NFR returns for more ridin’, ropin’

The world's best rodeo livestock began arriving in town over Thanksgiving weekend and are resting today in their stalls outside the Thomas & Mack Center.

Meanwhile, the 119 two-legged athletes who will try to ride, pin or rope them in this week's National Finals Rodeo are settled into more comfortable confines in hotels downtown and along the Strip.

For the 27th year, the world's biggest rodeo takes over Las Vegas, with the first of 10 go-rounds at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, returning the city ever so briefly to its Western roots.

December had been humdrum for local hotels and casinos until 1985, when the NFR moved here from Oklahoma City.

Fans will visit by the thousands, and they'll kick off the 53rd annual NFR at 6 tonight with the Downtown Hoedown at the Fremont Street Experience.

Adding this week to city excitement -- and fighting for community attention with the NFR -- is the annual NASCAR Champion's Week and Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon, which has forced an early 12:45 p.m. rodeo start time that day.

This year's Finals will offer $6 million to contestants, with each cowboy and cowgirl guaranteed to make a minimum of about $14,000.

No rodeo athlete has profited more in the past several years than Trevor Brazile, the eight-time and reigning Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all-around champion.

Brazile, of Decatur, Texas, set a PRCA record last year when he made $507,921, including a record $211,509 in two events at the NFR.

Brazile, 35, is the only contestant this year who has qualified for two events -- tie-down roping and team roping.

Brazile has won $259,043 this year -- including the steer roping world championship last month -- and has a commanding $140,019 lead over bull rider Shane Proctor, 36, a Professional Bull Riders tour veteran.

Several other PRCA milestones could be reached during the Finals:

■ Brazile is close to the record of 51 go-round wins held by saddle bronc riding legend Billy Etbauer. Brazile has won 48.

■ Bull rider J.W. Harris, of Mullin, Texas, can win his fourth straight world championship, tying him with Don Gay (1974 to 1977).

■ Bareback rider Bobby Mote, of Culver, Ore., is going for his fifth world title, which would tie the record shared by Joe Alexander and Bruce Ford.

■ Jake Barnes, of Scottsdale, Ariz., could tie the team roping record for headers with his eighth world championship, a mark held by Speed Williams with heeler Rich Skelton. Barnes, 56, and heeler, Walt Woodard, 52, also would be the oldest team to win a team roping world championship.

■ Although it wouldn't be a record, two events could see second-generation world champs crowned.

Tuf Cooper, 21, is ranked first in tie-down roping and has a lead of more than $30,000 over the field of 15 as he pursues his first world title. He is the son of eight-time champion Roy Cooper, whose other sons, Clint (fifth) and Clif (15th), also have qualified in tie-down.

Kaycee Feild, 24, ranks first in bareback riding, in which his father, Lewis Feild, owns five world titles. Royce Ford, ranked 15th in bareback, is the son of five-time world champion Bruce Ford.

Jeff Wolf is a freelance reporter. He can be reached at nitrorodeo@gmail.com or 702-406-8165.