Radley and Jared Allen Pro Bull Team Find Success at CBR Season Opener

The Red Wilk Construction Bull Bash presented by the South Dakota State Fair

HURON, South Dakota – (September 1, 2017) – Only one bull rider, Louisiana’s Koby Radley, survived the power of the CBR Bull Team Challenge at the 12 year old Western Entertainment tradition known as the Red Wilks Construction Bull Bash. The first stop on the CBR’s Road to Cheyenne is produced by Red Wilks and held annually as the opening grandstand event at the South Dakota State Fair and is the longest running consecutive CBR sanctioned bull riding on the Road to Cheyenne tour.

“It feels great to take the first lead and get things rolling for what hopefully is a gold buckle run, the plan is to keep winning,” said Radley, a twenty-one year old two-time CBR World Finals qualifier and a former CBR Horizon year-end Champion.

After forty one outs and nine qualified rides, it was the Louisiana cowboy from Montpelier who was the only bull rider to cover two during the CBR three round tournament style event. Radley was 84.5 in round one and 89 in the semifinal round to eventually be declared the average champion and winner of the CBR’s season opener.

On a night where two rookies qualified for the final Shoot Out Round, the CBR bull riders fell short with zero qualified rides in the final four man leaving $21,250 unclaimed in the CBR Bank. That prize money will roll over and be added to the $30,000 purse up for grabs on Sunday night in Window Rock, Arizona at the Navajo Nation CBR.

Radley received $2,250 for his efforts tonight and the CBR prize package that included a custom Hyo Silver engraved buckle, a pair of Fenoglio boots, an American Hat and more importantly the first lead in the CBR World Standings for the 2017-18 season. It was Radley’s second event win on the CBR’s premier televised tour.

Round One

Eight of the night’s nine scores were earned in round one. Last season’s #2 gunner Eli Vastbinder and the rider everyone is watching, National High School Rodeo Champion Trey Holston, split the win in round one. Both were 86.5, but Vastbinder did not get a clean dismount off Allen’s 414 Uncle Keith as the bull stepped on his instep forcing him to withdraw from the rest of the competition.

Rookie rider Dakota Nye caught the eye of a veteran stock contractor as he earned the second highest score of the round, 85.5 on 177 Tomahawk, a right hand delivery bull from Hat Brand Rodeo.

“Keep your eye on this guy, he studies to be the best he can be and never quits learning,” said Matt Scharping who added the Iowa native is a great guy and talented bull rider.

On a night where two rookies advanced to the final four out off round one scores Veteran and multiple year CBR World Finals qualifier Lane Toon was third in the round with 85 points on 264 Houdini Martini (Rawson) and Tyler Taylor and Denton Fugate scored 83 and 69.5 respectively on Coal Face (Rockin R) and JQH’s 25T Wicked Ways.

Semifinals

With the crowd pumped and consistently entertained by funny man Hippy Engelkes, the semifinal round kicked off with four riders drawing back on time earned advancing eight riders on their round one scores. The bulls remained in control of the event as they bucked off all but one rider, but Radley stepped up and rode Jeff Harris’s 33 Tamale for 89 points and the highest marked ride of the night.

“33 went from being my lowest team bull score last night to the highest tonight when I adjusted the flank based on a discussion I had with the bull’s previous owner,” revealed 2016 World Champion Bull Team owner Jeff Harris of Palestine, Texas, who also said this was the first time 33 turned back left instead of right after clearing the chute gate.

“I was pumped about this bull, it was my first time on him and he was great,” recalled Radley as he prepared to head out to a rodeo before arriving in Window Rock on Sunday.

Shoot Out Round

As the only bull rider to ride two Koby Radley earned the right to select his Shoot Out match first.

“I didn’t know these bulls as they were from up north, Tuff suggested one and I should have listened,” revealed Radley who bucked off at six seconds from a bull named Fast Eddy owned by Corey Check.

Eighteen year old Holston selected 742 Check It Out (Noble and Check) for his first pro Shoot Out round, Nye took 10 Blues Man (Noble and Check) who was making his second Shoot Out appearance in Huron, and that left Lane Toon with 31 Rising Sun (Harris). Bull power courtesy of Corey Check, Matt Noble, and Jeff Harris, forced a no hitter when the two rookies and two veterans all came down before the required 8 second seconds.

Bull Team Challenge

The CBR Bull Team Challenge (BTC) worth $90,000 in Huron, got underway on night one with Jeff Harris winning the first Cheyenne Challenge event for the second consecutive year which earned him an automatic BTC World Finals qualification. Night two was a nail biter as the top three bull teams were less than one point apart on the result sheet. Somewhat dazed and amazed by the win, Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team #1 earned the $20,000 first prize check as they nudged out Jeff Harris on night two by .33 points to post the year’s win points and take the lead in the CBR’s Bull Team Challenge World Standings.

Allen’s three bulls were 276.87 total points as Allen and bull manager Matt Scharping planned to buck three familiar bulls on the Road to Cheyenne – but the night did not go as intended.

“I had to substitute 414 when 119 Lunatic was too sore to buck tonight, I brought 414 Uncle Keith as an extra bull and was anticipating Lunatic to be my best tonight – boy was I surprised when 414 went from the lowest to the highest of my team scores in 24 hours,” said Scharping.

414 Uncle Keith, a three year old calf raised by Scharping, won a competitive bull classic event last week and lead Allen’s team tonight as the only qualified ride when Eli Vastbinder rode him in round one for 86.5 points and according to Scharping his eight second performance was excellent.

Scharping and Allen placed CBR Bucking Bull of the Year 911 Hy Test in the semifinal round where that did not go as planned either.

“Tyler Tayor was really excited to draw 911 and told me that was the one bull he had always wanted to get on,” said Scharping. But the recently crowned 911 overpowered Taylor at 2.89 seconds in the process of earning Allen’s team an 87.5 bull score.

Jeff Harris was second followed by Lyndal Hurst, and Mike Rawson Bucking Bulls rounded out the money earning four places. Champion Bull of the event was Harris’s 33 Tamale and 210 Chaos Ghost brought to Huron by Scot Winston and Corey Melton bull team earned the rank Bull of the Event honors for 90 points as he bucked off the rookie, Dakota Nye in 1.82 of the Semifinal round.

World Standings Race

Koby Radley is the first leader for the 2018 Road to Cheyenne tour with 173 points from his three bull performance at the season opener. Tied for second and third is Eli Vastbinder and rookie Trey Holston with 86.5 points. Dakota Nye is in fourth with 85.5 and Lane Toon rounds out the first top five finishes of the yearlong sixteen city tour. The CBR tour resumes in three days as the action returns on Sunday night, September 3 in Window Rock, Arizona where six time World Champion Sage Kimzey returns to the CBR scene to launch his bid to remain the most decorated bull rider in CBR history.

Red Wilk Construction CBR Bull Bash Results

Average Results

1, Koby Radley, Montpelier, LA, 173 points on three, $2,250. 2-3, (Tie) Eli Vastbinder, 86.5, $1,400; Trey Holston, Fort Scott, KS, $1,500. 3, Dakoata Nye, Stephenville, TX, $1,500. 5, Lane Toon, Smithville, OK, 85, $1,500.

Shoot Out Round

Zero qualified rides

CBR Huron Bull Team Challenge Results

1, Jared Allen Pro Bull Team Bucking Bulls, 276.87, $20,000. 2, Harris, 276.54, $12,000. 3, Lyndal Hurst, 276.12, $8,000.00. 4, Rawson Bucking Bulls #1, 272.92, $5,000.00.

Champion Bull – 33 Tamale, Jeff Harris, 89 points (Semifinal round)

Bull of the Event, 210 Chaos Ghost, Winston and Melton – 90 points (Semifinal round)

Round by round scoring available on cbrbull.com. For more information contact Leigh Ann Schroeder at leighann@cbrbull.com. Follow CBR on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CBRbull.

About Championship Bull Riding – Located in the cowboy capital of the world, historic Weatherford, Texas, Championship Bull Riding (CBR) is an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the very best elements of the sport. Under the direction of CEO Benny Cude and bull riding icon Tuff Hedeman, CBR has grown into an organization that works to put the best riders on the best bulls, delivering world-class qualified rides and entertainment to its legions of world-side fans. CBR has two tours, riders begin in the Horizon Series earning points to move onto the elite Road to Cheyenne Tour. The Road to Cheyenne Tour culminates in July at the legendary Cheyenne Frontier Days where the world champion bull rider earns a $100,000 bonus. The CBR Bull Team Challenge is also part of the tour events where stock contractors bring their best bulls and compete for annual cash prizes that total over $1 million. Providing opportunities for contestants, stock contractors, fans and sponsors is why CBR is the REAL COWBOY SPORTtm. CBR is featured at over 70 venues across the United States with national television programming on the Fox Sports Networks for 26 consecutive weeks in prime time. Follow CBR on all major social media platforms as Championship Bull Riding and CBRbull.com. For more information visit www.cbrbull.com or call 817-626-BULL (2855).

Courtesy of CBR