We’re five performances down at the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, so we decided to count down our five favorite moments from the first half of the Super Bowl of rodeo.

5. Sage Kimzey Gets Bucked Off The Victory Lap Horse

In true cowboy fashion, caution was thrown to the wind in round three when Sage Kimzey and Tyler Bingham split the round with a pair of 88-point scores. The pair hopped aboard one victory lap horse and showed us just how well bull riding spurs go over when they bounce on a broke horse’s flanks.

4. Trevor Brazile’s 6.8 Second Run

You can’t keep the King of the Cowboys down. Trevor Brazile had a couple disappointing early rounds at what could very well be his last NFR after announcing his semi-retirement following the finals, but he showed us why he’s earned 23 world titles with his 6.8-second run to win round four.

It’s tough to break that seven-second barrier, so could this have been the last we’ll see of the most successful PRCA cowboy of all time? We hope not.

3. Cort Scheer’s 92-Point Ride On Larry Culpepper

Coming from a rodeo background, I appreciate the look of a classic saddle bronc ride and that’s exactly what Scheer delivered in round two. Scheer and Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Larry Culpepper showed us exactly why it’s called “poetry in motion,” and the judges rewarded them with a 92-point score.

It’s rare to see a score over 90 in the saddle bronc riding, so we couldn’t miss sharing this one again.

2. Amberleigh Moore’s Climbs To No. 2 In The World Title Race

She came in as the No. 13 barrel racer in the world and after five rounds, we watched Amberleigh Moore climb all the way up to No. 2. She has almost an $80,000 gap to cover before she can overtake Hailey Kinsel, but Moore and her horse CP Dark Moon “Paige” have already accumulated $93,346.16 between the first five rounds and are well on their way to having a shot if they can keep it up. 

1. Clayton Biglow’s Record-Breaking Ride On Virgil

To say we’re fans of the big grey from the C5 Rodeo string is a huge understatement. He's a two time PRCA horse of the year and broke the arena record at the Canadian Finals Rodeo just one month ago, so we always expect big things from this horse. 

Biglow kept things under control and spurred every jump on his way to breaking the NFR's arena record with a 93-point score.

Watch our profile video on Virgil HERE.