PUEBLO, Colo. – For the 12th year in a row and 13th year overall, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will make a stop in Sacramento, California, with its elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) on Feb. 5-6, 2016, at the Sleep Train Arena.
The best bull riders in the world will once again face opponents weighing in at more than 10 times their size through two days of action-packed 8-second rides and heart-stopping wrecks. This Sacramento stop is the only chance for Northern California fans to witness these fearless cowboys doing battle with the fiercest bulls in the business, as the BFTS will make only one stop in Northern California during the 2016 season.
The Sacramento Invitational will begin at 8 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 5, and 6:50 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 6. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at the Sleep Train Arena box office, www.Ticketmaster.com, or by calling (800) 745-3000. For more information visit www.pbr.com.
Sactown fans will also have a chance to purchase the newly created PBR Elite Seats VIP Experience. For only $370, fans will receive premium seats in an exclusive section of the arena immediately next to the bucking chutes and all of the action. They’ll be given the VIP experience of a lifetime, including early entry; a pre-event reception with refreshments, a 60-minute backstage tour by a PBR Host, featuring a PBR 101 presentation and visit with the sports’ rankest bulls; meet-and-greets with the PBR’s exclusive entertainer Flint Rasmussen; and the opportunity for photos and autographs from top PBR stars. These tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster or by calling the PBR office at (800) 732-1727 for more information.
Last year, Sacramento fans watched 2008 PBR Rookie of the Year Reese Cates earn the second victory of his BFTS career, and his second victory in 2015. Cates covered two of his three bulls on the weekend and pushed himself into the No. 3 spot in the PBR world standings.
In 2016, the BFTS’ Top 35 bull riders will ride one bull each in Rounds 1 and 2 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. After Round 2 on Saturday, the riders’ individual scores will be totaled and the Top 15 will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round for one more ride and a chance at the $30,000 event title.
Cates is expected to defend his title in 2016, competing alongside three PBR World Champions, including Mike Lee (2004), three-time World Champion Silvano Alves (2011, 2012, 2014), as well as the richest athlete in Western sports history, two-time and reigning PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney.
The Sacramento Invitational is the fifth stop on the 2016 BFTS schedule. The season will conclude at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas taking place at the new Las Vegas Arena on Nov. 2-6. After five days of competition, the 2016 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most points during the 2016 season, will be crowned and receive the coveted $10,000 World Championship belt buckle and a $1 million bonus.
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.
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