RENO, Nev. (September 14, 2009) - Brandon Bates and Flint Rasmussen joked all afternoon that it was Sunday Fun Day.
And the finish of the 26th stop on the Built Ford Tough Series was fun for everyone who came to the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada. It was especially exciting for J.B. Mauney.
It all came down to three qualified rides on the three final outs, and one breathtaking challenge, and the Copenhagen Bull Riding Invitational became Mauney’s fourth BFTS event win in 2009.
When all the scores were added up – Mauney was 4-for-4 throughout the weekend – the 22-year-old had earned 1,075.25 points, compared to just 220 for Kody Lostroh.
He moved well past Guilherme Marchi and into second place in the world standings, but more importantly, Mauney is now within 409.75*** points of Lostroh.
“(Lostroh) didn’t do so good this weekend,” Mauney said, “and it kind of gave me a little window to try and catch up to him a little bit, but that guy rides so good that next weekend he’ll be back on track. I’m just going to have to keep riding my bulls and keep trying to win.”
Mauney, who has now covered his last six bulls, added that after a full summer slate and the World Cup he was “feeling kind of sore,” so he took a week off before coming to Reno.
With Renato Nunes in the lead after covering Hawaiian Ivory for 91 points, there were two riders left in the short go—L.J. Jenkins and Mauney, the only two men to enter the championship round having covered three of three.
Jenkins, who had taken Pearl Snap with the second pick, got in trouble midway through his ride, but recovered enough to score 89.50 points. He had 353.50 points on four bulls, leaving Mauney in need of 88.75 to tie and 89 points for the win.
Almost as quickly as Mauney nodded his head, the North Carolina native knew he was in for an unfamiliar trip on Troubadour.
“That bull had me working the whole time,” said Mauney, who added he had an easier time of it last year in the second round of the 2008 PBR World Finals. “He had me whipped to the outside and when I got back (sitting) up, my feet came up behind me and he hit me in the head. Luckily I kept my hand shut and held on.”
When Mauney came down, the clock said 7.7 seconds, but he wasted little time in challenging the call.
After several minutes passed, replay official Jeff Shearer overturned the ruling, and an elated Mauney, who had been telling himself he knew he had the tail of his rope, raised his fists above his head to celebrate.
The score was good for third in the round behind Wiley Petersen, who was 91.50 on Say I Won’t Gunner, and Nunes, who was second with 91 points.
There were five qualified rides in the short go with another 13 in the third long round, which was won by Jenkins. Like Mauney, Jenkins had to challenge the original call on the timing before earning a score of 89.75 on Charlie Bullware. That score put the pressure on Mauney and set up a San Antonio-like finish.
“You know I’m doing the best I can,” said Jenkins, of his 89.50 short go effort on Pearl Snap. “I really wasn’t in control the whole time. I was just putting out the effort. It wasn’t a pretty ride, but it was a ride, so that’s all that counts.
“This past month, two months, I’ve just been getting more confidence and I feel like I’m riding the best I have all year.”
It’s the second time in the past three BFTS events that Jenkins has finished second behind Mauney. In all, 23 riders accounted for 39 rides in the past three days.
The BFTS will be in Springfield, Mo., next weekend for the PFIWestern.com Invitational presented Bass Pro Shops on Saturday and Sunday.
***Editor's Note: Due to a technical error, the point difference between Lostroh and Mauney was underreported. The gap is actually 761.25 points - still low enough to me be made up in a single event, but greater than the 409.75 points initially reported. We regret the error. ***
News and Notes
This was the fourth time in 2009 that a rider covered Troubadour in the short go to win the event. Kody Lostroh scored 94.50 to win Fresno, Cody Ford scored 92.75 in Glendale, Brian Canter was 93.25 in Tacoma and J.B. Mauney was 90.50 to win Reno.
For the fifth time this season, Big Tex was the high-marked bull of the event. He was marked 46.75 in Reno, his second-highest marked outing of 2009. He was 47 in Billings.
If you’re having a hard time remembering the last time Guilherme Marchi bucked off three long round bulls at one event, it’s because it hasn’t happened since late January of 2007 when he went 0-for-3 in Charlotte, N.C.
Bolstered by the confidence gained during the World Cup, Ryan McConnel finished the event in 8th place with a two-bull score of 170.75 and a total of 385.75 points to move up the world standings into 6th place.
As the 2009 World Finals approaches – five events remain on the BFTS schedule – there was no change in the Qualifier Standings among the five final qualifiers.
Chris Shivers had the second-to-last pick in the short-go draft, leaving him with a choice between Bad Yeller and Major Payne. Joking that he loves “this spot in the draft,” the two-time World Champion left it up to the fans to select Bad Yeller.
The usually quiet Valdiron de Oliveira had a lot to say when left with Major Payne. In-arena announcer Brandon Bates replied with, “Confidence. I don’t know what you just said, but it has to be confidence.”
Renato Nunes couldn’t quite pronounce Hawaiian, but the Brazilian native who taught himself English by watching episodes of “Seinfeld” said he knew Hawaiian Ivory was “going to be good.”
Current world leader Kody Lostroh, who said he plans to take it one bull at a time, certainly knew how to say Commotion and was spot on with his scouting report. “He’ll be real fast, lots of juice,” said Lostroh, who came down on the top of his head in just 3.2 seconds. His condition is currently unknown.
—by Keith Ryan Cartwright
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