In the Bull Pen: Thackerville

PUEBLO, Colo. – For a preview of the bulls that will be on hand in Thackerville, Oklahoma, this week, look no further than last weekend’s showing in Tulsa. Thackerville will follow the same format, a 15/15 Bucking Battle round and an ABBI Classic on the first day.

PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert has made a few adjustments. Curtis Mendell’s Big Benny was, in Lambert’s mind, the easiest bull in the Tulsa short round group. A strong showing against Derek Kolbaba, though, has moved him up to the 15/15 Bucking Battle in Thackerville. Midnight Train, Hey Jack, and Majestic are also moving into the 15/15 Bucking Battle after impressive outs in Tulsa.

H.D. Page’s Margy Time will make his Built Ford Tough Series season debut in the 15/15 Bucking Battle. We haven’t seen him since the 2015 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals.

Pearl Harbor, Seven Dust, Cochise, and Sweet Pro’s Bruiser, the top bulls in Tulsa, will once again be in the 15/15 Bucking Battle this weekend. Blake Sharp’s Hammer it Again will face Kaique Pacheco again after throwing him off in Tulsa. Big Cat, who is still unridden, will take on Mike Leeafter making short work of J.B. Mauney last week.

The ABBI Classic winner in Tulsa was Deep Water. He won’t be on hand in Thackerville, but the other nine of the Top 10 Classic bulls will buck for the second week in a row. Page’s Udder Lover was the second place bull last week, and he will face Tyler Harr in Round 1. Chad Berger’s Wicked Stick will get another shot at Nathan Schaper, who he easily bested in Tulsa.

J.A.R.S / Gene Owen will bring five bulls for Saturday’s short round. Sheep Creek, Moto Moto, Kill the Lights and Torch were all in Nashville but skipped Tulsa.

J.W. Hart / Caveman’s Rodeo Time, who threw Shane Proctor last weekend, is back in the short round for Thackerville. While he was not the best bull in Tulsa, he was among the best looking bulls last week at the BOK Center. The odds are he’s going to look even better in an outdoor setting.

Although many of the bulls are the same, the environment in Thackerville will be radically different. Thackerville is an outdoor event, and the weather is usually pretty hot. Most BFTS events are indoors in climate controlled arenas, and this can have an effect on bulls. Some bulls seem to be better outdoors, and some not so much. Being in southern Oklahoma, there’s also a chance for thunderstorms, but the forecast looks like it will be dry at event time. That said, the elements are often unpredictable and that is likely to change everything up.