KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 7, 2009) - The 2009 Kansas City Invitational brought the top 40 bull riders in the world to the Show Me State for stop #13 on the elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) tour. In front of a sold-out Sprint Center crowd, Australian sensation Brendon Clark (Morpeth, AUS) and 2009 PBR Daisy Rookie of the Year contender Pete Farley (Kempsey, AUS) split the round one victory after each scored 87.75 points. Clark took on the bull, I’ll Make You Famous, owned by Kooper Branum & Gene Baker, while Farley rode Shad Smith’s bull, V1. Each collected a check for $2,340 as well as added valuable points to the 2009 BFTS World Standings.
Taking third place was 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) who rode his re-ride bull, Velvet Elvis, owned by Diamond S Bucking Bulls, for 87.5 points. Fourth place went to alternate Rocky McDonald (Col. Juarez, Mexico) who tamed the bull, Life Sentence (5G Farms Bucking Bulls/Jim & Kelly Orhood) for 87.25 points. Rounding out fifth place was Cajun cowboy Nick Landreneau (Sulphur, La.) who rode Depths of Despair, owned by 5G Farms Bucking Bulls/Jim & Kelly Orhood, for 87 points.
Due to his round three win at last weekend’s Enterprise Rent-A-Car Invitational, Bryan Richardson (Dallas, Texas) was eligible to compete for the $5,000 Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Ride with the Best” bonus during round one of the Kansas City Invitational. Because he did not make the eight second whistle on the bull, Diamond Heat, the stock contractor, John & Karen Sirridge, took home the $5,000 bonus. Due to their round one victory, Brendon Clark (Morpeth, AUS) and Pete Farley (Kempsey, AUS) will be eligible to compete for their share of the $5,000 bonus during round two.
The Kansas City Invitational continues tomorrow as the top 40 bull riders in the world compete to see who will take home the coveted event title. Catch all of the action when VERSUS’ airs round two and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round at 8 p.m. EST.
INJURY REPORT:
Mike White (De Kalb, Texas) received a concussion after bucking off his round one bull. He is probable for tomorrow’s round.
Cody Ford (Stanfield, Ore.) suffered a concussion and a laceration to the head after riding his round one bull. He is probable for round two of the Kansas City Invitational.
Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) suffered a high ankle sprain during round one in Kansas City. He is probable for round two.
Luke Snyder (Raymore, Mo.) aggravated a strained shoulder he suffered during last weekend’s event in St. Louis. He will not ride in tomorrow’s competition.
Kansas City Invitational RESULTS
ROUND ONE: 1/2) Brendon Clark (Morpeth, AUS) 87.75 points on I’ll Make You Famous (Kooper Branum & Gene Baker), $2,340; 1/2) Pete Farley (Kempsey, AUS) 87.75 points on V1 (Shad Smith), $2,340; 3) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 87.5 points on Velvet Elvis (Diamond S Bucking Bulls), $1,170; 4) Rocky McDonald (Col. Juarez, Mexico) 87.25 points on Life Sentence (5G Farms Bucking Bulls/Jim & Kelly Orhood); 5) Nick Landreneau (Sulphur, La.) 87 points on Depths of Despair (5G Farms Bucking Bulls/Jim & Kelly Orhood).
About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, ESPN, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 500 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over 1.7 million live event attendees each year with it multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The PBR prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in five countries
