National Finals Rodeo: Milford's Jesse Wright wins saddle bronc event

Las Vegas • Milford's Jesse Wright will always remember his first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

He made sure of that Monday night.

Wright, 21, won the saddle bronc event during the fifth round of the National Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Wright posted a score of 89.5 and earned $17,512.

After finishing second twice and fourth once in earlier rounds, Wright bumped his NFR earnings to $50,840 — about $5,000 less than he previously earned this year.

Meanwhile, the other Wright brother competing in the NFR did not complete his ride Monday.

Cody Wright had won Rounds 2 and 3 and tied for second in Round 4, but he finished out of the money in the fifth round with a score of 81.5.

It was a tough night for Utah's other four NFR participants, too.

In bareback, Kaycee Feild, of Payson, did not complete his ride and failed to post a score.

In the previous four rounds, Feild won twice and tied for third place once. He has already earned $43,921 at the National Finals.

In bull riding, neither Wesley Silcox, of Santaquin, nor Steve Woolsey, of Payson, completed their eight-second ride.

In fact, only three of the 15 bull riders posted scores, led by Round 5 winner J.W. Harris, who had an 89.

In barrel racing, Kelli Tolbert, of Hinckley, was timed in 14.03 seconds, which was not good enough for a money-winning finish.

The National Finals Rodeo continues nightly through Saturday.