The set of bulls we’ll see in Biloxi will be quite different from what we’ve seen for the past couple of weeks. Obviously, the location has a lot to do with that, but there’s more to it. At this point in the season, the stock contractors are in a difficult situation. PBR livestock director Cody Lambert has the list of bulls for the World Finals just about finished. If a contractor owns a bull that is already in, he can possibly hurt his bull’s standing by bringing him to these late season events. If a bull has an off day a few weeks before the finals, it will take him off the list. On the other hand, bulls that are just good enough to make the finals aren’t exceedingly rare. If a contractor chooses not to bring a bull that’s already on the list, it opens the door for a lot of lesser known bulls to show up, and those can put on a short round quality performance and earn their way onto the Finals list at the expense of a bull that didn’t go to the event. So, it’s a gamble for bull owners.
“It’s a long year,” Lambert explained. “A bull can be on top of the world all year long, but what they are doing right now is the only thing that counts. If they have a bad trip right now, they won’t go to the Finals. At Biloxi, the short round is all Finals bulls, but both long rounds are bulls that need another look. There’s room for some of them at the Finals, but they’ll have to show us a short round quality trip here.”
In Biloxi, we’ll see a couple of bulls that we know will compete for World Champion Bull at the finals. Mick E. Mouse and Asteroid will both be there to compete with Bushwacker in a few weeks, and Bushwacker has looked beatable recently.
“That goes back to how costly it is for a bull to have a bad trip this time of year,” Lambert said. “If any of those bulls have a bad trip at the Finals, they won’t win the World Championship. That goes for Bushwacker too. Any of those bulls are capable of winning it, and they are all capable of losing it too.
“Asteroid was spectacular at Thackerville, but not as good at Springfield,” Lambert continued. “Mick E. Mouse is still unridden, but he was almost ridden in Thackerville by JW Harris, and I think we got to see what he’s going to be like once he gets into a spin. He’s looking more like a good one to have, but it’s going to take someone as good as Harris to ride him.
Former PBR bull fighter and the inaugural recipient of the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award Rob Smets isn’t exactly resting on his laurels. He’s got a bull in the short round at Biloxi as well. His bull, Jeremiah, looked good throwing off Kody Lostroh in Nashville, and he’s earned a shot in the short round here.
“Rob’s bull Jeremiah has only been to one Built Ford Tough Series event,” Lambert said. “He bucked off Kody Lostroh in Nashville, and he looks like the real deal. I’ve seen a couple of videos of him too. I’m putting him in the short go here hoping they ride him a little longer so we can see what he’s got. He looks like a Finals bull. Rob raised the bull, and he’s out of King’s Court, who was a son of Sky King, who was a son of Wolfman. He’s a big bull, although Sky King and Wolfman were tiny. Rob’s cows added some size to the bloodline, which goes all the way back to the original Oscar.”
We’ll also see several PBR veteran bulls in the short round lineup at Biloxi. Delco, After Party, and the still-unridden Raven Flyer will go in Saturday’s Built Ford Tough Championship Round.
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