Utah cowboy shines at Oakdale Rodeo
Utah cowboy Rhen Richard might be one of the best all-around hands who has yet to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Richard, 26 next month, won all-around titles at 10 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned rodeos last year. He’s a skilled team roper and calf roper and, last weekend, showed his stuff at the 64th Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo.
The former Utah all-state quarterback put his name on the Bowman Trophy, which honors the rodeo’s top all-around cowboy, by winning nearly $4,500 in prize money in his two events.
Richard combined with heeler Cole Davison to win the second go-round of team roping with a time of 5.8 seconds. He also shared the tie-down aggregate with Cade Swor with a combined time of 15.9 seconds.
A former PRCA Rookie of the Year in team roping, Richard barely missed qualifying for the NFR five years ago. This year, he’s currently ranked eighth in the all-around division.
“I’m just placing at the wrong rodeos, I guess,” Richard (pronounced Rih-SHARD) told the PRCA’s media communications director, Kendra Santos, this month, referring to why he hasn’t made it to Las Vegas. “I think it (will take) a more consistent run and placing more in averages.”
Richard and his friends have traveled north this week for the 94th Red Bluff Round-Up, but they left behind record crowds that filed onto the saddle-club grounds in Oakdale.
A field of 79 bull riders, an Oakdale record, was led by Zack Oakes of Tanasket, Wash., who won with an 87-point ride. In saddle bronc, Jake Wright of Milford, Utah, shared the title with Alberta cowboy Zeke Thurston when both scored 80 points. Jesse Wright, Jake’s brother, captured seventh place.
The bareback co-champions were George Gillespie IV of Hamilton, Mont., and Zack Brown of Red Bluff after they tied with 82 points. Clayton Hass of Terrell, Texas, was the aggregate winner in steer wrestling after he needed only 9.7 seconds for his two runs.
Coleman Proctor of Pryor, Okla., and Jake Long of Coffeeville, Kan., totaled only 14.1 seconds in their two team-roping go-rounds to take the aggregate title. Former Escalon resident Russell Cardoza earned a third in the tie-down aggregate. Oakdale’s Ryle Smith picked up a third during the second round of tie-down.
Christine Laughlin of Pueblo, Colo., turned in a 17.43 run in barrel racing during the Saturday main performance, which tied for first place with Carley Richardson of Pampa, Texas.
This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Utah cowboy shines at Oakdale Rodeo."