BILLINGS, Mont. – With his first 90-point ride in almost four years, 2008 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Rookie of the Year Reese Cates won the 15/15 Bucking Battle Saturday night during the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) Stanley Performance in Action Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, at Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings, Montana.
Cates covered Boot Jack (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Jerry Brown) for 90.5 points to earn the win during the special round of competition, which matches the Top 15 bull riders against the Top 15 bulls in the competition.
Cates picked up 150 points towards the PBR world standings for the win. The bonus points moved him from No. 8 in the PBR world standings to No. 6.
Current No. 1 rider Joao Ricardo Vieira and Shane Proctor tied for second in the 15/15 Bucking Battle with 88.75-point rides aboard I’m A Gangster Too (Jeff Robinson/TNT Bucking Bulls) and Beaver Creek Beau (Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Jonathan Fine), respectively. Both earned 82.5 points toward the world standings.
In fourth place was North Dakota native Nathan Schaper, who made the 8-second whistle on Modified Clyde (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) for a score of 87.5 points and 60 world standings points.
Schaper had been matched with the unridden Mick E Mouse (Marlene Henry) in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, but the bovine fouled himself out during the ride, giving Schaper the option for a re-ride.
Canadian Tanner Byrne rounded out the Top 5 with 87.25 points atop American Sniper (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Julie Rosen) for 45 points toward the world standings.
CBS Television Network will carry all of the action of the PBR 15/15 Bucking Battle on Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m. ET.
Gage Gay and Douglas Duncan tied for the win in Round 2 of the Stanley Performance in Action Invitational with scores of 86.25 points apiece, Gay atop Smoke Wagon (Tyler Farris Buckin Bulls) and Duncan aboard Donardo (Bailey Pro Rodeo). Both riders earned 80 points toward the world standings.
2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi placed third in the round for 50 points toward the world standings, while Eduardo Aparecido took fourth, earning 40 world standings points.
Defending PBR Billings event winner Cody Nance placed fifth in the round for 30 points toward the world standings.
Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round of the Stanley Performance in Action Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, takes place Sunday at 1:50 p.m. MT. CBS Sports Network will broadcast both rounds of competition live, beginning at 4 p.m. ET. Fans can also watch each round of bull riding in real-time on PBR LIVE at www.pbr.com/live.
Billings is the 15th of 27 stops on the 2015 PBR Built Ford Tough Series schedule. The season will culminate with the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 21-25 when the 2015 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most points during the 2015 season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and a $1 million bonus.
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.
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