Bailey Wins Average but CBR Bull Riders leave $20,750 on the Dirt in Mercedes

MERCEDES, Texas - Oct. 18, 2015 - PRLog -- It was a night of almosts and missed opportunities for 25 cowboy athletes from eight different states. Tennessee cowboy and Mahindra Young Gun, Corey Bailey covered two bulls for 176.5 points to win the average, but no rider heard the whistle in the final four Shoot Out round to earn the pot of gold available at the Bulls on the Border Bull Bash at the Mercedes Livestock Show Arena.

The $20,750 dollars left in the CBR money bag will remain in the office until the season opener on January 16 in Jackson, Tennessee where it will be combined for a total purse of $50,750 that will be up for grabs for the top 24 cowboys who qualify for the Mahindra Road to Cheyenne Tour that will resume after the first of the year.

While seven bull riders almost received a score clocking in between seven and eight seconds, 9 cowboys managed qualified rides in 42 outs of the 3 round tournament style competition.

Mercedes, stop No. 5 on the Mahindra Road to Cheyenne, was poised as a night of comebacks as the fans cheered on four  bull riders attempting to make remarkable returns from injury. Three time NFR qualifier Trey Benton of Rock Island, Texas rode his first bull in CBR action in twelve months after injuries suffered while competing at the 2014 NFR. With his bull riding colleagues cheering him on, behind and in front of the bucking chutes, Benton was one of two riders in the semifinal round to post a score high enough to advance him to the final round.

“It feels great to be back with all my friends and I feel very strong and healthy,” said Benton after making the Shoot Out round on his comeback journey.

Leading off in the first round was sophomore rider Wyatt Rogers who returned to Mercedes to try and repeat his $43,000 career launching win of last year’s Bull Bash.  Rogers was the first and only bull rider to earn a score in the first section riding Y310 Added Money. Eight riders later Dustin Boguet, the rookie from Louisiana covered 1229 Final Hour for 86 points.

Reid Barker, the only other cowboy to ride two in Mercedes, would be the next cowboy to score with an 86 on 955 Shorty. Corey Bailey would answer with an 88 on J03, Bad Blake.

Cajun cowboy Jacob O’Mara of Baton Rouge would ride 908 Catahoula for 84 points and Tell Wertz was 83.5 points on a reride bull to round out the six cowboys advancing on scores.

Fielding the twelve man semifinal round would include advancing six riders on time scored. Powered by the CBR Bull Team Challenge the bucking bulls would continue to be in command of the arena. Trey Benton would strike first on 911 Bargin Bin for 87.5 points even after he went the opposite direction from his usual trip, and opposite the advice Benton received from owner Jeff Harris.

The next eight riders would buck off before Reid Barker would earn an 87 on NO43 Boom Boom, a young bucker from Ray Cattle Company. But the most impressive ride of the Mercedes statistic chart would come from Corey Bailey on Mike Rawson’s White Wolfe for 88.5  to win the semifinal round and take home the Hy O Silver trophy buckle for High Marked Ride.

After an intermission featuring TV Host and Entertainer Chad Prather, the final four Shoot Out round would get underway with Wyatt Rogers, Trey Benton, Corey Bailey, and Reid Barker. Bailey by virtue of his 176.5 highest average score would select first and he chose American Fire, Barker selected Rawson’s Black Betty, who provided last week’s rider a large final four score in Conroe. Rogers would attempt 9639 Crystal City, the new unridden bull of Championship Pro Rodeo that was making his debut on tour.

According to Bailey, a bull rider who gets off his feet and stays focused in between rounds, the big decision was what bull to go with between Black Betty and American Fire. Looking at the selected bulls for the final four round before the event starts had Bailey convinced if given the opportunity he would select American Fire based on his ability to earn riders big scores, if ridden.

Benton would be left with 051 Something Else a bull that Taryl Smith won on earlier in the season. All four bull riders would be overpowered in the Shoot Out round leaving $20,750 in the purse to be rolled over to the sixth stop on the CBR Mahindra Road to Cheyenne tour.

With reigning CBR World Champion Cody Teel and CBR World Standings leader Cody Rostockyj both absent from Mercedes the door was wide open for former CBR World Champion Sage Kimzey who needed 170.5 points to take the lead, but a rematch on JQH’s Jack Tar would block the champ’s window of opportunity.

Corey Bailey would move to the No. 3 slot in the standings followed by the new No. 4, Reid Barker.

Teel, who won the 2015 CBR World Champion title in July at Cheyenne Frontier Days remains in the top ten after injury kept him from his second trip to the Bulls on the Border Bash. Up for grabs at the CBR World Finals is a prize package that includes an eMax 22 Gear Mahindra tractor, a custom saddle, custom Fenoglio Boots, a Hy O Silver gold buckle, and a check for $100,000.

CBR Bull Team Challenge in Mercedes was won by Jeff Harris of Palestine, Texas. Harris, fresh off winning Conroe earlier this month, earned his second title of the season beating his good friend Mike Rawson by 1.25 points. Harris had this to say about his bulls’ performance,

“My same three bulls bucked really solid tonight and there is no secret, you get them all ridden and you win,” said Harris. But according to Harris, the 2014 Stock Contractor of the Year, the bulls did not have the same trip tonight. “I felt bad after telling Benton what the bull (Bargin Bin) usually does, tonight he went the other way for the first time in three years,” continued Harris. “But Trey was on a mission tonight and I was glad to be part of it, he is a good kid and a good hand.”

Harris, who is enjoying his new bull J03 Bad Blake, a son of M17, bred and raised by Shane Sosa of Pleasanton, Texas, kept his team together pairing the new bucker with his rock solid anchors, 955 Shorty and 911 Bargin Bin. In round one, Reid Barker advanced on 86 points from 955 Shorty while Corey Bailey tied the first round on J02 Bad Blake for 88 points. Trey Benton kept complete control of Bargin Bin for his 87.5 points in the semifinal round.

In a not often seen statistic in the bull team challenge, Harris had all three of his bulls ridden to earn him the $20,000 check, HyO Silver trophy buckle and a pair of custom Fenoglio boots.

9103 Red Solo Cup, owned by Mack Altizer, and representing the Silent 7 bull team, pulled in the High Marked rank bull score of the night with 91 points. 9103 is sired by the legendary Walk This Way.

Rider Results

1. Corey Bailey, 176.5 points on 2, $2,350. 2, Reid Barker, 173 2, $2,250. 3. Wyatt Rogers, 88, $1,800. 4, Trey Benton, 87.5 points, $1,750.

Bull Team Challenge Results

1, Harris, 282.5 points, $20,000. 2, Rawson-Probst 281.25, $12,000. 3, Silent 7, 278.46, $8,000. 4, Ray, 277.46, $5,000.