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PBR Returns to Thackerville for Seventh Consecutive Year

By: Kacie Albert
August 29, 2017

PUEBLO, Colo. – For the seventh consecutive year, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) will return to Thackerville, Oklahoma, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2-3. The WinStar World Casino & Resort Invitational showcases the world’s best bull riders and rankest bulls in a custom-built, outdoor arena adjacent to WinStar World Casino.

Aside from Last Cowboy Standing at Las Vegas Helldorado Days, the PBR’s 19th stop of the season in Thackerville is the only event in which the Top 35 bull riders in the world will go against the nation’s rankest animal athletes outdoors and under the lights. The stars of the PBR will vie for their piece of a $140,000 payout, facing opponents 10 times their size through two days of action-packed 8-second rides and heart-stopping wrecks.

The WinStar World Casino and Resort Invitational will feature two rounds of bull riding. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 on Saturday and Round 2 on Sunday. The 15 bull riders with the top combined ride scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round on Sunday where a winner will be crowned.

Following Round 1 on Saturday night, Thackerville will play host to the seventh 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season. Fans can watch the 15/15 Bucking Battle exclusively on CBS national television Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.

2008 World Champion, and last year’s Thackerville event winner, Guilherme Marchi will return to defend his title in hopes of a repeat victory. Marchi comes into Thackerville after etching his name into the history books in the first-half of the 2017 PBR season when he became the first cowboy in history to ride 600 bulls on the elite BFTS. In early April at the Billings, Montana, event Marchi covered Shocker (D&H Cattle Co.) for 86.25 points for career ride No. 600. The 14-year veteran is the PBR’s all-time leader in qualified rides, and has a 55.18 career riding percentage in the BFTS.

In addition to Marchi, fans can expect to see some of PBR’s toughest athletes, including reigning World Champion Cooper Davis, three-time World Champion Silvano Alves (2011, 2012, 2014), 2016 PBR Rookie of the Year, 19-year-old phenom, Jess Lockwood, 2015 Rookie of the Year Kaique Pacheco and many more.

On the heels of one of the tightest points battles in PBR history that saw Texan Davis emerge as the 2016 World Champion, this season has proven to be just as exciting, with the top three riders in the world, Pacheco, Eduardo Aparecido, and Lockwood,  separated by fewer than 700 points. The upcoming event in Thackerville will be a crucial stop for the riders with just seven events left before the World Finals.

At the last BFTS stop, Fabiano Vieira won the first PBR Major event of his career, taking the title at Nashville’s Built Ford Tough Music City Knockout, presented by Cooper Tires. Vieira earned 905 world points and $116,300 for the victory, rocketing him from No.17 to No.7 in the PBR world standings.

Also in Nashville, fellow Brazilian Pacheco won the Ride Score Championship after going a combined 2-for-4. The 22-year-old earned $44,300 and 580 world points, allowing him to claim the No.1 spot in the world rankings for the first time this season.

Tickets for the two-day event are currently on sale at the WinStar World Casino Global Event Center Box Office, at www.Ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 732-1727.  Prices range from $45 to $65.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network – the home of the PBR – and networks around the world. 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.

Championship Sunday from the WinStar World Casino & Resort Invitational will air on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, September 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET with coverage of Round 2 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round.

PBR LIVE will also stream the entire event in real time starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 2 and 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. PBR LIVE is available at no charge to all fans and media. Visit www.pbrlive.com to view. Fans can also watch all the action live via the PBR LIVE app, available for download now on Google Play and iTunes.

© 2017 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

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