brazile earning $6,000. He has now pocketed $785,000 in his two decades of competing at the Timed Event.

Another big change was the addition of the Jr. Ironman Championship, which kick-starts each day's competition. Featuring 15- to 20-year-old cowboys competing in all events but steer roping, the youth championship will $1,000 a day to the winner and $10,000 to the aggregate champion.

Myles Neighbors of Benton, Ark., roped, tied and wrestled four animals in 44.7 seconds to win the inaugural round of the Jr. Ironman.

"I really think the Junior Timed Event is really good," Brazile said. "I remember how excited I was when I was 18 and I came here to compete in this. To see the Junior Timed Event here and getting those young cowboys involved early -- in being multi-event cowboys and not specializing -- means a lot to me.

"I hope to see some of those guys competing in the Timed Event in a few years. It gets in their blood early and lets them not be one-dimensional. For them to be able to reap the benefits of being a multi-event cowboy is fun to see. My hat's off to the Lazy e for involving them."

RESULTS
First round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 56.3 seconds, $3,000; 2. Clay Smith, 61.2, $2,000; 3. Shay Carroll, 63.7, $1,000.
Second round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 54.7 seconds, $3,000; 2. Paul David Tierney, 56.5, $2,000; 3. Josh Peek, 56.7, $1,000.
Jr. Ironman: 1. Miles Neighbors, 44.7 seconds, $1,000.

By: Ted Harbin

For full results click here

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