{"id":5816,"date":"2018-12-09T20:30:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T01:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/equestrianinfluence.com\/horsehappenings\/?p=5816"},"modified":"2020-01-14T12:23:15","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T17:23:15","slug":"tim-oconnell-rides-craig-at-midnight-to-shake-off-slow-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equestrianinfluence.com\/horsehappenings\/tim-oconnell-rides-craig-at-midnight-to-shake-off-slow-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim O’Connell rides Craig at Midnight to shake off slow start"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photograph by Tom Donoghue<\/em><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS \u2013 The first two rounds of the Wrangler NFR were unkind to two-time defending bareback riding champion Tim O\u2019Connell. \u00a0He failed to place in either round, meaning no extra money. Yet he still held first place in the world standings.
\nThat lead grew quite a bit after O\u2019Connell won Round 3 with an 88.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo\u2019s Craig at Midnight in front of 17,031 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Saturday, Dec. 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know the NFR was only eight rounds long this year,\u201d O\u2019Connell joked. \u201cI told my wife last night before the draw came in that I was going to let everything go, I was going to make a riggings change, go back to my old rigging. I knew the E-Pen (Eliminator Pen) was going to be the pen that I was going to kick it off in.\u201d
\nAfter taking home $26,231 for winning the round, O\u2019Connell saw his lead grow to $35,553.
\nThat lead isn\u2019t near enough to put O\u2019Connell at ease. After winning the world title the last two years, O\u2019Connell knows there\u2019s too much talent to feel relaxed.
\n\u201cI had a real sense of urgency to get it going tonight,\u201d he said. \u201cI needed to break the ice and get myself back in a position to start moving away from everybody again. There\u2019s no sense the pressure is off by any means. I\u2019ve got the best field of bareback riders that I\u2019ve ever competed with to go into a world title race. I\u2019m not going to take the pressure off until I get off my 10th one.\u201d
\nO\u2019Connell was excited to yet again ride Craig at Midnight.
\n\u201cIt sent a shiver down my spine,\u201d said the Zwingle, Iowa, cowboy. \u201cI knew he was going to give me a chance. The first round, weird start, because that\u2019s a great horse (J Bar J\u2019s Beyond Bugs), they\u2019ve placed on him a lot here, we just had a weird go. Last night, my original horse couldn\u2019t go, the next horse that came in was Dakota Rodeo\u2019s War Rock. He and I have never gotten along together. It might be the one horse in the PRCA where our styles do not fit each other. I had a bad start on him. He took off on me, and it was because of me. I take full responsibility for that. I had a long talk with my coach. He pinpointed everything I knew that was going wrong. We fixed it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diaz ties saddle bronc riding Round 3 record
\nSaddle bronc rider Isaac Diaz knew he had a challenge out of the chute after drawing Sutton Rodeo\u2019s South Point. But he also knew if he could match that challenge, he\u2019d have a good shot at winning Round 3.
\nDiaz did what he had to do and not only won the round but also tied the Round 3 record with a 90-point ride on South Point.
\n\u201cYeah, that horse is a little tricky out of the chute, but after that she does everything you could ask in a bucking horse,\u201d said the 32-year-old from Desdemona, Texas.
\nDiaz\u2019s ride tied the round record set by Billy Etbauer in 1999 and equaled by Etbauer again in 2005.
\n\u201cThat horse is half the battle,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cI had him in Pendleton (Ore.), and it went well. They said South Point will take you to the South Point, and she did it last year for Jacobs Crawley, too.\u201d
\nCrawley won aboard South Point in the third round.
\nDiaz is sitting fourth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $161,970. Defending champion Ryder Wright leads the pack with $195,809.
\n\u201cI try to not keep an eye on it (the standings), but the whole year has been unreal,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cIf I can go into Round 10 with a shot at it, that would be a dream come true.\u201d
\nWith seven rounds remaining, Diaz is ready to keep working.
\n\u201cIt just motivates me,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cI have been working at it every day to stay in shape and stay focused, and this motivates me to continue and let God take care of the rest.\u201d
\nBeing at the Thomas & Mack Center and tying a round record left an impression with Diaz.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s so much magic in that arena, you can hear the crowd go nuts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Yates makes it back-to-back wins
\nA night after being aggressive and winning in 7.6 seconds, Marty Yates topped himself with a 7.0-second run to win Round 3 in tie-down roping.
\nMore importantly, Yates climbed into the lead in the world standings.
\nThe Stephenville, Texas, cowboy has cashed in for $75,788 through three rounds at the Wrangler NFR.
\nJust like in Round 2, Yates pointed to his start as the reason for his success in Round 3.
\n\u201cThis was an awesome run,\u201d said Yates, 24. \u201cAnytime you\u2019re 7-flat it is a great run. My start started it all, and I had a great calf and went through the motions and tied her down.\u201d
\nIn three nights, Yates has eliminated a deficit of $50,094 and turned it into a lead of $4,176 over Tuf Cooper. Yates\u2019 earnings for the 2018 season are up to $162,271.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the goal you have when you enter the first rodeo of the year,\u201d Yates said of taking the lead. \u201cThat\u2019s where you want to be. To be winning it in the third round is a dream come true, and I need to stick to the game plan and keep doing what I\u2019m doing, and it will not change.\u201d
\nHis quick start at the 2018 Finals could help determine a world title.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s nice to get tapped off like that here in this building, there\u2019s not a better feeling,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you know what\u2019s coming and you know you\u2019re in control, it is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guenthner wins steer wrestling in 3.3 seconds
\nCanadian Scott Guenthner moved into first place in the steer wrestling world standings after posting a 3.3-second time in Round 3 of the Wrangler NFR.
\nGuenthner, who also won Round 9 in 2017 in 3.3 seconds, has won $49,558 at the Finals this year and climbed into first place with $141,881.
\n\u201cI just want to keep going for the round (wins) because if you back off, you\u2019re not going to win the world,\u201d Guenthner said.
\nThis season is Guenthner\u2019s second trip to the Finals. Last year, he finished sixth. A good portion of his winnings at those Finals came from that Round 9 win.
\nGoing that fast again to get his second go-round win felt pretty good for the 27-year-old.
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t even think about the start because if you do, you\u2019re late,\u201d Guenthner said. \u201cI knew my steer was not as hard of a runner as the other ones, and I knew if I got a good start I would catch up and be good on the ground. It\u2019s a cool feeling to have a run like that. A lot of guys have been here many years and not won a round, so to win a round is a privilege.\u201d
\nGuenthner tipped his hat to his horsepower.
\n\u201cI was riding Tyson, Curtis Cassidy\u2019s horse,\u201d Guenthner said. \u201cI won the Canadian Finals Rodeo on him (in November). The first night here he (Tyson) wasn\u2019t on his game, I\u2019m not sure what was up, but he has been awesome since and he felt great tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore rides Paige to barrel racing victory
\nAmberleigh Moore had to give her horse Paige a layoff of more than four months over the summer run.
\nThat hurt Moore\u2019s position in the world standings. She still managed to qualify for the Wrangler NFR in 13th place.
\nNow, Paige is healthy, and Moore is winning.
\nThe two combined for a 13.59-second run to win Round 3 and continue her climb, rising to third in the world with $166,819.
\n\u201cThrough most of March, I was sitting No. 1 in the world, and then I chose to step off her (Paige) for about four-and-a-half months to let some things heal up,\u201d said Moore, of Salem, Ore. \u201cI got her back Aug. 1, and I was slowly slipping in the standings. So, I headed back out on the road, and I feel extremely blessed to be here in the No. 13. I was just happy to get back and let her show what she can do.\u201d
\nPaige has done plenty. The duo placed second in the first two rounds, before winning Round 3. No surprise, they are sitting first in the aggregate race.
\n\u201cI am just trying to stay out of the way and let Paige do her job and see what we can get done,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThere are still 21 barrels to turn here, and my motto has always been one run at a time. That\u2019s what we are going to keep doing \u2013 one run at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Begay\/Petska making most of roping together
\nTeam roping header Derrick Begay and team roping heeler Cory Petska teamed this season with the intent of taking a nice, easy approach to the 2018 PRCA season.
\nInstead, the two found themselves in the thick of it and are now roping at the biggest rodeo in the world.
\nBegay and Petska stopped the clock in 4.0 seconds to win Round 3.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s awesome,\u201d Petska said about the win. \u201cAnytime you can do good in one of the early rounds, it just kind of makes the rest of the week a little bit easier. Getting a win under our belt lets us breathe a little bit, not putting any real pressure on us and being like, \u2018Let\u2019s just go rope.\u2019\u201d
\nNot bad for a couple of guys who weren\u2019t planning on trying to make the Finals, let alone winning rounds there.
\n\u201cDerrick and I were both going to slow down,\u201d Petska said. \u201cOur goal this summer was to make enough rodeos to go to San Antonio this year. We were just going to go out for a month and go home. The month we went out we won $60,000, so we had to keep going.\u201d
\nAnd they have. Begay is in sixth in the world standings in team roping heading with $121,068. Petska ranks fifth in the team roping heeling standings with $127,525.
\nThe pair have really synched.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been roping together for a while, and I kind of know how his style is,\u201d Begay said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the fastest heelers out here, so he gives me a chance to take an extra swing and set the run up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimzey, Bingham split Round 3 win
\nSage Kimzey and Tyler Bingham rodeoed together this year, logging plenty of miles and time together while traveling to their next bull ride.
\nSo, it seemed appropriate when the pair tied for the Round 3 win on Saturday night.
\nKimzey notched 88 points on Rosser Rodeo\u2019s Custer, while Bingham had 88 on Salt River Rodeo\u2019s Rocky Road.
\n\u201cHeck, I always wish for everyone to ride their best, but I want to be a half-point better,\u201d said Bingham, of Honeyville, Utah. \u201cBut Sage and I traveled the second half of the year, so that makes it awesome to win with him.\u201d
\nKimzey, the four-time reigning world champion, pretty much echoed those sentiments.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know how many points I would be, and I figured it would be close, but with Tyler traveling with me that is only fitting,\u201d said Kimzey, of Strong City, Okla.
\nKimzey had dominated the bull riding scene this year. And Saturday night added to that, as he upped his season total to $351,237. He leads second-place Parker Breding by $155,761.
\nDespite that lead, Kimzey isn\u2019t letting up.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not like we are a calf roper and can take another swing,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no safety-ing up in our event. I\u2019ll just ride and react and try to stay on.\u201d
\nWhile Kimzey chases gold buckle No. 5, Bingham is in his first Finals trip. He\u2019s starting to get settled in.
\n\u201cI was just so stoked,\u201d Bingham said after his first Finals round win. \u201cI had some butterflies in me, and they were gone after two rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

60th annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
\nThird Performance Results, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018
\nThomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.<\/p>\n

Bareback riding: 1. Tim O’Connell, 88.5 points on Powder River Rodeo\u2019s Craig At Midnight, $26,231; 2. Orin Larsen, 87, $20,731; 3. Steven Dent, 85.5, $15,654; 4. Bill Tutor, 85, $11,000; 5. Richmond Champion, 83.5, $6,769; 6. Kaycee Feild, 81.5, $4,231; 7. Will Lowe, 81; 8. Tilden Hooper, 79.5; 9. Wyatt Denny, 79; 10. Shane O’Connell, 77; 11. Caleb Bennett, 74; 12. Clayton Biglow, Jake Brown, Mason Clements and Ty Breuer, NS. Average standings: 1. Kaycee Feild, 253 points on three head; 2. Steven Dent, 251; 3. Tilden Hooper, 250; 4. Tim O’Connell, 248; 5. Will Lowe, 246.5; 6. (tie) Richmond Champion and Shane O\u2019Connell, 244; 8. Bill Tutor, 239.5. World standings: 1. Tim O’Connell, $223,481; 2. Caleb Bennett, $187,928; 3. Clayton Biglow, $166,320; 4. Orin Larsen, $161,386; 5. Steven Dent, $155,805; 6. Kaycee Feild, $149,791; 7. Bill Tutor, $140,835; 8. Mason Clements, $139,151; 9. Richmond Champion, $136,588; 10. Tilden Hooper, $131,423; 11. Wyatt Denny, $113,728; 12. Jake Brown, $111,402; 13. Ty Breuer, $101,558; 14. Shane O’Connell, $94,393; 15. Will Lowe, $86,017.<\/p>\n

Steer wrestling: 1. Scott Guenthner, 3.3 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ty Erickson, 4.0, $20,731; 3. Curtis Cassidy, 4.1, $15,654; 4. Hunter Cure, 4.3, $11,000; 5. (tie) Will Lummus, Tanner Brunner and Nick Guy, 4.6, $3,667 each; 8. Blake Knowles, 4.8; 9. Riley Duvall, 4.9; 10. Tyler Waguespack, 6.1; 11. Jacob Talley, 13.4; 12. Bridger Chambers, 15.3; 13. Tyler Pearson, Blake Mindemann and Kyle Irwin, NT. Average standings: 1. Will Lummus, 12.9 seconds on three head; 2. Blake Knowles, 13.0; 3. Hunter Cure, 13.5; 4. Tyler Waguespack, 13.9; 5. Bridger Chambers, 23.6; 6. Riley Duvall, 30.1; 7. Nick Guy, 36.9; 8. Tanner Brunner, 38.2. World standings: 1. Scott Guenthner, $141,881; 2. Tyler Pearson, $133,856; 3. Curtis Cassidy, $131,663; 4. Will Lummus, $128,125; 5. Ty Erickson, $124,623; 6. Tyler Waguespack, $121,315; 7. Hunter Cure, $118,037; 8. Blake Knowles, $106,188; 9. Bridger Chambers, $104,505; 10. Kyle Irwin, $98,660; 11. Tanner Brunner, $98,193; 12. Blake Mindemann, $93,592; 13. Jacob Talley, $90,717; 14. Nick Guy, $88,373; 15. Riley Duvall, $87,643.<\/p>\n

Team roping: 1. Derrick Begay\/Cory Petska, 4.0 seconds, $26,231 each; 2. (tie) Riley Minor\/Brady Minor and Aaron Tsinigine\/Trey Yates, 4.1, $18,192 each; 4. Cody Snow\/Wesley Thorp, 4.2, $11,000; 5. (tie) Kaleb Driggers\/Junior Nogueira, Clay Smith\/Paul Eaves and Luke Brown\/Jake Long, 4.3, $3,667 each; 8. Clay Tryan\/ Travis Graves, 4.6; 9. Rhen Richard\/Quinn Kesler, 9.2; 10. Dustin Egusquiza\/ Kory Koontz, 9.4; 11. Chad Masters\/Joseph Harrison, 14.4; 12. Erich Rogers\/Clint Summers, 16.6; 13. (tie) Tyler Wade\/Cole Davison, Lane Ivy\/Buddy Hawkins II and Bubba Buckaloo\/Chase Tryan, NT. Average standings: 1. Kaleb Driggers\/ Junior Nogueira, 13.4 seconds on three head; 2. Aaron Tsinigine\/Trey Yates, 18.9; 3. Rhen Richard\/Quinn Kesler, 19.5; 4. Clay Tryan\/Travis Graves, 23.8; 5. Erich Rogers\/Clint Summers, 27.0; 6. Derrick Begay\/Cory Petska, 28.3; 7. (tie) Clay Smith\/Paul Eaves, Cody Snow\/Wesley Thorp, 8.3. World standings (headers): 1. Kaleb Driggers, $159,080; 2. Clay Smith, $155,242; 3. Cody Snow, $133,594; 4. Bubba Buckaloo, $127,990; 5. Clay Tryan, $122,785; 6. Derrick Begay, $121,068; 7. Aaron Tsinigine, $119,006; 8. Dustin Egusquiza, $116,396; 9. Luke Brown, $112,564; 10. Riley Minor, $109,746; 11. Chad Masters, $95,342; 12. Rhen Richard, $92,790; 13. Erich Rogers, $85,123; 14. Tyler Wade, $83,145; 15. Lane Ivy, $77,458. World standings (heelers): 1. Junior Nogueira, $160,062; 2. Paul Eaves, $155,242; 3. Trey Yates, $133,400; 4. Wesley Thorp, $129,904; 5. Cory Petska, $127,525; 6. Travis Graves, $118,928; 7. Kory Koontz, $116,396; 8. Joseph Harrison, $114,515; 9. Jake Long, $112,564; 10. Brady Minor, $108,553; 11. Chase Tryan, $107,406; 12. Clint Summers, $96,236; 13. Quinn Kesler, $88,906; 14. Cole Davison, $76,252; 15. Buddy Hawkins II, $74,451.<\/p>\n

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Isaac Diaz, 90 points on Sutton Rodeo\u2019s South Point, $26,231; 2. Jake Wright, 89.5, $20,731; 3. Chase Brooks, 87, $15,654; 4. CoBurn Bradshaw, 86.5, $11,000; 5. (tie) Wade Sundell and Zeke Thurston, 86, $5,500 each: 7. Cort Scheer, 85.5; 8. Clay Elliott, 84.5; 9. (tie) Rusty Wright and Sterling Crawley, 83; 11. Taos Muncy, 80.5; 12. Jacobs Crawley, Ryder Wright, Brody Cress and Joey Sonnier III, NS. Average standings: 1. Cort Scheer, 264 points on three head; 2. Wade Sundell, 255; 3. Jake Wright, 254; 4. (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw and Zeke Thurston, 253; 6. Clay Elliott, 249.5; 7. Isaac Diaz, 168.5 points on two head; 8. Rusty Wright, 167.5. World standings: 1. Ryder Wright, $195,809; 2. Jacobs Crawley, $183,601; 3. Cort Scheer, $164,304; 4. Isaac Diaz. $160,970; 5. Rusty Wright, $151,800; 6. Zeke Thurston. $144,637; 7. Wade Sundell, $142,502; 8. Jake Wright, $128,287; 9. Brody Cress, $121,588; 10. CoBurn Bradshaw, $121,325; 11. Clay Elliott, $119,676; 12. Sterling Crawley, $108,748; 13. Chase Brooks, $101,795; 14. Joey Sonnier III, $89,114; 15. Taos Muncy, $88,790.<\/p>\n

Tie-Down roping: 1. Marty Yates, 7.0 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Jake Pratt, Sterling Smith and Rhen Richard, 7.3, $15,795 each; 5. Ryle Smith, 7.5, $6,769; 6. Caleb Smidt, 7.9, $4,231; 7. Matt Shiozawa, 8.1; 8. Shane Hanchey, 8.7; 9. Tyson Durfey, 9.3; 10. Trevor Brazile, 11.3; 11. Cooper Martin, 11.9; 12. Tuf Cooper, 14.5; 13. Cory Solomon, 17.3; 14. Reese Riemer, 17.8; 15. Ryan Jarrett, NT. Average standings: 1. Marty Yates, 22.6 seconds on three head; 2. Caleb Smidt, 23.3; 3. Ryle Smith, 24.2; 4. Rhen Richard, 25.3; 5. Tyson Durfey, 27.4; 6. Cooper Martin, 29.8; 7. Reese Riemer, 33.8; 8. Shane Hanchey, 34.7. World standings: 1. Marty Yates, $162,271; 2. Tuf Cooper, $158,095; 3. Shane Hanchey, $153,347; 4. Caleb Smidt, $151,163; 5. Tyson Durfey, $136,518; 6. Jake Pratt, $126,858; 7. Ryle Smith; $123,864; 8. Reese Riemer, $120,390; 9. Rhen Richard, $111,283; 10. Cory Solomon, $110,002; 11. Sterling Smith, $104,878; 12. Trevor Brazile, $102,772; 13. Cooper Martin, $101,938; 14. Matt Shiozawa, $96,269; 15. Ryan Jarrett, $87,552.<\/p>\n

Barrel racing: 1. Amberleigh Moore, 13.59 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13.62, $20,731; 3. (tie) Stevi Hillman and Hailey Kinsel, 13.67, $13,327 each; 5. Kylie Weast, 13.70, $6,769; 6. Ivy Conrado, 13.74, $4,231; 7. Tammy Fischer, 13.86; 8. Carman Pozzobon, 13.87; 9. Jessie Telford, 13.88; 10. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 13.92; 11. Nellie Miller, 14.05; 12. Kelly Bruner, 14.31; 13. Lisa Lockhart, 18.66; 14. Taci Bettis, 18.83; 15. Tracy Nowlin, 23.84. Average standings: 1. Amberleigh Moore, 40.91 seconds on three head; 2. Hailey Kinsel, 41.15; 3. Kylie Weast, 41.26; 4. Ivy Conrado, 41.40; 5. Jessica Routier, 41.55; 6. Jessie Telford, 41.57; 7. Nellie Miller, 41.90; 8. Carman Pozzobon, 41.92 World standings: 1. Hailey Kinsel, $242,392; 2. Nellie Miller, $167,826; 3. Amberleigh Moore, $166,819; 4. Lisa Lockhart, $159,746; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $147,267; 6. Kylie Weast, $138,369; 7. Jessica Routier, $133,666; 8. Stevi Hillman, $133,559; 9. Ivy Conrado, $128,270; 10. Tracy Nowlin, $116,150; 110 Taci Bettis, $113,692; 12. Jessie Telford, $107,227; 13. Tammy Fischer, $101,277; 14. Kelly Bruner, $100,515; 15. Carman Pozzobon, $96,947.<\/p>\n

Bull riding: 1. (tie) Sage Kimzey, 88 points on Rosser Rodeo\u2019s Custer, Tyler Bingham, 88 points on Salt River Rodeo\u2019s Rocky Road, $23,481 each; 3. Dustin Bouquet, 84.5, $15,654; 4. Jeff Askey, 83.5, $11,000; 5. Joe Frost, 83, $6,769; 6. Trey Benton III, 81.5, $4,231; 7. Parker Breding, 80.5; 8. Roscoe Jarboe, 76.5; 9. Trevor Kastner, 76; 10. Chase Dougherty, Boudreaux Campbell, Garrett Tribble, Cole Melancon, Eli Vastbinder, Koby Radley, NS. Average standings: 1. Joe Frost, 260 points on three head; 2. Sage Kimzey, 176 on two head; 3. Trey Benton III, 170; 4. Chase Dougherty, 168.5; 5. Parker Breding, 163; 6. Roscoe Jarboe, 162.5; 7. Tyler Bingham, 88 on one head; 8. Garrett Tribble, 85.5. World standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, $351,237; 2. Parker Breding, $195,476; 3. Joe Frost, $162,150; 4. Chase Dougherty, $151,644; 5. Trey Benton III, $141,393; 6. Dustin Bouquet, $140,241; 7. Tyler Bingham, $135,064; 8. Roscoe Jarboe, $130,737; 9. Koby Radley, $130,245; 10. Jeff Askey, $128,387; 11. Garrett Tribble, $118,995; 12. Boudreaux Campbell, $116,431; 13. Cole Melancon, $109,973; 14. Eli Vastbinder, $105,114; 15. Trevor Kastner, $104,396.
\nAll-around world standings: 1. Tuf Cooper, $263,184; 2. Trevor Brazile, $244,154; 3. Rhen Richard, $192,647; 4. Steven Dent, $155,391; 5. Ryle Smith, $140,370; 6. Curtis Cassidy, $118,891; 7. Paul Tierney, $82,868; 8. Jordan Ketscher, $71,659; 9. Marcus Theriot, $64,759; 10. Dakota Eldridge, $60,005.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photograph by Tom Donoghue LAS VEGAS – The first two rounds of the Wrangler NFR were unkind to two-time defending bareback riding champion Tim O’Connell.  He failed to place in either round, meaning no extra money. Yet he still held first place in the world standings. That lead grew quite a bit after O’Connell won Round 3 with an 88.5-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Craig at Midnight in front of 17,031 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1,2044],"tags":[1850,2025,751],"class_list":["post-5816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-magazine","tag-tim-oconnell","tag-wnfr-2018","tag-wrangler-nfr"],"yoast_head":"\nTim O'Connell rides Craig at Midnight to shake off slow start - Horse Happenings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/equestrianinfluence.com\/horsehappenings\/tim-oconnell-rides-craig-at-midnight-to-shake-off-slow-start\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tim O'Connell rides Craig at Midnight to shake off slow start - Horse Happenings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photograph by Tom Donoghue LAS VEGAS – The first two rounds of the Wrangler NFR were unkind to two-time defending bareback riding champion Tim O’Connell.  He failed to place in either round, meaning no extra money. Yet he still held first place in the world standings. 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