Cody Teel Conquers Five to be Crowned the 2015 CBR World Champion

The Championship Bull Riding Mahindra Road to Cheyenne World Finals concludes at Cheyenne Frontier Days with over half a million dollar pay out

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – July 22, 2015 – Presented by Mahindra USA, Championship Bull Riding (CBR) rendered five rounds of non-stop heart pounding, adrenaline charged competition that featured an old fashioned Shoot Out at the World Finals Cheyenne Frontier Days corral.

Twenty-five bull riders rounded out the draw sheet of the industry’s elite bull riders, but in the end it was just one who dominated the World Finals. Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas rode five for five to win the one bull riding champion title he had not earned.

“My main focus was just staying on bulls, whoever stays on the most bulls will be the winner,” stated Teel in the pre-event press conference.

The twelve month regular season portion of the CBR Mahindra Road to Cheyenne Tour came to an end in May with only thirty three points separating the number one Teel and number two, PRCA and CBR reigning World Champion, Sage Steele Kimzey, as they arrived in Cheyenne for the two day, five round, finale worth $190,000, held in the storied Frontier Park Arena.

In true gladiator fashion the 2012 PRCA World Champion Cody Teel slayed his opponents round by round with consistency. Although Teel did not have a round winning score, he persevered with a true grit and a grind style determination which has become the trademark of this cowboy from Southeast, Texas.

“I just had to tough it out, with two down last night and three more to go, I had to dig down deep,” said the new champ after riding five for five including being stepped on by Rogaine in round one resulting in a serious ankle injuring requiring crutches. Determined to ride, Doc Spoon and the sports medicine teams at CFD, patched him up for the remaining three rounds.

“The biggest advantage of CBR is the caliber of bulls. You don’t have to worry about the draw, you know you are going to have a chance to win no matter what, said Teel.

US Army Veteran Juan Alonzo finished night one in first place in the average race worth 50,000. Cody Teel and Sage Kimzey both rode their bulls keeping the World Standings race alive and within 34 points.

Day two and round three began with a two hour rain water logging the venue for the Shoot Out in Cheyenne. With the CBR Bull Team competition powering the rounds, only 11 riders heard the whistle in round three. Joe Frost was the first to ride three bulls with an 89 on Elite’s Karaoke. Aaron Pass rode his third bull, Rawson’s Too Juicy, for a 90.5 to win the round. Teel was an 87.5 on Championship Pro Rodeo and Elite’s One More Dip, which put him ahead of Kimzey, after he bucked off of Western Hauler’s Lester Gillis. Mahindra Young Guns Eli Vastbinder and Cody Rostockyj would ride their draws, in strong pursuit for the average title. Eighteen year old and CBR rookie Wyatt Rogers would cover Bullionaire of Hurst and Baker, for 86, which advanced the fourth round.

Round four began with the top 12 average scores coming back for another bull. Kimzey, coming back in the 12th position, rode Ice Man of Rawson, Baker and Hurst, for 89 to put the pressure on Teel and he would answer with 90.5 points on what he claimed to be the toughest bull of his finals, Firehouse, from Folds, Winston, Strickland and Melton.

“He just kind of threw everything at me,” said Teel after the event.

Brennon Eldred, Kimzey’s traveling partner, would post 90, while Aaron Pass and Rostockyj would be 89, Jacob O’Mara and Vastbinder would both be 88.5,

But it was Brennon Eldred who would set the house on fire with his 91 point ride on 126 Hood Rat of Loe and Melton Bull Team. Eldred, riding with a groin injury, would take the average lead on four thus giving him the advantage of first bull draft for the final four Shoot Out round.

With a $100,000 check, a Hyo Silver trophy buckle, custom Fenoglio Boots, an eMax22 Gear tractor from Mahindra and a custom trophy saddle by Juan Jose Muñoz Andrade statistically in the bag for Cody Teel, the last round of the CBR Finals became a 50,000.00 Shoot Out for the average title.

Joe Frost, cousin of the late bull riding great, Lane Frost, easily broke the ice and became the first bull rider to cover all five head when he rode Benny Cude’s Cadillac Red for 90 points. Teel answered with 90.5 on a Jaynes, Dial, and Johnston’s Painkiller, but Eli Vastbinder would buck off cowboy favorite Kojack of Championship Pro Rodeo and Elite.

With the crowd on their feet, the Oklahoma cowboy would bring the house down with 92.5 points on Rawson’s perennial bucker, Black Betty, to win the average title of the CBR World Finals with 448 on five bulls.

“I have always wanted to get on Black Betty,” said the CBR rookie Brennon Eldred on a night of no rider-bull rematches. The competition was fierce and Eldred who posted his highest score of the season takes home the lion’s share of the $50,000.

Four-time World Champion Bull Rider and Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, Richard Neal “Tuff” Hedeman who coordinates the Mahindra Road to Cheyenne tour, had this to say about the championship night, “We’ve never had a more competitive group of guys on the tour. We had a great event with Cody Teel riding five for five to become the World Champion. This group of riders all wanted to win and they fought to the very end to get it done. What better place to battle it out than ‘The Daddy of em All’ Cheyenne Frontier Days.”

Each night the cowboys cumulate points in each of the five rounds based on their qualified ride scores. These scores are added to their regular season totals. At the end of the CBR World Finals there are two champions, a World Champion and an event champion which rewards the bull rider with the highest average points from the two day event. The national tour includes stops from Jackson, Tenn., to Las Vegas, Nev., east to west and from Huron, S.D., to Del Rio, Texas, north to south.

The World Finals event also featured the “other side of the ride”, CBR’s Million Dollar Bull Team Challenge World Finals which paid out over $699,000 on the Mahindra Road to Cheyenne tour regular season. The team of Mike Rawson and James Probst were the victors in tonight’s finale with 292 points.

Rawson, who cleared the field by 4.5 points had this to say about his win, “I am the luckiest man in America tonight and I am blessed to get to do what I love with my friends.”

The bulls total prize purse of $335,000 was based on their scored performance in the arena. At the end of the event Mike Rawson takes home the $107,500, Mahindra tractor, custom trophy saddle, Fenoglio Boots and a Hy O Silver gold buckle, but most importantly the label of CBR World Champion Bull Team.

2015 World Champion – Cody Teel, Kountze, Tex., 1500 points, $113,000.

CBR World Finals Event Average Results
1, Brennon Eldred, Sulphur, Okla., $23,000 448 on 5 head. 2, Cody Teel, $13,000,443 on 5 head. 3, Joe Frost, Randelett, UT, $9,000, 436 on 5 head. 4, Eli Vastbinder, $5,000, 354 on 4 head.

Courtesy of CBR