Diné at INFR win events on opening day

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Oct 25, 2018 | Rodeo |

LAS VEGAS, Nev.

Leaving no stone unturned, Danielle Lowman got the start she wanted at the 43rd Annual Indian National Finals Rodeo on Tuesday.

The Gilbert, Arizona, cowgirl put on a clinic as she opened the five-day rodeo with the fastest run of 2.50 seconds in the breakaway roping at the South Point Equestrian Center.
“This is my fourth year and I haven’t had that much luck but it’s finally getting somewhere,” Lowman said.

Lowman said she saw a lot of great runs in the opening round but she kept her focus on her draw.

“There were a lot of girls that roped tough but I just pictured myself having a good start,” she said. “I had to push myself to the limit because the ropers tonight were on point.
“I thought my horse scored amazing,” she continued. “I ended up taking a couple of swings and roping it right outside.”

Besides Lowman, there were four other Navajos that won their respective event on Tuesday.

Defending tie-down champion Donovan Yazzie gave the fans a lot to cheer about when he turned in a blistering run of 9.02 seconds.

Team roper Myles John put together a quick run of 4.97 seconds with heading partner Ed Hawley.

In the rough stock events, saddle-bronc rider Creighton Curley and bull rider Troy Tuni topped their respective fields.

Tuni outmaneuvered Strap Hanger for 87 points, a score he didn’t see coming.

“With how big he was I wasn’t expecting that from him,” Tuni said of the Whitford Rodeo bull. “But I’m glad they gave me a high score on him.”

With his score, Tuni has a 10-point edge in the average race as second place finishers Wyatt Betony and Preston Louis both turned in identical 77-point rides.

Like Tuni, Curley said he was surprised with what the judges awarded him on his 87-point attempt aboard Fashion Plate, a X Lazy K Bar Rodeo Company horse.

“Honestly I didn’t think he was going to score that high,” he said.

Nonetheless, Curley said one of his buddies scored an 83-point ride on Fashion Plate a couple of years ago.

“He won a round on him so I felt like I could score him good,” he said.

As the INFR Tour champion, Curley said his ride on Tuesday night is just a continuation of what he did over the summer.

“I just worked on my craft, every single day,” Curley said of his success. “I’ve gotten mentally and physically stronger because of it.”

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