Brian Canter rode off with the win at the Tacoma Invitational after riding his bulls in all three rounds last weekend taking home more than $41,000 for his efforts. This was Canter’s first time back since a shoulder injury had sidelined him for several weeks. “I took off the last couple events and came back very confident,” Canter said from the winner’s circle. “I was working hard at home, going to the gym and to therapy for my shoulder. It’s still sore, but not as bad as two weeks ago. This win is definitely getting me motivated for the rest of the year.”
Canter scored 87 points in round one aboard Don Kish Bucking Bulls' Splatter’, splitting fourth, fifth, and sixth place. He won round two riding another Don Kish Bucking Bull, Beer Goggles for 89.75 points. As the winner of round two, Canter had first choice of the bulls in the short-go and picked Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls’ Troubadour. This bull is considered the cream of the crop and Canter was delighted, saying he had always wanted to get on him and now was his chance. His pick proved to be the right one as this bull took him on a spectacular ride to a score of 93.25 points for Canter and 46.5 points for Troubadour, winning Canter both the Championship Round and the Tacoma Event, and Troubadour the Salem NationaLease Bull of the Event honors.
Since Canter was in the lead going into the Championship Round and then became the ultimate winner in the overall event, he received the Ford Truck Moment of Truth Bonus of $10,000. The event win has also qualified him for a chance to win $50,000 towards the purchase of a brand-new F-150 truck at the 2009 World Finals.
The “Killer B’s” dominated the rest of the event standings. Current World Champion Guilherme Marchi took second place, with fellow Brazilians Renato Nunes, Valdiron de Oliveira and Robson Palermo taking third, fourth and fifth places. Marchi added enough points during this event to boost him in the World Standings to second place and push J.B. Mauney into third.
There is a ‘grudge match’ scheduled to be held in Albuquerque next weekend between the number one and number two bull riders in the world with a $20,000 prize up for grabs. Up until the end of the Tacoma event, Kody Lostroh was number one and J.B. Mauney was number two, and the event was heavily publicized as being between these two men. Now that Marchi has taken over the number two position, it will be interesting to see how this match up is handled.
The event was not without injury. Young Ryan Dirteater suffered a fractured right femur during round one when his bull rolled over on him coming out of the chute. He had surgery on Sunday where they inserted a rod into his femur and he will be out of competition for four to six months. His traveling buddy, Austin Meier was also injured during this event, dislocating his collarbone during round two. He is questionable for Albuquerque. Both of these men are fan favorites and outstanding bull riders. Our wishes for a speedy recovery go out to them both.Until next time….
Copyright 1996 - 2008 Rodeo Attitude, LLC., All rights reserved.