76th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo: Bull riders bounce back in fourth performance

The bull riders had a much better night Thursday.

After the first three performances of the 76th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, just 10 of 60 cowboys had made the eight-second buzzer in the bull riding.

In the fourth performance, however, the bull riders earned a little more respect, with five of the first 10 out making the whistle.

In fact, four riders in a row - Corey Navarre from Weatherford, Taylor Cowan of Ft. Pierre, S.D., Clayton Williams of Carthage and Tate Stratton of Stanley, N.M. - earned scores, with Cory Melton of Tolar also making the buzzer.

In the second round of riders, Austin Ambrose of Fletcher, Okla., stayed with Wild Wild West for an 84-point score.

Along with Cory McFadden, Ardie Maier, Douglas Duncan and Tony Mendes, that means that 10 of the 20 contestants made the buzzer, doubling up the rides for the entire rodeo to date.

>> Stuck like glue: In the bareback competition, Chris Harris of Itasca climbed aboard Beaver Tail, nodded his head and jumped out into the arena prepared for an eight-second, arm-jerking ride.

Instead, Beaver Tail decided to take a nap about four seconds into the ride, falling to the ground and then leaning over on his right side.

The entire time, Harris stayed in the saddle, hand in the rigging and when the horse stood back up, Harris rose back to the cheers of the crowd, while earning a reride from the judges.

>> Up tonight: 2007 saddle bronc world champion Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M., will be in the performance, starting his road back to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. He wasn't able to defend his crown last year after breaking his leg in the spring and not being able to earn enough money to finish in the Top 15.

Also in the saddle bronc riding, four-time NFR qualifier Mike Outheir of Utopia, the 2004 and 2007 Linderman Award winner, will compete.

In barrel racing, Jana Bean of Fort Hancock, who finished sixth in the first go with a 14.23-second run, will make her second pass through the cloverleaf.