TULSA, Okla. (July 20, 2010) - In retrospect, the Express Classic in Tulsa, Okla., appears to have been a strange weekend indeed.
In his weekly Podcast, Ty Murray said, “It was going to be interesting to see how everybody came off the break, and I think nobody could have expected all the different twists and turns we saw with that.”
Murray added, “It didn’t even look like any of the guys in the race for the World Championship were even in the game, but by the end of it, Renato [Nunes] was.”
Though he waited until Sunday afternoon to make his move, Nunes more than doubled his lead over Austin Meier atop the leader board. He now holds a 1,585.5-point advantage over Meier, who went 0-for-the-weekend for the sixth time this season.
Guilherme Marchi and Ryan McConnel both traveled to Oklahoma for the Built Ford Tough Series event, only to opt out within 30 minutes of the rider introductions.
Murray said bull riders make a living using their bodies, and that both should have known well before leaving home whether they were capable of competing at the highest level. And he wasn’t sure what to make of Travis Briscoe’s failure to finish an event for the fifth time this season.
“I really don’t know what to say about that,” Murray said. “You know when you sign up to be a bull rider that you’re going to have to be tough and you’re going to have to gut it out. Going, getting on a bull and then doctoring out of the rest of it is never going to cut it. This is a sport where you have to be tough.
“You know, I say it, but you really have to hear it: Every guy who has ever won a championship had to be tough. Every guy that’s ever been in the Top 10 with a substantial career has to be tough. That’s just part of it.”
Murray went on to point out that Briscoe has established a pattern in previous seasons of opting out of events in situations when others would have either finished or stayed home.
The nine-time World Champion was not doubting that Briscoe might have sustained a serious neck injury, but the five turn-outs are diminishing his opportunity to win a world title.
“I hope he gets a clean bill of health,” Murray said, “and I hope all that checks out well, and I’m not saying [he isn’t hurt]. I want to be clear about that, but every moment counts. And it’s not just this year, what I’m talking about. We’re looking at five times this year, but it’s been happening every year of his career.”
Valdiron de Oliveira was the lone rider in the Top 10 to make the short round having ridden all three of his bulls to that point. But his final round buckoff opened the door for Nunes to win his third BFTS event of 2010.
J.B. Mauney, who won a Touring Pro event in Salinas, Calif., in the middle of last week, bucked off his first two before salvaging his weekend with a qualified ride in the third round. Mike Lee was one of six riders to make it back to the short round with one score, while McKennon Wimberly was 0-for-3.
With Top -10 riders Briscoe, Marchi, McConnel and Robson Palermo out with injuries along with Top-15 standouts Skeeter Kingsolver and Josh Koschel, it’s nearly impossible to predict how the last nine BFTS events will play out.
What makes it all the more intriguing is the upcoming Final Five Chase, in which the Top 10 riders in the world standings will earn the right to compete on a bonus bull following the completion of the first round at the final five events.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Murray said. “It’s something that’s new and it’s going to be new to all of us, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.”
Murray’s entire 25-minute interview can be heard here.
