Jess Pope Takes Advantage of Good Draw to Win Round 7

LAS VEGAS

Courtesy of the PRCA

Jess Pope benefited from a familiar draw ahead of Round 7 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

The 2022 PRCA World Champion bareback rider squared off with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Foxhole Gunner. He had an 88-point ride to tie for third at the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo in Oakley City, Utah.

Pope matched the score with an 88-point ride on Foxhole Gunner on Wednesday night to earn his first round win of the 2025 NFR.

"Oh, excited. It's been a pretty slow week, and I knew I had a good shot today, so I was damn tickled for it," Pope said. "You know, all 15 of us – there's a reason we're here. You know, it's a semi-eliminator pen. I kind of like getting on the buckers, and it just gets your motor going a little bit more. It's a little bit harder, and there's a lot more on the line."

Pope's top finish awarded him $36,668. He's earned $99,896 at the NFR so far, sits second in the average at 596.25 points on seven head and ranks third in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings.

Pope trails the world leader, Rocker Steiner, by $117,660.84. But there's a lot of money left on the table in the final three rounds and anything can happen under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack Center.

"This helps a lot. I mean, after six rounds, I started to get down on myself a little bit," Pope said. "I felt like I was strong but couldn't figure out if the judges were liking what I was doing or if I needed to try to change something. And tonight definitely made it a little bit better."


ROWDY PARROTT SECURES FIRST ROUND WIN OF 2025 NFR

Rowdy Parrott watched patiently as 14 other steer wrestlers ahead of him set the bar in Round 7 of the NFR.

The best mark was set just two bulldoggers ahead of him when Tucker Allen clocked a 4.2-second run. Parrott saw it as a challenge and answered with a 4.0-second run to secure his first round win of the 2025 NFR.

"It's finally good to get some momentum going. Just been drawing strong ones and making good runs," Parrott said. "I finally had a good chance tonight. And I just capitalized on it.

"I think I just drew a better steer. Finally, I had a steer and catch up to get in a good spot and just did my job and it worked out in my favor."

The win comes at a pivotal time for Parrott, who has been able to stay in the mix in the chase for the steer wrestling world title.

He currently sits at No. 5 in the world with $208,485 in total earnings for the season.

"You know, I didn't start out as strong as I wanted. So now to be able to come in and finish strong, I was just looking forward to it."


TEAM ROPERS DAWSON GRAHAM/DILLON GRAHAM MATCH ROUND 7 RECORD

For the second time since arriving in Las Vegas for the 2025 NFR, the Canadian Graham brothers found themselves making a trip to the South Point.

The win by heeler Dawson and header Dillon came in with a 3.5-second run, matching the Round 7 record set by Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin in 2024.

"Pretty cool," Dawson Graham said. "We're just happy to get on the board again."

The win came after three straight rounds of missing the pay window. The brothers took home the Round 3 win in a three-way tie before falling into the slump.

But collecting $36,668 each has put the Grahams back into the top five of the world standings with three rounds to go.

"There's $36,000 out there every night for a win so continuing to put our best foot forward," Dillon Graham said. "Even if a couple bad runs happen, things can change real fast here."


STATLER WRIGHT WINS SECOND STRAIGHT GO-ROUND

For the second straight night, Statler Wright found himself taking a victory lap around Thomas & Mack Center with a round win in saddle bronc.

The youngest of the Wright crew, Statler rode Flying U Rodeo's Talk Derby 2 Me for 89.75 points to take the round win and collect his second straight $36,668 check and third overall in the 2025 NFR.

"Throughout the year, I'm usually big into studying videos on a horse," Wright said. "But here that doesn't seem to be the case. The less I watch, the better I do and I'm not sure why. I try to ride them for each jump that they are going to have and not set a trap for them."

The win inched Statler closer to older brother Stetson, who is currently No. 6 in the world after collecting a check Wednesday night following a no score in Round 6.

But it also moved Statler into No. 2 overall in the average with 601.5 points on seven head. He's just behind average leader Zeke Thurston, who has 606 points on seven head.

Statler has collected $129,467 in earnings since arriving in Las Vegas.

"Just keep doing what I'm doing," Wright said. "It's been working out. I'm taking it one horse at a time."


JOEL HARRIS GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN ROUND 7

Joel Harris entered the Round 7 tie-down roping with a full head of steam at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

After a Round 6 win, Harris kept up his momentum with a 7.5-second run to earn a second-straight go-round win and trip to the South Point Hotel Casino.

"I should've just stayed over there, if they're going to bring me back again," Harris said. "What a group of guys to go and be on top of for two nights in a row. It's been an amazing calf roping this year, and I'm obviously going to look back fondly on getting two go rounds out of here. I'm feeling amazing."

Harris' NFR earnings moved up to $147,209 after Round 7. He currently sits seventh in the average at 46.0 seconds on six head and third in the world with $388,064.

On his way to the media room, ProRodeo Hall of Famer Joe Beaver stopped Harris in the hallway to congratulate him on the round win and tell him it was an impressive run.

"He's been one of my biggest fans for a long time," Harris said of Beaver. "It sounds crazy saying it, but he's always been such a help to me. What a guy."


T.J. GRAY CASHES IN WITH ROUND 7 WIN

T.J. Gray cashed out in Round 7 of the bull riding.

The 24-year-old Dairy, Ore., cowboy had one of two qualified rides in the round, joining Resistol Rookie of the Year contender Bryce Jensen.

Jensen finished with a 76-point ride on Cowtown Rodeo's Orbit. Gray matched McCoy Rodeo's Blue Duck for 90.5 points. The win helped Gray earn the $36,668 paycheck. Only two qualified rides added ground money for a total of $62,986.

"I expected to have a few more by now. They don't come as easy as they make you think they do," Gray said. "So when you work for it, you appreciate it a lot more. I'm feeling very blessed to be here, drew a great bull, and happy to stay on him tonight."

Gray, who has now made four trips to the pay window, moved up to No. 5 in the world with the Round 7 win. Jensen, who has taken control of the rookie race, is No. 6.

"Just gotta have fun. If you try and make it work out, it never works out," Gray said. "You just have to have fun and wing it. That was the strategy, wing it."


HAYLE GIBSON-STILLWELL TAKES FIRST ROUND WIN OF 2025 NFR

Hayle Gibson-Stillwell flirted with a first-place finish in Round 2.

The following rounds were quiet for the 34-year-old cowgirl. But finally, in Round 7, she found the winner's circle with a 13.46-second run.

"Oh, gosh, I'm full of excitement. I can't even contain it," Gibson-Stillwell said. "I had the confidence in my horse, you know, I finally rode and just let her work. We had fun tonight, and we danced."

The seventh round of barrel racing proved to be difficult for most of the field.

Multiple barrels were hit, including two in the same runs. Katelyn Scott and her horse took an unfortunate tumble around the first barrel. Both her horse and Scott were OK.
The win moved Gibson-Stillwell to seventh in the rankings with three rounds to go.