It's Wednesday and Americans are still buzzing about the election results from last night. A day that will forever be marked as a first and historical moment in the United States. However, the bulls at the Thomas and Mack don't seem to care who we elected to office, the only thing that matters is whether they get to perform for their owners.
The American Bucking Bull Incorporated or ABBI was formed in 2003 under the umbrella of the PBR and just recently moved all their staff to Pueblo to their new headquarters located in the new PBR building. The ABBI is a registry of animals for breeders or stock contractors around the country so they can register their calves or new born in a community to follow their heritage or bloodlines easier. The ABBI and since it's inception has registered over 70,000 animals and still growing with over 1400 standard members in the ABBI system. They have started a new program for junior members to get more involved and this follows what America would know as the 4H projects from county fairs. It's an opportunity for the next generation to get involved with their parents and continue the bovine's commitment to the PBR. So many of us get so wrapped up in who will replace the cowboys when they retire but the ABBI is doing there job in the process to answer those questions now about the bulls. The longevity of a bull's career so many times is between 6-8 years and some of the great ones have seen the arena longer than that. The stock contractors have got to take advantage of the short term career of these animal athletes and this is why the ABBI has become so important to the PBR.
On Monday, November 3rd, the Thomas and Mack Center was home to the ABBI opener, the futurity for the 2 year old bucking bulls. Keep in mind that these bulls are just like children, they are young and many of the bull breeders will tell you that this is the age where bulls can easily get hurt and never see the arena. As an owner, the last thing you want is to invest 2 years of your life into a bull that on one jump can go from a possible champion in the arena to one that may stand in the pasture the rest of his adult life. So there are some preparations that they would do at home before loading them up and hauling them to the arena to see what they do with a little blue bucking dummy on the back of them. They make sure that they're eating right; fundamentally sound, exercising right and then they will start loading them up in chute's similar to an arena chute. After careful preparations and a conditioning process that takes several hundreds of hours of getting them ready for the ABBI events, its show time. The ABBI in conjunction with the PBR events holds about 45 futurities and 30 classic events for their up and coming bulls through the system. Remember, its up to the bull owners or breeders to determine whether their animals are ready for the system or not. As they register them at an early age and get them ready for competition, I want you to think of the ABBI as a little league or a farm system type atmosphere of your children. As you prepare your kids for there first game or practice of whatever sport they are in, this is much similar with our bull owners.
So it was on Monday the 3rd that we got to see the terrible two's of the bucking bull industry. These bulls have yet to really form a pattern or the style they may buck in, but they all know what to do in that bucking chute. Remember, their kids with a crayon trying to color in a coloring book at church. Some may color inside the lines; others may color outside the lines. Over the course of the season there was 75 bulls that would be our contenders from the ABBI events to showcase there ability and the list would be narrowed to the top 20 2 year olds to compete today. The Top 20 after round 1 on Monday looked like this from last to first.
20th Mr. Big (Boyd/Floyd) 79.5
19th Wine Hu (Lightning C/PBJ) 79.75
18th No Name (Terrell Bucking Bulls) 80.75
17th On The Clock (Boyd/Floyd) 81
16th High Society (D&H Cattle Co) 81.5
15th Walk N Tall (Trevor Walker) 81.5
14th Blyhte 646 (Gary Blythe) 81.75
13th Heavy Hitter (Buck/Nesier) 82.25
12th Double Up (Shippy/Alpine Bulls) 83.25
11th Relentless Warrior (Sean Scalco) 83.75
10th Wild Child (Cliff Wiggins) 83.75
9th Feeling So Fly (Jerry Nelson/Jaynes Gang) 84.25
8th Circle T 602 (Circle T Ranch) 84.5
7th Monty The Bull (Teuteberg) 84.75
6th Dirty Duty (D&H Cattle Co) 84.75
5th Sure Thing (D&H Cattle Co) 85.25
4th Snap Shot (D&H Cattle Co) 85.75
3rd Spider Monkey (Terrell Bucking Bulls) 86
2nd 623 (Terrell Bucking Bulls) 90.5
1s Copp Hou (Lightning C) 91.5
Wednesday morning it was time to showcase the top 20 youngsters to determine the $100,000 dollar 2 year old. As you can see it was going to be hard for the bottom 10 to catch the top 10 in the average but there was going to be some movers and shakers. The scores this morning would determine their owner’s outcome and would have the best 2-year-old in the business.
First out would be Mr. Big and he would rack up 69.5 and end at 149. Wine Hu had a repeat performance from Monday and finished with a 78.75 to finish 158.5. 636 of Terrell's didn't want to play this morning and ended his day with a 77.25 to total 158. On the Clock must have watched 626 the buck out before his and matched it with his 77.75 to end at 158.75. High Society was the first entry for the D&H Cattle Company and he would set the standard at 82.5 and tally 164 for his finish. Trevor Walker loaded up Walk N Tall and 81.75 points later would get his bull to 163.75. Blythe 646 had a regular bucking pattern and the judges saw his markings at 80 to round out his morning with 161.75. The Heavy Hitter had an off day and 48.25 points later would send his 130.5 to the bottom of the list. Double Up would do just that from the 83.25 first round score. His round 2 would be 83 for 166.25 and send him to the lead. Relentless Warrior from Scalco had a real good afternoon Monday but he's not a morning bull. His 76.5 put his total on 2 at 160.25 and would end up 14th overall. Wild Child would enter in the countdown at number 10 but we found out he is a morning bull and his 88.75 would get him out in front of the pack, this would bring his total to 172.5 and Mr. Wigins was starting to think of what the $100,000 dollar check could mean to his bottom line in 2008. Feeling So Fly rang in an 80 pointer to finish 164.25, Circle T 602 had an off morning with 73.75 and finished 158.25 and tumble to the bottom. The judges saw Monty The Bull as an 83 pointer and put his total at 167.75. The D& H Team had 4 bulls in the chase for the 100,000 but Dirty Duty would only receive 80.75 to tally 165.5 and finish 8th. Sure Thing which was the Wild Card winner would post a 77.75 and bring his total to 162.5. H.D. Page finally got their last entry Snap Shot to respond with an 82.5 and get his fingers on a piece of the pie with 168.25. This would put them in the second slot for now and have to watch 3 bulls before he could go to the stock contractor’s banquet this afternoon. Spider Monkey don't know the D&H Cattle company but knows Mitch Terrell (his owner) had been talking about what he would do with the 100,000 so he jumped out there to put up 85 points and finish with 171 just behind the 172.5 from the Wild Child. Terrell Bucking Bulls had one more shot at this buckle and the grand prize and 623 would be the bull that would net him the 100,000 check. 623 bailed out there and bucked so hard he fell at the buzzer and would send Mitch to the winners circle. 623 would top the morning with an impressive 89.25 and secure his spot with 179.75. Keep in mind that as we watched this unfold, Wild Child would move from being the 10th best Monday to being the second best bull in the herd after 2 rounds. However, Copp Hou was the best bull from round one and his owners picked up the Gist buckle for the go round win, but they would have to watch 19 bulls all take their shot at the 100,000. As the gate opened, Copp Hou was going to leave this in no doubt about who should be spending this money at Christmas time. The raw power of this 2 year old could color in his own coloring book today and was the best bull in the pen. After the buzzer sounded there was no doubt this bully would help Lightning C put the thunder in the building today. The scores came in an astounding 94.75 and would cement his owners with a broom for the clean sweep of the week. Go Round one, Short Round and the average would all go to the Lightning C Cattle Company and Copp Hou. His stellar round would finalize his morning with an overall 186.25 and bring his owners a $100,000 check to be presented at the stock contractors' banquet this afternoon. What a morning to watch the future of the next big star on the 4 legged athlete side of the PBR.
Today, we as Americans can look to the future as we elected a president to carry on the future of America last night. In the Professional Bull Riders, we look to the ABBI and those events that will help carry on the tradition of great bovine athletes for next year and years to come. To those that will step in to replace the legends of Red Wolf, Bodacious, Little Yellow Jacket. The next generation has been born and don't look now, but the future is bright in the PBR and the ABBI. I will follow up with a look at the Classic competition which features the 3 and 4 year olds that are on the PBR tour now. Recapping the Futurity for the overall finish
20th Heavy Hitter (48.25) 130.5
19th Mr. Big (69.5) 149
18th No Name (77.25) 158
17th Circle T 602 (73.75) 158.25
16th Wine Hu (78.75) 158.5
15th On The Clock (77.25) 158.75
14th Relentless Warrior (76.50)160.25
13th Blythe 646 (80) 161.75
12th Sure Thing (77.25) 162.5
11th Walk N Tall (81.75) 163.75
10th High Society (82.5) 164
9th Feeling So Fly(80) 164.25
8th Dirty Duty (80.75) 165.5
7th Double Up (83) 166.25
6th Monty The Bull (83) 167.75
5th Snap Shot (82.5) 168.25
4th Spider Monkey (85) 171
3rd Wild Child (88.75) 172.5
2nd 623 (89.25) 179.75
1st Copp Hou (94.75) 186.25
Once again, the spotlight will turn to the ABBI 3 and 4 year olds Thursday as the Classic event will conclude with round number 4 of the PBR World Finals. The champion from that event will pay out 250,000 Thursday night after the World Finals, so we'll bring that to you tomorrow. Stay tuned for more here in Las Vegas as I attend the ABBI Bucking Bull sale at the South Point this afternoon, tune into RFD TV for that at 3:30pm pacific time and of course the ever popular Black Jack tourney for the Rider Relief Fund tonight from 6-9pm at the Golden Nugget. Have a great day
J.W. Kinder
PRCA Rodeo Announcer & Western Regional Director
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