The Wrangler Horse and Rodeo News

4 The Wrangler, Horse and Rodeo News • July 20 - August 4, 2017 RENO, Nev. (June 19, 2017) – In team roping in the 21st century, only Hall-of-Famers Jake Barnes and Tee Woolman have claimed as many NFR average titles as Luke Brown, so it seemed only a matter of time before the King of Consistency came tight on a win at the sport's most prestigious six-round Open contest – the Bob Feist Invitational. Brown had been close before, having placed second here in the past, but finally got the win with Jake Long during the event's 40th anniversary on June 19 in Reno, Nev. Brown's half of their $120,000 paycheck made him the third all-time money leader in BFI history behind gold-buckle greats Clay Tryan and Rich Skelton. He's come a long way since heeling at his first BFI for Jason Tucker in 1998. "is is my favorite roping of all-time; it always has been," said Brown, of Morgan Mill, Texas. "As a little kid growing up out there in South Carolina, I was hooked on the 1987 BFI [video] tape." Brown, 42, and Long, 33, were sponsored at the BFI by All Nations Oilfield Services and Ystaas Electric Service, and both represent Wrangler and Purina. Brown has long been a Classic Rope endorsee, and Long is a Cactus team member. e first round saw them draw arguably the fastest steer in Reno. But with a seemingly triple-digit speed index, Brown's sorrel gelding Cowboy let the pair come tight in an impressive 7.8. By the time they notched their no-nonsense 7.5 in Round ree, Brown and Long's penchant for daily practice sessions and entering local six-head jackpots over the past two years became obvious (they live just 5 miles apart in Texas). Aer four picture-perfect runs of seven seconds and change, Brown and Long were in the driver's seat, with Long's best friend Coleman Proctor and Billie Jack Saebens right on their heels. Only 25 teams would get four steers down, as the leaders waited an agonizing two hours to be almost the last team to nod for their fih steer. It would be their fastest run all day – a 6.87 – to nail down high call. In the short round, Oregon cowboys Colton Campbell and Jason Duby did what they could with a 7.4-second effort, but were already spotting the next two teams a couple of seconds. At the second call-back, Proctor ran to the hip and applied a beautiful handle while Saebens dallied on the steer's first hop for an 8.0 to take the lead. Brown and Long just had to be 9 seconds flat to win the BFI. e got the flag in 7.6, giving them a six-head time of 44.7 to easilywin the average. Making it easier were both their horses. Long's 13-year-old gelding, Zans "Colonel" Shine, is the reigning PRCA/AQHA Heel Horse of the Year because he's perfect in any situation from the NFR to the BFI. "is horse will let me go throw fast all day and then track until the fih hop if I want," said Long. "He's so cool here because the heel box feels really short, like you're sitting right next to the steer. But that horse will not wiggle until I'm ready to leave, so I can score with Luke. It's crucial to be able to let the steer run straight here." A head horse always makes or breaks BFI hopes, and Luke's horse Texas Tallman ("Cowboy") was given most of the credit by both partners. "I will never own another horse that fast," said Brown of the former barrel horse that he found through Chad Masters. "I'm lucky to ride him here. Cowboy's ability to mow down even the hardest runners meant Long never had to throw fast. In fact, knowing they only had to catch their last steer in 9 seconds might have been more difficult than if they'd just needed a six-second run. Brown and Long win first BFI, $120K Above: Ashley Moreau of Huntsville, Texas, roped three calves in 8.86 seconds to win the breakaway and $4,540, while fellow Texans (below) Jackie Crawford and Annette Stahl roped four steers in 33.69 seconds to win the team roping and $20,500 per woman. Crawford then claimed an additional $2,500 bonus as the first-ever Charlie 1 Horse All-Around champion.

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