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Cassidy brothers battle it out for steer wrestling title at CFR

Donalda duo both tip steers in 3.7 seconds

You could say it was ‘Bro’ time Friday night at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton. Brothers Cody and Curtis Cassidy are battling it out for a Canadian steer wrestling championship. The Donalda duo is so in tune they both managed to get their steers tipped over in 3.7 seconds, which meant they split first in the round and each picked up $10,744.

It’s not the first time they’ve shared first at the CFR.

“A couple of years ago we were both 3.2 in a go-round,” recalled elder brother Curtis. “It was pretty cool to be that fast, but I’m not gonna lie, 3.7 feels good too.”

“I knew my steer left pretty good and never let off any,” said Cody. “That’s what he did, but I knew he threw good, so I knew I had a chance anyway.”

“I really liked my steer,” added Curtis. “Brock (Butterfield) was 3.8 on him the other night. He’s just a good, honest, average steer, right down the middle. He’s as good as you make him. I wasn’t excited about my steer last night but tonight I was like ‘this is a good steer, I like him’.”

Much as the two enjoy sharing brotherly love, they both want to add to their impressive Canadian buckle collection.

“There’s always gonna be competition. There’s no rest for the wicked. You have to back in there with intentions you need to win every night. As soon as you slack off, everyone’s just going to pass you. There’s always going to be somebody hot on your heels, so you’ve got to bear down,” noted Cody, who laid claim to the go-round buckle, since he said Curtis had won one from the previous night.

“I gave Cody too much of a lead coming in here so I need to try and win as much as I can every day,” laughed Curtis.

Cody has $51,878 at the top of the steer wrestling standings, with Curtis now at $43,684 in second.

Brothers also topped the team roping, with Brett and Justin McCarroll of Camrose setting a fast pace as first team out, with their 4.0 second run. But Oregon’s Russell Cardoza and Dustin Bird of Cut Bank, MT managed to match that later in the round, so all four shared the honors. The win gave Cardoza and Bird the overall lead now for the team roping championship.

The top dollars in the saddle bronc riding for the third performance in Edmonton went to Clay Elliott of Nanton, for a shiny 86.75 point ride on Stampede Warrior, pushing his CFR earnings to $21,489. He’s now taken over the lead, but Rocky’s Jim Berry finished second in the round to hang on to second place overall. Elliott has $49,196, while Berry’s season tally sits at $48,746. Manitoba’s Orin Larsen was the high man in the bareback riding with an 87.25 on Vold’s famous horse Mucho Dinero, for a $12,340 payout. Jake Vold placed third and he’s still on top in the race for his third straight title. Lee Rombough of Sexsmith was fastest among the tie-down ropers with his time of 8.0 seconds, putting him into third place now in the championship race led by Al Bouchard. Defending Canadian champion Nancy Csabay of Taber won the biggest cheque of the night in barrel racing with her 14.754 second run, but leader Callahan Crossley also placed, keeping her out in front. Bull rider Timothy Lipsett of Saskatchewan became the first cowboy to ride the bull Night Moves, and the 86 points gave him a buckle at his very first CFR, and a healthy $12,324 deposit in his rodeo account. Dakota Buttar is still the bull rider they’re all trying to catch at the top.

Today’s action at the Northlands Coliseum includes two rodeo performances, with the Canadian champions to be determined after Sunday afternoon’s action.