Colorado ropers win $180,000 at Wrangler BFI Week

GUTHRIE, Okla. — Colorado buddies Darren Ridley of Las Animas and Jason Devore of Fort Lupton realized the biggest recreational team-roping win of their lives this week in Guthrie, Okla. They hit the jackpot on March 31 in the 11.5 Businessman’s Roping, which began as the signature event associated with the annual Bob Feist Invitational in Reno, Nev. The latter anchored Wrangler BFI Week, which ran March 26 through April 1 and paid out a record $6 million in cash and prizes.

Ridley said he’d assumed beforehand that the team roping would pay some $60,000 each to win, but when he and Devore roped all four in 31.42 seconds, they padded their pockets with $80,000 per man.

“I’ve been waiting on one of these wins for a long time,” said Devore, 46, who finally got to enter a BFI Week roping himself after hauling his son nearly 10 hours out to Guthrie for the Junior BFI in the past.

Ridley and Devore came back as the fastest on three with a 22.9-second total, which gave them a one-second cushion on the rest of the field in the finals. When the second and third fastest on three both missed, the duo only needed a 9-second run to seal the deal. Still, a looming payout of $180,000 is enough to make anyone nervous.

“The only team I watched was just in front of us,” said Ridley, classified as a 4.5 header who would also rope the following day with a Las Animas friend in the 9 Over 40. “I just set in the back and tried not to listen or pay attention. I tried not to overthink it.”

As for Devore, his mantra for years has been that he can only rope what’s turned in front of him.

“I don’t pay much attention to the noise,” said Devore, a 7 heeler who had overnighted with friends in Stillwater and also entered the 12.5. “I guess I was a little nervous at first, and just told myself, ‘I do this every day.’ I did hear the announcers say we’d win money even if we missed, but I wanted first. I thought, ‘We’ve come this far; let’s keep standing on them.'”

The pair made a smooth run of 8.46 seconds to clinch the win and split $180,000 cash plus Cactus saddles, Gist buckles, Resistol hats, Yeti backpacks, Justin boots, Equinety, Turtlebox speakers and Smarty roping dummies.

Devore works every day selling tools for an oilfield company, then comes home and trains rope horses. The Denver native helps area producers break in steers and takes in about five outside horses a month. His Diamond JD Horses is based north of Denver where he lives with his wife Stacie. Their kids, 21-year-old Colton and 16-year-old Chloie, both also rope.

“The philosophy was just keep knocking them down,” said Devore, who’s turned down quite a bit of money for the 10-year-old horse he trained called Sammy. “We drew really good cattle throughout the roping.”

As for Ridley, he was glad to have his good horse back just two weeks before Wrangler BFI Week. The 14-year-old gelding he calls J.D. came from J.D. Yates of Pueblo, and he’s a good one that pulled a suspensory and needed six months off last year.

Ridley, 51, took a few days away from calving to go out to Guthrie. At home, the husband and father of three runs a cow-calf operation on his ranch where his family, like Devore’s, was watching the Businessman’s Roping on the livestream on pins and needles. It’s safe to say Ridley and Devore will make a return trip next year.

“Daren [Peterson] and Corky [Ullman] always do a good job, and it pays so good, it’s hard to miss this event,” Devore said. “It’s a great place to be. I bet it gets bigger and bigger.”

The 11.5 Businessman’s spreads the wealth around just like it has for decades, offering a 10.5 Incentive that was won by Marty Latta’s and Brian Crist’s time of 25.40 seconds on three for $10,000. And it still features that all-important three-head Consolation Round that gives every team a mulligan, so to speak. Winning that and splitting a cool $9,000 plus prizes was Cayle Lazor and Dustin Darling — the fourth callback in the Consolation finals after the top three teams failed to make clean runs.

For complete results and details, visit BFIWeek.com.