Baytown Bull Riding becoming the Fast Track to Success

Tickets on Sale for the Baytown Fair and Rodeo CBR Challenge presented by Ron Craft Chevrolet and Cadillac

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 20, 2017) – If you are a budding young bull rider mapping out your career path, you might want to consider coming to Baytown, Texas on Friday night April 21 for the Baytown Fair Junior Bull Riding Championship and then hang around for Saturday to see several World Champions and multiple Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers in action at the annual benefit event for the Baytown Fair and Rodeo Youth program.

Thought to be more than coincidence, each year many of the industry’s top young talent seems to find their way to the Southeast Texas Baytown Fairgrounds Arena.

The list of former champions includes reigning PBR World Champion Cooper Davis who won in 2012, top PRCA contender Cole Melancon was the 2013 champ. Before Cole was Keyshawn Whitehorse in 2014, Parker McKowan in 2015, and last year’s champion who is returning this year on the road to being a pro bull rider, Ross Freeman.

Saturday night’s feature bull riding brings in the number one and two Horizon Series contenders that are just one point apart as they head into the final stretch of the CBR’s Horizon Series tour which allows them to advance to the televised Road to Cheyenne tour. John Pitts of Panama City Florida will be in Baytown trying to knock off the number 1 ranked Denton Fugate of Dixon, Missouri. But before they can win the Baytown event they have to knock off last year’s champ and 2013 CBR World Champion bull rider Cole Echols who returns to the Baytown Arena on Saturday, April 22 to defend his title. Echols, a seven time CBR World Finalist and National Finals Rodeo qualifier, will have his work cut out for him as he will go up against the two of the hottest bull riders on the CBR’s Road to Cheyenne televised professional tour who are also the No. 1 and 2 ranked rider on the Horizon Series Tour.

The Horizon Series tour serves as the qualifying tour and was created to give new riders the opportunity to break on to the CBR Road to Cheyenne tour, the nationally televised tour which airs on Fox Sports Network.

Chris Rankin of Normangee, CBR Road to Cheyenne production manager and the voice of the CBR, brings the annual man vs beast contest to Baytown each year to benefit the youth livestock exhibitors of the Baytown Fair and Rodeo.

“This will mark year number 7 for the Baytown Fair & Rodeo to host a CBR Horizon Series Event, each year we try our best to bring the best bulls and bull riders available to the event. Any time you have World Champions and riders like Echols, Jacob O’Mara, Demond Haynes (Houston) Denton Fugate, who are ranked in the top ten nationally – at a horizon series event you know it is going to be a good night and we appreciate them accepting the invitation and coming to Baytown,” said Rankin who’s family assists him in producing the event.

With the CBR’s regular televised Road to Cheyenne season coming to close at the end of the month, the CBR Horizon Series Championship is still up for grabs with several events left before a new Horizon Series Champion will be crowned at Cheyenne Frontier Days in July. With valuable points still available at each remaining event and a $20,000 bonus to the winner, bull riders will travel from multiple states to compete in Baytown for their share of the points and $7,500 added money custom trophy buckle donated by Trenton Seeley of Normangee.

Rankin also announced he will have a line-up of all-star buckers loaded in the bucking chutes from several former stock contractors of the year. The bulls will also be competing in a 3 bull team challenge competition format with a prize package worth $24,000 to the top placing teams.

The event will feature two rounds of competition beginning at 7 pm followed by a concert that is included in the price of ticket featuring country music artists John Wolf followed by the Zane Williams band, brought to the fair by WOWCO Equipment rental, Hotchkiss Disposal, Monument Chemical and Bayshore Ram Jeep Chrysler Dodge.

Tickets are available through www.dirtroadtickets.com and prices start are $15 for advance tickets and $20 at the gate. Schedule of events:

Friday, April 21

5 pm – Junior Auction

8 pm – Junior Bull Riding

Saturday, April 23

7 pm – CBR Baytown Challenge Bull Riding

8 pm – Jon Wolf with Zane Williams Band – Concert

For more information contact Chris Rankin at chris@cbrbull.com

Websites: cbrbull.com; Baytown Fairgrounds Arena – 7900 North Main St, Baytown, TX 77521

Courtesy of CBR