GOOD HORSES MAKE RICH COWBOYS: ~Dirty Jacket was just the kick in the pants Davis needed to get on the right side of the bubble~ LOVINGTON, N.M. – Jessy Davis wasn’t cold at the Lea County Fair & PRCA Rodeo, but he certainly was hoping for a jacket. His wish was granted when he drew Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket at the Silver rodeo on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, presented by Justin Boots. The pair teamed up for 87 points and a much-needed win for the Power, Mont., bareback rider. “The last couple weeks I’ve been needing a push to get me over the top,” said Davis, who sat 17th in the world standings entering the weekend of Aug. 9-11. “I’m still going to need more, but that win certainly helps out and it eases the pressure, too. It’s crunch time right now and every little bit helps.” Davis had never had the fortune of drawing Dirty Jacket, who has emerged as one of the top bareback horses in rodeo. He was elated to hear that he’d be getting his first crack at the horse at such a big event. “When we get the e-mails or callbacks for our draws, we’re always anxious to see which horse we get,” he said. “It’s especially important at the bigger rodeos, and when I heard I had finally drawn Dirty Jacket, I was like a kid on Christmas morning.” The horse has been as close to automatic as it gets in the 2013 season. Pete Carr has run Dirty Jacket out nine times, and eight of those times the horse carried its lucky rider to at least a share of first place. “The athletic ability that horse has makes for good pictures and big scores,” said Davis, who held on for a wild eight-second ride, which included many big jumps, to earn $5,558. “When a horse can jump and leap that high for eight seconds it makes it fun, and easier to win.” The win – paired with a victory and additional $1,762 in Missoula, Mont. – moved Davis to 13th in the Aug. 12 world standings. As he tries to earn his fifth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bid, Davis says Dirty Jacket was just the kick in the pants he needed to get on the right side of the bubble. “The hard part of the whole deal was drawing him, and I knew all I had to do was ride him and not screw up and I’d do well,” he said. “I had never got to ride him, but I had seen him over a dozen times and just like everyone else, I wanted to draw him. It was the perfect time for my first ride on him.” The other winners at the $246,783 rodeo were all-around cowboy Trevor Brazile ($2,813 in team roping, tie-down roping and steer roping), steer wrestler K.C. Jones (7.4 seconds on two head), team ropers Chace Thompson and Jaytin McCright (10.3 seconds on two head), saddle bronc riders Jake Wright and Cody Wright (87 points each), tie-down roper Jesse Clark (15.3 seconds on two head), steer roper J.P. Wickett (32.4 seconds on three head), bull rider Corey Navarre (86 points) and barrel racer Kaley Bass (17.31 seconds). Jones’ victory in Lovington and a tie for third in the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo lifted his career earnings to $1,002,477, making him the 110th PRCA cowboy to reach the million-dollar plateau. -Courtesy of the PRCA
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 05:21:38 +0000