Wright, 21, worthy of break that brought him to NFR

It might have been the man in Rod Hay or it might have been the cowboy. Probably both.

But he has qualified 20 times for the National Finals Rodeo and knows well the quality of horse a saddle bronc rider is presented when he competes at the Thomas & Mack Center each December.

Translation: That's not Mr. Ed coming out of those gates.

"I just wasn't going to have the mobility and it was going to cause too much pain," Hay said. "I've rode hurt a lot before, but you know what you can get away with and what you can't. I wasn't going to be able to be competitive.

"But I'm happy for Jesse. He really worked at it. He went to more rodeos this year than he could count. He rodeoed hard. Everyone is going to be a little nervous their first time at NFR, but he can handle it just fine."

Jesse Wright is 21 but looks 12. He is a cowboy from Milford, Utah, and the first in five years to replace an NFR qualifier due to injury. It took a pretty crazy ride for him to reach this point. He's not complaining.

Wright finished $428 out of the final qualifying spot for the NFR in his event, which would be like thousandths of a second keeping you off an Olympic track team.

No other discipline in rodeo this year had a closer distance between places 15 and 16, a crushing truth for Wright to accept.

But back in June, Hay wrecked his right leg during a rodeo in Canada. He still placed ninth over the season, but the injury hasn't fully healed and definitely not to the point where he would be near his best here.

The outcome: Wright received one of the best telephone calls of his life.

"I thought they were lying or playing a trick on me," he said. "I was happier than heck. I never wished anything bad on Rod. He's a great guy. I'm sure he had to think long and hard about (not competing). I just wanted to be here. I'm kind of speechless about it. Good times."

He is the younger brother of 2008 world champion saddle bronc rider Cody Wright, and while you might agree cowboys still own an innate sense to always do the right thing, don't believe sibling support ever replaces a competitive spirit.

Cody might give Jesse advice about a certain horse or what rein would be best for a specific ride, but the goal here for all cowboys is to cash out each of 10 nights.

This is their Super Bowl, and once things began for real Thursday, any money won is earned.

"I remember my first (NFR), and I was on cloud nine the entire time," Cody said. "It seemed like it just came and went. I just told (Jesse) to do what he has done all year. Don't change anything.

"I'm going to ride the best I can and am sure he will also. I'll do anything I can for him, but I still hope to draw the best horse most nights. … If I can't win, I hope it's him.

"Might as well keep it in the family."

The NFR is quite a spectacle, from the arena to the crowds of more than 17,000 each night to the checks for the top six finishers of each go-round to the overall pot of $5.875 million.

It's enough to make a young rider, even one chosen the 2009 Resistol Rookie of the Year, check his heart rate before climbing into a bucking chute.

Jesse Wright is going to be plenty nervous the next week or so, much as he was in Thursday night's opening round. It didn't end as he might have hoped -- he sprained an ankle after tumbling to the dirt.

But a shattered leg is one thing and an ankle that medics can freeze and tape is another.

Things went much better Friday, when Jesse tied for second place and pocketed $12,145. The winner: Cody Wright, who earned $17, 512.

"You're only as good as the horse you come out on," Jesse said. "But, yeah, if you ain't riding for first, what are you riding for?"

Rod Hay couldn't do that this year so he stepped aside for another. The man in him. The cowboy.

Jesse Wright isn't complaining.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM.