Suhn rises to top of world standings at Dixie Nationals

JACKSON, Miss. – Steer wrestler Todd Suhn’s dominating march through the Dixie National Rodeo, Feb. 5-11, vaulted him into the lead in the PRCA World Standings and kept him on pace for the richest winter season of his long career.
Suhn, a 12-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, won the second round in the Mississippi Coliseum and the average with a time of 7.0 seconds on two head to bank $6,621.
That was enough to move the North Platte, Neb., cowboy from third to first with unofficial earnings of $21,022, more than $3,000 ahead of 2007 World Champion Jason Miller.
"I made about $30,000 during the winter season in 2005," Suhn said, "but most of that came later in the season. Usually I’m at about $10,000 to $15,000 for the winter, so this is a good start for me.
"I’m not making too much of this. It takes a lot to win a world championship. There are a lot of great bulldoggers out there. There’s no rest."
Suhn finished in a tie for third in the opening round with a 3.8-second run, and then locked up the average championship by taking down his second steer in 3.2 seconds, to edge Matt Reeves by a tenth of a second.
"It was a steer I had seen at the Wrangler NFR," Suhn said, "but he didn’t run very fast on this day, and he was really good on the ground. It was pretty fun."
Reigning World Champion Bareback Rider Justin McDaniel was reunited with the world class Delta Ship from the Frontier Rodeo string, and they combined for a 91-point ride that paid McDaniel $5,743.
McDaniel tied the Wrangler NFR record with a 91.5-point ride on Delta Ship in 2007, when the horse was owned by J Bar J, and this was their first meeting since Las Vegas.
"He’s big, jumps high in the air and kicks real hard," McDaniel said. "If you don’t have your feet set, he’ll buck you off the next jump. He’s everything there is to want in a bucking horse. The full package. I really like him."
Taos Muncy followed his Feb. 7 win at the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo in Rapid City, S.D., with another win in the Mississippi Coliseum. His 86-point-ride on Smith, Harper & Morgan’s Painted Feather was three points better than runners-up Chad Ferley and Sam Spreadborough.
Muncy’s earnings of $5,757 moved him up to third in the PRCA World Standings behind Bradley Harter and Rusty Allen.
Bull rider Kanin Asay also used a win in Jackson to move closer to the world standings’ lead. His 91-point ride on Silverado Rodeo Company’s Monkey Wrench was two points better than Jason Beck and lifted him past reigning World Champion J.W. Harris into second place in the PRCA World Standings behind Clayton Savage.
The other champions at the Dixie National Rode were team ropers Ross Lowry and Steve Britnell (10.0 seconds on two head), tie-down roper Brett Conner (16.4 seconds on two head) and barrel racer Sherry Cervi (14.23 seconds).