The Saturday excitement is back at the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo.

One year after the rodeo lost its championship short go-round, it's back and some of the world's top professional cowboys and cowgirls will spend the next four nights trying to earn a spot in Saturday night's finale.

The long go-round began with slack on Monday morning and continues today before the first nightly performance at 7:30 tonight.

The top 12 contestants from each event will return to participate in the short go on Saturday.

"The reason we went away from the short round is because the [Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association] raised their perf requirements to have a short round and we didn't have the money last year," CWFR fairgrounds manager Tom Jones said. "This year we were able to adjust our revenues and make a little more money and were able to cover the amount to have a finals."

Jones said the rodeo needed a purse of $12,500 for each event.

This year, he said, each event has an added purse of $15,000 on top of entry fees.

"We made enough money on our carnival last year and our carnival kind of supports our rodeo," Jones said.

Jones has heard plenty of positive feedback since the change in schedule.

The rodeo has to have slack rounds after Tuesday's and Wednesday's performances to accommodate an increase in competitors.

And Jones said ticket sales, as of Monday, were ahead of previous numbers.

Most events - including all roughstock events, barrel racing and tie-down roping - will have just one long round.

But both steer wrestling and team roping will have two gos, all leading up to what should be an exciting Saturday night at the CWR.

MULLIGAN WINS FIRST ROUND: Former University of Wyoming steer wrestler Sean Mulligan has already padded his pockets in Casper.

The bulldogger turned in a first-round time of 4.2 seconds, sharing first place and winning $2,128.25 on Monday at the CWR.

The Coleman, Okla., cowboy is currently ranked 16th in the world.

Former UW bulldogger Todd Suhn - currently seventh in the world - brought his steer down in 4.5 seconds to take third place in the first round, winning $1,725.50.

Ryan Zurcher, a team roper from Hawk Springs, finished tied for seventh in the first round with partner Travis Bounds.

CHRISTMAS UPDATE: The "Cowboy Christmas" results are in and two-time world champion bareback rider Bobby Mote was the big winner, pocketing $29,926 during the Fourth of July weekend that represents the biggest week of the rodeo season.

Ryan Gray, a bareback rider who was born in Laramie, had the biggest weekend of any professional cowboys with Wyoming ties, winning $22,043, the seventh-most during that stretch.

Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at (307) 266-0578 or eric.schmoldt@trib.com.

CWR TRACKER

TODAY: The Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo began with slack rounds on Monday, but the first of five nightly performances is today at 7:30 p.m. in Casper.

SOME SATURDAY: After going one year without a championship short go-round, the Saturday finale - which features the top 12 competitors in each event throughout the week - is back.

HE SAID IT: "We were able to adjust our revenues and make a little more money and were able to cover the amount to have a finals." - Fairgrounds manager Tom Jones.

ON THE WEB: For a complete schedule and other CWFR information, see www.centralwyomingfair.com.

WYOMING'S BEST

The CWFR's nightly performances will feature some of the Equality State's top professional cowboys and cowgirls. Here are some of the local headliners:

TODAY: Former Wyoming steer wrestler Todd Suhn; Rock Springs saddle bronc and bull rider Seth Glause; Wheatland bull rider Tyler Willis; Casper bull rider Kris Newman.

WEDNESDAY: Gillette saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson; Gillette bull rider Cameron Castleberry; Former UW bulldogger K.C. Jones; former Eastern Wyoming College steer wrestler Jake Rinehart.

THURSDAY: Mills bareback rider Kelly Timberman; Former UW bareback rider Heath Ford; Kaycee saddle bronc rider Morgan Forbes; Casper bull rider Clayton Savage; Powell bull rider Kanin Asay; former Central Wyoming College bull rider Jarrod Ford.

FRIDAY: Former Casper College saddle bronc rider Bryce Miller; Pinedale saddle bronc rider Clayton Selby; Arvada barrel racer Kortney Fisher; Douglas team ropers O.J. and Jim Huxtable.