ONTARIO, Calif. (August 28, 2010) - When he saw the draw for Saturday night’s opening round in Ontario, Calif., Brendon Clark knew that McKennon Wimberly would finish no worse than third if he made it to the whistle on Vegemite.
Clark knows Vegemite as a “good little bull.” And with good reason – he and Jared Farley raised him, and only recently sold him to Hollister Bucking Bulls.
“He’s not a world beater, and he’s not scary in any way,” Clark said, “but he’s a good little bull, and that’s what every one of us riders want.”
While Clark might be happy to see a bull he raised do so well on the Built Ford Tough Series, Wimberly’s success on Vegemite bumped Clark out of the round lead.
He’s been called the cockiest No. 10-ranked athlete in all of professional sports, and Saturday night in Ontario, Wimberly won the opening round of the Bass Pro Shops Invitational with an 88.5-point effort on Vegemite.
“The funniest part was Brendon was winning the round when I rode him,” Wimberly said, “and I beat him on his own bull.”
Wimberly took the win, while Robson Palermo finished second with 88 points on White Velvet, followed closely by Clark and Pete Farley, who each scored 87.5 points earlier in the night.
“It’s disappointing in one way,” offered Clark, who said the bull was sold only because he was too good to keep at home. “I didn’t win the round, but I knew that matchup was going to win no worse than third. I figured it was a bull that fit McKennon’s style.”
The kid from Cool, Texas, agreed, and was happy to note that he “even spurred him a little bit.”
Wimberly, who was profiled on Saturday night’s Versus broadcast, is being called the cockiest No. 10 bull rider – if not the cockiest of those ranked in the Top 10.
“They say I’m cocky and I talk too much,” said Wimberly, who followed the statement up with a smile, “but I can back up what I say.”
He’ll have a chance to win his first-ever BFTS event Sunday afternoon when the event concludes at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The final two rounds begin at 2 p.m. PT.
“I think I’m way past due,” Wimberly said.
Live Event Center: Follow all the action from this week’s BFTS event in Ontario by logging on to the Event Center at www.pbr.com/live. The multimedia center provides live scoring, live blogging, live photos and event-related interviews.
