Austin Foss

HERMISTON — Austin Foss made only one ride at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo over the weekend, but the Terrebonne bareback rider made it count.

Riding on Special Delivery, Foss posted a score of 89 points to earn the victory and a check for $5,534. The winnings at the Hermiston rodeo, which concluded Sunday, bumped Foss into the top 20 in the world bareback standings. He is currently 19th with 2017 winnings of $56,575; the top 15 contestants on the earnings list qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.

“It’s great to be close to home and be able to get on that good of a horse,” the 25-year-old Redmond native said, quoted in a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association release. “It’s more of a confidence booster, especially in a guy’s backyard.”

Foss is still four places out of NFR qualifying, $9,540 behind Canadian Orin Larsen, who is currently 15th in the world standings.

According to Foss, the Farm-City win was a big one entering the late-summer stretch of the rodeo season.

“It’s really important,” said Foss, a three-time NFR qualifier. “Everybody is making that final push. We’ve only got 50-something days left, and everything is an opportunity for a guy to capitalize on. So, you got to really take advantage.”

Three other Central Oregon cowboys are in the bareback rankings: Wyatt Bloom, of Bend, is 21st with winnings of $51,502; Steven Peebles, of Redmond, is 25th ($45,444); and David Peebles, Steven’s younger brother and also of Redmond, is 31st ($30,027).

Two local ropers are also poised to earn NFR berths. Terrebonne’s Russell Cardoza ranks third in the team roping as a heeler ($91,512) and is fifth in the all-around standings ($109,601). And Prineville’s Charly Crawford is 10th in the team roping as a header ($65,573).

— Bulletin staff report