BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
Richmond Champion will have the honor of saying he was the first cowboy to ever win a Go-Round at the Wrangler NFR in Globe Life Field.
Champion kicked off the evening with an 87.5-point ride on Blessed Assurance to earn 26,231 points (for the first time, points and dollars are disconnected at the Wrangler NFR).
“There are so many blessings just to come and have an NFR and be able to ride for this kind of money in a rough year for everybody,” he said. “Then, to start out on top feels really good. This was exciting and the kind of stuff you dream about when you think about the NFR and I am here living it.”
CHAMPION RIDES BLESSED ASSURANCES
It’s the second consecutive year Champion has emerged victorious in Round 1. In 2019, he did so on Night Crawler, notching a 91.5-point ride.
“To know you have nine more opportunities and already have a buckle under your belt, it’s a great feeling,” he said. “This rodeo is all about momentum.”
Mason Clements and Jess Pope, who is making his first NFR appearance, were both 87 to split second.
NFR BAREBACK RIDING RESULTS
First Round: 1. Richmond Champion, 87.5 points on J Bar J’s Blessed Assurance, $26,231; 2. (tie) Mason Clements and Jess Pope, 87, $18,192 each; 4. (tie) Cole Reiner and Clayton Biglow, 85, $8,885 each; 6. Chad Rutherford, 84.5, $4,231.
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