Las Vegas • Kaycee Feild of Spanish Fork, in pursuit of his fifth consecutive world bareback championship, leads a group of 11 Utahns competing in the 2015 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which starts in Las Vegas on Thursday night.
The $10 million event runs through Dec. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Other contestants from Utah who qualified for the National Finals include Tremonton's Caleb Bennett (bareback), Santaquin's Wesley Silcox (bull riding), Randlett's Joe Frost (bull riding), Tremonton's Baylor Roche (steer wrestling), Neola's Nancy Hunter (barrel racing), Richfield's Vickie Carter (barrel racing), Beaver's CoBurn Bradshaw (saddle bronc) and three members of the famous saddle bronc-riding family from Milford — Spencer, Jake and Rusty Wright.
Spencer and Jake are brothers. Rusty is their nephew. He's the son of two-time world champion Cody Wright, who did not qualify for this year's NFR after a season filled with multiple injuries.
Feild's quest for another world title is one of the top story lines of this year's National Finals.
After undergoing surgery for a torn labrum on March 31, he was sidelined for three months. He slipped to 19th on the season-money list, which is used to determine which 15 competitors qualify for the NFR.
Once Feild returned from injury, however, he won major rodeos at Puyallup (Wash.), Cody (Wyo.), Nampa (Idaho) and Spanish Fork. He vaulted into first place on the money-list with $118,145. He enters the NFR with almost a $20,000 lead over Austin Foss of Terrebone, Ore., who sits in second place.
Rusty Wright is also well-positioned to win a world championship. He is second in the season saddle bronc standings, $3,400 behind front-running Cody DeMoss of Heflin, La.
Wright, who turned 20 two weeks ago, has amassed earnings of $115,986 this season after winning at San Antonio, Canby (Ore.), Logandale (Nev.) and the Days of '47 in Salt Lake City.
Bareback rider Kaycee Feild from Spanish Fork, Utah, is presented with the Montana Silversmith's gold buckle and a championship saddle during the tenth go-round of the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review Journal, Josh Holmberg)
| Tribune File Photo Kaycee Feild (cq), a bareback rider from Elk Ridge, Utah, gets ready to ride Wednesday, July 16, 2008 during the Days of 47 Rodeo at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
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