Career-high ride
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Friday, July 20, 2007 | 
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No comments [ Add Comment ]By Dennis Larsen
Standard-Examiner staff
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By Dennis Larsen
Standard-Examiner staff
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By Dennis Larsen
Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- If Tilden Hooper ends up winning the bareback riding at the 74th annual Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo, he may want to claim Hooper, Utah, as his new hometown.
The 19-year-old Hooper, of Carthage, Texas, made quite a splash in his first appearance at Ogden's Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned event.
He spurred Size Matters of Stace Smith Pro Rodeos to 87 points Thursday in Ogden Pioneer Stadium, grabbing the go-round lead with four rodeo performances remaining.
The 87-point marking tied Hooper's career-high, which he recorded once this year and once in 2006.
"This is my first year at Ogden and my first year in the PRCA. This is my rookie year," he said. "I never saw the horse before and I never called back (to PROCOM) to find out my draw. When you travel this far, I just came here and got on."
Stace Smith, of Athens, Texas, the PRCA's three-time stock contractor of the year (2004-06), purchased Size Matters, a 5-year-old mare and a 2006 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo horse, last year from David Morehead of Three Hills Rodeo Inc.
This is the first year Smith has bucked the mare, and he said "she is one of my best 5-6 horses."
Hooper is leading the Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year standings ($15,189, 45 official rodeos). He is sitting No. 30 in the Jack Daniel's World Standings.
"She came out to the left with some moves and I thought she had me shook loose, but I stayed there," he said. "She got better as she went along. I felt like she did most of the work.
"When you drive a long way to get here, it doesn't matter if you know the horse or not. Everybody said she was good."
Hooper missed the books at the Snake River Stampede and the Days of '47 Rodeo.
He is up Saturday at California Rodeo Salinas, Monday at Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Rodeo and Wednesday and July 26 at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
"My score might not hold with the caliber of horses and cowboys who are here," Hooper said. "Stace does a good job with this rodeo. I came here because of the horses and the money."
Lehi's Rusty Allen, 31, was granted a reride in saddle bronc riding after being scored 78 points atop Blaze of Stace Smith Pro Rodeos with an option.
"Seventy-eight probably won't give me anything here," he said. "I have everything to win and nothing to lose."
Allen, a three-time WNFR qualifier, is in the No. 1 hole in saddle bronc riding ($101,499), the second-highest amount in an individual event this year. He took home $55,000 from RodeoHouston in March.
"I'm enjoying it; it's been an amazing year," Allen said. "Take away the $50,000 ride from Houston and I would still be right there. This is the most money I've ever won at this point in the season. Outside of making the finals, that ride in Houston is the highlight of my career.
"I've been drawing better, trying to stay as consistent as possible with what I draw and minimizing my mistakes," he said. "When you're consistent and doing what you should be doing, things go a lot smoother."
"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love it," he said. "The traveling gets old being away from home and your family."
Allen and his wife, Fawn, have two daughters -- an 11-year-old and a 9-month-old newborn.
"As long as everybody is happy and not taking away from anybody else and I stay productive, I'll keep doing it," he said.
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