REDMOND, Ore. — As a prelude to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, it could have been a lot worse.

Two-time World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote and his traveling partners, known collectively as The Pride, finished 1-2-3 in the Nov. 20-22 Dodge Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo, presented by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company.

Mote, of Culver, Ore., won two rounds  including an 87-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo's Faded Dice  on the way to claiming the average title with 258 points, followed by Columbia River year-end champion Ryan Gray and Jason Havens.

"It was fun," Mote told the Bend Bulletin. "We got on good horses, and it's always fun to ride in front of my home town. (Faded Dice) was a real good horse. It's been to the NFR before. He just bucked hard, and it was a good chance."

Mote is second in the PRCA World Standings heading into the Dec. 3-12 Wrangler NFR, with Gray third and Havens 15th. The fourth member of The Pride, Brian Bain, suffered a broken right wrist in the first round and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

"It was a good way to get warmed up before next week," Gray said.

Brad Goodrich, an eight-time year-end champion in tie-down roping, this time made his advance to the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho, by winning the average title. Under pressure after current year-end champion Tyson Durfey tied his calf in 7.8 seconds in the final round, Goodrich came through with an 8.0-second run to win the average by two-tenths of a second.

"I didn't really expect to win the average," Goodrich said. "Tyson made just a phenomenal run. I had a calf I liked early in the week, but she had a lot of run. I have maybe the best horse in the Northwest — maybe the best horse going  and he equalized things out and let me go fast."

The other Dodge Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo champions were steer wrestler Erik Johnson (12.0 seconds on three head), team ropers Riley Minor and Brady Minor (17.0 seconds on three head), saddle bronc rider Roy Johnson (240 points on three head), barrel racer Brenda Mays (47.15 seconds on three runs) and bull rider Allen Helmuth (160 points on two head).