Last modified: Friday, July 6, 2007 12:57 PM PDT Clint Miller of Pullman, Wash., gets set to rope his calf during action at the Vale Fourth of July Rodeo Thursday in Vale. The action continues tonight and tomorrow at Shamrock Arena at the Vale Rodeo grounds. Thrills and spills in Vale By Ronald Bond - Argus Observer Vale - Washington’s Winford Pakootas held off a late surge by Beverly Curliss to win the 2007 edition of the Vale Suicide Race Thursday in Vale. Pakootas raced out to a sizable lead as the riders made their way to the Malheur River crossing, but Curliss made up ground quickly, catching and momentarily surpassing the former race champion in the final stretch headed towards Shamrock Arena. Pakootas managed to hold on though, taking the Suicide Race title for the second time and earning a $2,500 first place check. “We had a very exciting Suicide Race,” Vale Rodeo President Brian Wolfe said, summing up Thursday’s action. “The winner won by less than a horse length. That was exciting.” The finish to the race was a precursor of things to come during the second night of action at the Vale Fourth of July Rodeo, a night full of thrills, chills and spills. The lead changed hands in six of the night’s events. Ryan Stroud of Burley took over the lead in calf roping, besting Wednesday night’s leader Kirby Cook by more than a second with a mark of 11.1 seconds. Nampa’s Brad Carpenter followed up with a time of 11.4, while Cook still holds a top-three spot with his time of 12.4 seconds. In saddle bronc riding, Wayne Hebdon of Smithfield, Utah posted a high mark of 65 to hold the night-two lead, while Baker City’s Ty Sumner currently sits in second with a 63. The saddle bronc event also featured the biggest spill of the night. The first bronc rider, Tanner Fernlund of Lakeview, took off around the arena onboard Wounded Knee. When the buzzer sounded marking the end of the ride, the horse did not stop, charging towards the eastern end of the arena before crashing into and flying over one of the exit gates near the loading chute. Fortunately, both the horse and the rider came away from the incident unharmed. Melody Smith of Tenino, Wash., took over the lead in the breakaway roping, barely edging Wednesday’s co-leaders Tara Finley and Torri Kent with a time of 2.1 seconds. Finley and Kent are still sitting well going into tonight’s action, tied with their mark of 2.2. Canby barrel racer Kelly Wallis posted a new mark to beat in the barrel racing with a time of 16.74 seconds, edging former leader Jerita Belyea by 0.05 seconds. Matea Gabiola of Payette holds third with a time of 16.88. The lead also changed hands in team roping, as the Washington duo of Brett Hale and Taylor White posted a time of 5.7 to snag the top spot. Wednesday’s leaders Matt and Brian Grenke still hold second at 5.9, while Ryan Fornstrom and Leo Baptiste are in third at 6.0. Clayton Graham’s night-one lead of 84 in the bull riding was short-lived, as Thursday’s first rider Paul Coppini took over the lead, posting a new standard with an 87. Dom Nagler of Redmond currently is third with a 77, while Weiser’s Stephen Hopkins pulled in at fourth with a 69. Bareback rider Danny Webb maintained his night-one lead of 77. Colton Bair and Eric Nader were the only two riders Thursday to challenge the lead, but fell just short, posting a 73 and a 69 respectively. Also holding his lead for another night was Wilder’s Clint Allegre. His time of 5.0 was challenged by many Thursday, but all comers fell short. Scott Goodwin posted the time of the night with a 5.1, only to see it wiped away by a 10 second penalty. Dusty Kimble currently holds second at 5.4, with Andy Weldon third at 5.6. Wolfe said although only two nights of action are in the books, this year’s rodeo possibly ranks ahead of rodeos from the past few years. “Seems like we have above average talent and stock,” he said. The rodeo action continues tonight and tomorrow beginning at 8 p.m.