GRAY PERSERVERES, RETURNS TO RNCFR

Let’s face facts: Ryan Gray’s 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo stunk.

Gray, a seven-time NFR qualifier in bareback riding from Cheney, Wash., was stepped on after falling to the ground in Round 2, suffering a lacerated liver. The world standings leader heading into the championship, Gray went on injured reserve and missed the rest of the finals.

In fact, he missed several of the first few rodeos of the 2011 campaign while recovering from the injury, including the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in its inaugural year in Oklahoma City. That injury was becoming a nuisance, but Gray persevered.

In fact, he returned to the NFR this past December and faired fairly well, winning nearly $45,000 in 10 days. He even won a go-round for the first time in seven years, riding Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Deuces Night for 90 points to take the top prize on the fifth night.

That was just the whipped topping on a triumphant return to rodeo for the cowboy who spends a good portion of his time living near Lubbock, Texas, with his wife, Lacy; he also won the Columbia River Circuit’s bareback riding title and secured his first trip to Oklahoma City since National Circuit Finals moved to the Oklahoma capital a year ago.

“There’s a lot of added money there,” Gray said about the RNCFR, which takes place March 29-April 1 at State Fair Arena. “You have a lot of opportunity to win that money. Not only that, but they give away a pickup.”

With Ram as the title sponsor, each of the event winners earns a voucher for a vehicle. That comes in quite handy for cowboys and cowgirls who make their livings on the rodeo trail. Gray knows that well; he won the national title just two seasons ago.

CAPPER PUTS A CAP ON SEASON WITH RNCFR BID

When Pamela Capper began her 2011 season in earnest, the Cheney, Wash., cowgirl kept her expectations quite conservative.

“I started the year out just hoping to make the circuit finals,” said Capper, who had qualified for the Ram Columbia River Circuit Finals before. “I didn’t get started until after the Fourth of July weekend.”

But Capper went on a tear in August, including big paydays in Hermiston, Ore.; Omak, Wash.; and Kennewick, Wash. In fact, she and Jesse sprinted to the finish of the ProRodeo season, passing the field en route to the top spot in the standings heading to the regional finale, which took place Nov. 11-12 in Redmond, Ore.

Jesse is a 10-year-old brown mare with the registered name Sheza Smooth Flight, and she’s quite talented. Jesse and Capper sped past Brenda Mays, a five-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo who rides one of the best in the business, Jethro, the 2010 WPRA/AQHA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year.

“It’s huge to be able to win the circuit, then to be able to win the finals, too,” Capper said.

Now she’ll get ready for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for March 29-April 1 in Oklahoma. It’s Capper’s first trip to ProRodeo’s national championship.

But she’s earned the right to be there, which is why it’s so special.

POZZI READY TO RACE FOR NATIONAL TITLE

For much of her career, Brittany Pozzi has been one of the elite barrel racers in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

At just 27 years old (she’ll be 28 on Feb. 9), she’s a crafty veteran of the sport, a two-time world champion and an eight-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. She’s done virtually everything in ProRodeo, except qualify for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

That changes this year. Pozzi just won the Texas Circuit’s barrel racing title, earning the right to compete at ProRodeo’s National Championship, set for March 29-April 1 at Jim Norick Arena on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

“Making the (Texas) Circuit Finals was not easy for me,” she said. “I was in the Northwest by myself. I had to drive back to El Paso and Pasadena and Abilene and Amarillo. I had to work my butt off to win the circuit this year.

“I wanted to have that title. Since the (National) Circuit Finals is now in Oklahoma City, I wanted to get there and say I’d done it. Besides, there’s a lot of money to run at.”

BARREL RACING'S BEST COMING TO OKC

Elite Cowgirls Bringing Top Racehorses to Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo

OKLAHOMA CITY – Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds has hosted some of the greatest horse races in the history of rodeo.

The 2012 Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo might be the best of them all.

Held inside the storied coliseum, ProRodeo’s National Championship will feature the top two cowgirls from the 12 circuits spread across the United States. All 24 cowgirls will be chasing one of the most sought-after titles in the sport during the four days of competition scheduled for March 29-April 1.

Eight qualifiers have been to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, ProRodeo’s grand finale. Seven of those ran in Las Vegas this past December: Lisa Lockhart, Brenda Mays, Christina Richman, Jeanne Anderson, Carlee Pierce, Sherry Cervi and Brittany Pozzi; Shelley Morgan was an NFR qualifier in 2009.

“I think it’s going to be a little bit of an NFR with the names that I’ve seen that are going to be competing,” said Pozzi, a two-time world champion from Victoria, Texas.

It’ll be one heck of a horserace, just as it is every time the elite cowgirls in the game match their talented mounts against one another. In December, both Pozzi and Cervi battled late into the NFR before Canadian Lindsay Sears walked away with the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. Now it’s time to test themselves and their talented horses in Oklahoma City.

“This rodeo has always been important to me,” said Cervi, of Marana, Ariz., the 2011 Turquoise Circuit barrel racing champion who owns three world titles. “It’s a great event that has a lot of prestige, so you always want to do well at it.

“I’m excited about going back there. Last year being in Oklahoma City the first year there, I thought it was a good barrel race. The committee was good to work with, and the whole event was exciting.”

Cervi is an 11-time qualifier to the national circuit finals, where the very best competitors in the sport earn the right to play for one of the largest purses in the sport, more than $525,000. The event provides another prestigious championship event for rodeo-savvy Oklahoma City, the longtime host of the NFR and the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. The 2012 event marks the second straight year the RNCFR is part of Oklahoma’s storied rodeo legacy, a place that knows what makes a true champion.

Pozzi has qualified for just the second time in her career, making a concerted effort to secure the Texas Circuit year-end title. If the title wasn’t enough motivation for the Texas cowgirl, the chance to compete in Oklahoma City added just the right amount of enticement.

“I think that’s a good arena for anything,” she said. “They have every event you can possibly imagine there.”

That’s a positive note for Oklahoma City. It’s also a good thing for the 24 women who hope to make a significant living in four days of competition, like Theresa Walter a four-time qualifier to the RNCFR and a former champion from Billings, Mont.

“The venue is awesome,” she said of Jim Norick Arena. “It is set up to let you win.

“It’s just great to be able to be there just based on the amount of money a contestant can win at just one rodeo. I always look forward to going.”

RNCFR BARREL RACING QUALIFIERS

This list is subject to change

RICHARDSON BULLISH ABOUT TRIP TO RNCFR

Bryan Richardson is a three-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Even when he isn’t among the top 15 in the world standings, the Texan is always among the bull riding leaders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

It’s been six years since Richardson played on ProRodeo’s grandest stage. While everyone realizes how much he wants to return to Las Vegas, Richardson is quite tickled to have earned a chance to ride at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for March 29-April 1 at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City.

Richardson qualified for the RNCFR by how he finished in the year-end standings in the Texas Circuit. It’s his first trip to ProRodeo’s National Championship, so look for the veteran to take advantage of it.

RNCFR BULL RIDING QUALIFIERS

This list is subject to change