The Mad Scramble
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero Bullrider Wyatt Betony hangs on Tuesday night at the 40th annual Indian National Finals Rodeo at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Betony made his ride and posted the highest score of 80 points in the first round.
Diné contestants open with strong performances at INFR
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Tie-down roper Kee Etsitty leaps off his horse when he catches the calf Tuesday at the 40th annual Indian National Finals Rodeo at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Etsitty tied his calf in a time of 12.85
LAS VEGAS, Nev.
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Breakaway roper Serena Dahozy ropes her calf Tuesday at the 40th annual Indian National Finals Rodeo at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.
The mad scramble to close out the year as a world champion has reached a crescendo for the qualifiers of the Indian National Finals Rodeo.
On Tuesday, the INFR concluded its first round action at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The weeklong rodeo will crown 16 world champions on Saturday night.
Six local contestants put themselves in contention of being one of those champions with the performance they turned in on Tuesday.
Tuba City bull rider Wyatt Betony took a victory lap after riding “Tosh” for an 80-point ride in the bull riding competition, finishing three points ahead of Canadian cowboy Blake Jackson. Gallup bull rider Ty Toadlena came in a distant sixth with a 70-point ride.
“I really didn’t know about my bull until they loaded him,” Betony said of the Wilson Rodeo Company product. “My buddy Justin Granger got on him last year, and he told me that he was going to his right.”
The first-year qualifier capitalized on that scouting report, as he was one of six riders that made the necessary eight-second ride after Tuesday’s opening round.
“It helps to get that first bull down,” Betony said while noting that to stay in contention, he needs to dig deep and get three more bulls ridden.
“I’m going to try and stay calm and stay focus,” he said of his plans for the rest of the week.
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Bullrider Wyatt Betony hangs on Tuesday night at the 40th annual Indian National Finals Rodeo at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Betony made his ride and posted the highest score of 80 points in the first round.
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