Asteroid Returns from Retirement in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – Buckle up St. Louis! This weekend, the Top 35 stars of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will square off with the best bovine athletes in the world during the Bass Pro Chute Out presented by Cooper Tires at Scottrade Center. For the 19^th consecutive year, the PBR brings its elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) to the Gateway City, Feb. 12-14.

For three days, fans are guaranteed an action-packed, jaw-dropping experience every time a 150-pound bull rider squares off with a 2,000-pound bull for an 8-second battle that is sure to get hearts racing.

Adding to the excitement of the weekend will be the fact that PBR World Champion Bull Asteroid will come out of retirement, bucking for the first time since February 2015 during the PBR’s Iron Cowboy event in Arlington, Texas. The big chocolate brown bovine was named the PBR’s top bucking bull in 2012, unseating one of the greatest bulls the PBR has ever known, three-time World Champion Bull, Bushwacker.

Asteroid was recently purchased by Chad Berger and the five-time stock contractor decided the bull’s days of competing were not over. This weekend, Asteroid will match up with Joao Ricardo Vieira during the 15/15 Bucking Battle on Saturday night. The two have met three times with the bull besting the 2013 PBR Rookie of the Year all three times.

The Bass Pro Chute Out presented by Cooper Tires will begin at 8 p.m. CT, on Friday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 13, and 1:50 p.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 14. Tickets start at $15 and are available at the Scottrade Center, www.Ticketmaster.com and by telephone at 800-745-3000.

New to the ticket options this year are the PBR Elite Seats. Located in an exclusive section of the arena immediately next to the chutes and all of the action, the PBR Elite Seats are priced at $350 each, and will give fans the VIP experience of a lifetime: a pre-event reception with refreshments, backstage tours, featuring a PBR 101 presentation, and meet-and-greets with the PBR’s exclusive entertainer Flint Rasmussen and top PBR stars. These seats are also on sale now.

The PBR has awarded approximately $2.5 million to winning riders over nearly two decades in St. Louis. These winning riders include: Kaique Pacheco (2015), Joao Ricardo Vieira (2014), Fabiano Vieira (2013), Guilherme Marchi (2011), Jody Newberry (2010), Wiley Peterson (2009), Renato Nunes (2008), Matt Bohon (2007), Dustin Hall (2006), Justin McBride (2005, 2003), Adriano Moraes (2004, 1998, 1997), Gary Richard (2002), Chris Shivers (2001, 2000) and Charles Litchfield (1999).

Last year, a near-capacity crowd watched as Pacheco rode Little Red Jacket (Gene Owen/J.A.R.S. Bucking Bulls) for 89.5 points in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round to pick up the first win of his young career.

This weekend, Pacheco will be back to defend his title, riding alongside two-time and reigning PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (2015, 2013), as well as former World Champions, Silvano Alves (2011, 2012, 2014), Guilherme Marchi (2008) and Mike Lee (2004).

Fan favorites Ben Jones and Ryan Dirteater, as well as Missouri natives Brady Sims and Mason Lowe, are also slated to compete.

During Round 1 on Friday, Round 2 on Saturday and Round 3 on Sunday, the bull riders will face one bull each. Following Round 3 on Sunday, the Top 15 riders with the highest cumulative scores after the three rounds will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round for one more ride and a chance at the event title.

Following Round 2 on Saturday evening, a special round of competition will be held as the sport’s best bovine athletes and bull riders will compete during the 15/15 Bucking Battle. The series’ Top 15 bull riders will be randomly matched against the 15 highest-ranked bulls in St. Louis for a special round of action. Airing on CBS, Sunday, Feb. 14, the 15/15 Bucking Battle offers a total purse of $21,000 and additional points toward the PBR world standings.

Bullfighters Only (BFO) and the PBR have joined forces to feature the most-talented freestyle bullfighters in the world during BFO competitions at stops along the PBR’s 2016 Built Ford Tough Series – St. Louis included. Bullfighters will take to the arena during intermission on Friday at the Scottrade Center, to showcase their fast–paced sport, which is based on the fundamental skills required to protect bull riders.

CBS Sports, the home of the PBR, will broadcast the 15/15 Bucking Battle Sunday, Feb. 14 at Noon. Round 3 of the Bass Pro Chute Out presented by Cooper Tires as well as the Built Ford Tough Championship Round will air on CBS Sports Network Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET. Fans can also watch all of the action live via the PBR LIVE app, available for download now on Google Play and iTunes, or online at www.pbr.com/live.

The Bass Pro Chute Out presented by Cooper Tires will be the seventh event on the 2016 PBR Built Ford Tough Series schedule. The season will consist of 26 stops, traveling to such cities as Chicago, New York, Anaheim, California, and Dallas. The season finale, the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas, takes place Nov. 2-6, and will award the bull rider who earns the most world standings points during the season the coveted World Championship belt buckle, a $1 million bonus and the title of PBR World Champion.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.