Colorado ropers bank $180,000 in 11.5 Businessman’s Roping

In the 11.5 Businessman’s, which began as the signature numbered roping associated with the BFI in Reno, Nevada, years ago, Colorado buddies Darren Ridley of Las Animas and Jason Devore of Fort Lupton came tight on the biggest win of their lives.

They had assumed beforehand that the roping would pay some $60,000 a man to win, but when they roped all four in 31.42 seconds, they padded their pockets with $80,000 a 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 after hauling his son nearly 10 hours out to Guthrie for the Jr. 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. When the second and third callbacks 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, 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 to clinch the win and split the $180,000 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 throughout the roping.”

As for Ridley, the 4.5 header 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, and he’s a good one that pulled a suspensory and needed six months.

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 with a 25.40-on-three turned in by Marty Latta and Brian Crist. And it still features that all-important additional Consolation Round that gives every team a mulligan, so to speak, if they caught two out of three. Winning that and splitting a cool $9,000 plus prizes was the fourth Consolation callback team of Cayle Lazor and Dustin Darling, after the top three failed to make clean runs.