Oklahoma’s Bob Freeman and Nick Sartain (opens in a new tab) came from fourth callback to win the #12 Ariat World Series of Team Roping after roping four head in 30.23 seconds, worth $272,000.
“We prayed on the way around there and I said I want to do a good job for him,” Sartain said. “He turned him back and hopped him off good.”
Sartain, who is the PRCA (opens in a new tab)‘s 2009 World Champion Header (opens in a new tab), has been to the NFR (opens in a new tab) and six times switched over to heeling when he cut off his thumb a year and a half ago.
“He’s a world champion header and to come in here and not miss a heel loop,” Freeman said. “That’s a big thing. That’s how handy he is with a rope. If he decides to go and haul he’ll be back at Thomas and Mack.”
Sartain also won third in the #13 Yeti Finale with Mike Rowe, worth $127,000. He’s won on rodeo’s biggest stage, but these two days in Vegas were about a lot more than money and glory for the man on a team-roping comeback tour.
“I won the World Championship in 2009 and won $108,000 out here,” Sartain said. “At that time it was a record. But I was so thankful that was my dream since I was a kid. And then, to cut your thumb off and get written off, and come out here and get lucky? I won over $200,000, but I also have to be thankful for my partners and all the blessings I have. That’s what it’s really about.”
Freeman was riding Banker, 13, a palomino gelding that has helped him bank more money than he could imagine.
“I got mine when he was 5,” Freeman said. “All of my horses I get cutting-bred. Before this I actually won $227,000 on this horse. Kaleb Driggers (opens in a new tab) hit me up pretty hard for him.”
Sartain was on a little sorrel heel horse named JJ, 6, that he’s worked on both the head and heel side, registered as Boons Dox by Play Dox out of a Peptoboonsmal mare.
“He’s got money won in the cutting,” Sartain said. “I got him from Jared Sikes and he cowboyed on him. I’ve been heading on him a little.”
Freeman, who has a reserve world title in the cutting, had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of picking up a rope and buying a head horse.
“The Lord come to me one night and said I want you to team rope,” Freeman said. “It entered my mind. I tried to be obiedent. I got me a head horse and I went in and every other word was bad and there was lots of drinking, and I could see what my point was to be there. A few years later, here we are.”
Now that Freeman and Sartain added $272,000 to their accounts they have some ideas of what that money can go towards.
“I told my wife the first thing I will give 10-percent to the church, maybe more,” Freeman said. “That’s a big deal to me. I try and actually do it. It won’t change me. I’m roping in this next rotation, and I’ll be riding the same saddle the same horse wearing the same clothes.” TRJ
