Dent doubles up with scores in bareback, saddle bronc
Double duty might turn out to be a profitable venture for Mullen, Neb., cowboy Steven Dent.
Dent earned a 76-point ride on Avalanche in the bareback and followed with a 70-point performance on Alley Lights in the saddle bronc Friday night at the Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.
Both marks were third best in both rodeo disciplines during the second performance of the rodeo.
“He’s a solid horse,” Dent said of Avalanche.
“He started really good and got a little stronger. He was a good horse.”
Only three of five bareback riders managed to post scores on the talented stable of Kesler Rodeo Company stock. Jason Havens of Prineville, Ore., led the way with a 83 on Alley Ways, followed by an 81 for Ray Gray of Cheney, Wash., on Country Trail.
Dent was again one of three riders in the saddle bronc to make the whistle. Colter Heckman of Choteau turned in a 76 on Four Seasons and Shane Moran of Ulm was next with a 75 on Trail Sail.
“I looked him (Alley Lights) up on the Internet and they said they did not have a score on him,” Dent said.
“I can see why. He held his head in a lot of different positions and he had all sorts of change-ups. He’s hard to get a good score on.”
Dent said this was his first appearance at this rodeo since 2006, when he placed “second or third in the bareback. I had a really good horse that year.”
The 26-year-old missed the fair rodeo in 2009 because of a knee injury and last year a shoulder injury sidelined him.
Dent came into the rodeo ranked No. 2 in the bareback with earnings of $98,867.
Kesler Rodeo Company’s bulls prevailed for the second straight night as four cowboys failed to post a score.
Tie-down roping on Friday produced the best time thus far as the man called the $3 million cowboy from Hockley, Texas — Fred Whitfield — posted a 9.1-second run. Joe Keating of Sour Lake, Texas, was almost as fast with his 9.8 go.
Whitfield, a seven-time PRCA World Champion calf roper (1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2005) and all-around world champ (1999), is currently ninth in the world standings.
Cody Ohl of Hico, Texas, the No. 8 ranked tie-down roper, was not as lucky. He failed to post a time.
John Robertson of Polson and Levi Simpson of Claresholm, Alberta, also hold the lead heading into the final performance Saturday in team roping. The duo produced a fast time of 6.2 seconds on Friday to head the list in that event.
Northwest Montana
Fair PRCA Rodeo
Friday’s Results
Bareback — Jason Havens, Prineville, Ore., 83 on Alley Ways; Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 81; Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 76.
Steer wrestling — Roddy Cameron, Townsend, 5.8; Hank Hollenbeck, Molt, 14.0; Bode Scott, Pryor, 17.9; Jordan Holland, Belgrade, 20.3; Ryan Elliott, Bozeman, 20.3
Team roping — Levi Simpson, Claresholm, Alberta/John Robertson, Polson, 6.2; Brant Davis, Sand Coulee/Sam Levine, Wolf Creek, 6.6; Ty Larson, Hysham/Tim Garrison, Divide, 7.5; Cy Murer, Bigfork/Shawn Little, Essex, 16.8.
Saddle bronc — Colter Heckman, Choteau, 76 on Four Seasons; Shane Moran, Ulm, 75; Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 70.
Tie-down roping — Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas, 9.1; Joe Keating, Sour Lake, Texas, 9.8; Nate Baldwin, Blackfoot, Idaho, 10.6; Sam Levine, Wolf Creek, 10.6; Brant Davis, Sand Coulee, 14.3.
Barrel racing — Shelley Murphy, Helena, 17.77; Torie Briese, Helena, 17.79; Nikki Ostrum, Huntley, 18.16; Tracy Matz, Missoula, 18.90; Mary Roberts, Missoula, 19.35.
Bull riding — no scores
NOTE: Due to an 8 p.m. press deadline Friday, this story did not appear in Saturday’s Daily Inter Lake.