World Standings Leader Cody Jesus Bet Black to win Largest Purse in CBR History

Hobbs Tuff Hedeman Championship Bull Riding

HOBBS, New Mexico – Battling the flu, 19 year old Cody Jesus produced three spectacular 90 point plus rides to outlast the field of 26 riders who were all fighting for a piece of the largest payout n CBR History at the 2018 Hobbs Tuff Hedeman CBR held at the Lea County Events Center on Saturday night.

“It was a life changing moment for me tonight, I want to thank Tuff and the CBR for providing such a great atmosphere to come and compete, the way I was feeling I was not sure my body could even last,” said the Navajo Champion bull rider who took over the CBR’s number one ranking from Boudreaux Campbell seven days ago.

Round 1

26 riders produced 9 qualified rides in round one to thrill the near capacity crowd in the Lea County Events Center. The entertainment was spectacular with JJ Harrison providing comic relief both in the stands and face down in the dirt. Koby Radley and Cody Jesus were both 90 points to split the round on 141 Arkansas Flash (Barrett/Willis) and 33 Tamale (Harris) respectively. Josh Frost got on the leader board with 89 5 points on Blind Spot (CPR/CPX). 2017 #2 rider, Eli Vastbinder was 88.5 when matched with a complete stranger – he had this to say about the competition.

“You know when you come to the CBR you are going to get on good bulls and I kind of started out slow this year and things seem to be finally be clicking a little better this week.” added Vastbinder.

Bouquet, Holston, Murray, Daye and former CBR World Champion Clayton Foltyn all turned in qualified rides to advance to the Semifinal round.

Semifinals

Nine riders advanced on qualified rides with three, World Champion Mike Lee, Trey Kimzey, and Tim Bingham coming back to the second round on time earned. Kimzey posted the first ride on Headlights (CPR/CPX) for 89 points.

Trey Holston, the nineteen year old 2017 National High School Rodeo Finals Champion would be the first to ride two with 90 points on 319 Astro for 178 on two. NFR rider Guthrie Murray bucked off Hudgins Cracker Jack. Vastbinder definitely in the zone marked 89.5 on Barrett and Willis’s 313 Trump Train.

Bouquet and Frost would come down early but Jesus would thentake the lead from Vastbinder with a 90.5 round win on 3406 Cimarron (Baker and Hurst). 180.5 became the score to beat.

Radley, the leader at this point in the competition, would ride V9 Roy’s Boy (Rawson) and score 89.5 for 179.5 on two and earn the second pick of Hedeman’s final four draft choices.

Shoot Out

It took an average score of 178 on two bulls to advance to the four man Shoot Out worth $87,500. The bull riders, who had experienced a drought of qualified rides dating back to September, were ready to fight for the money that had rolled over three times to produce a total prize purse of $100,000.

Jesus earned the right to pick first and he selected N1 Bet N Black. Vastbinder wasted no time deciding on Harris’s Speckled Bird. Radley took 31 Rising Sun (Harris), who had bucked Jesus off twice in big moments, once at CBR World Finals and again in Enid on January 6. That left the young Holston with 1032 Ring of Fire, who wasted no time getting on or out and struck first with 89.5 points. Vastbinder complicated the round beating his score by 1 with 90.5. Radley came down before the whistle and then there was one.

“The first two guys came out and made 2 really great bull rides, that just fired me up,” said Jesus. Taking advice from Hedeman that the bull from Elite could go either way, Jesus gambled on N1. The black bull owned by Jerilyn Harmon’s Elite Bucking Bulls and flanked by former pro bull rider Mike White was true to his name as the bull turned back left…into Jesus’ s riding hand for the 92 point thriller to end the Hobbs event and allow Hedeman to payout the $100,000 CBR purse.

World Title Race

Cody Jesus retains his lead in the CBR World Standings pulling away from the pack by 194.5. But the big winner besides Jesus’s bank book was 18 year old Trey Holston who rode three in Hobbs to move into the number 2 ranking with 709.5 points. Campbell slips to 3 with 619.5. Eli Vastbinder cracks the top five in fourth place narrowly passing Radley by .5.

Bull Team Challenge

Championship Pro Rodeo/CPX Cattle Company was the only team to earn three qualified rides and with 287.5 points they were declared the winner of the Hobbs CBR Bull Team Challenge competition. Josh Frost piloted the anchor of that team, 1R15 Blind Spot to 89.5 in the first Round as he posted a 90 points rank bull score which tied him for the Bull of the Event honors. Dustin Bouquet was 88.5 on 885 Gold Digger and Trey Kimzey took 24X3 Headlights for 89 points in the semifinal round.

“Blind Spot was a little weaker in Enid, he showed up this week, we knew he was a contender and we rested him and brought him back this week and he bucked to his potential,” said CPR’s Tyler White.

None of the three riders matched with CPR’s bulls had been aboard these bulls and according to White CPR brought three honest good bucker and it worked out in their favor in Hobbs.

Champion Bull in Hobbs went to N1 Bet’n Black who produced the 92 point winning ride in the four man final round with Cody Jesus.

Hobbs CBR Results

1, Cody Jesus, 272.50 points on 3 bulls, $46,075.00. 2, Eli Vastbinder, 268.50 pts, $28, 575.00. 3, Trey Holston, 267.5 pts, $19,800. 4, Koby Radley, 179.5 points, $2,250.

Shoot Out Round

1, Cody Jesus 92 points on N1 Bet’n Black (Harmon’s Elite). 2, Eli Vastbinder, 90 on Speckled Bird (Harris), 3, Trey Holston,90 on 1032 Ring of Fire (Harmon’s Elite). 4, Koby Radley on Rising Sun, No Score.

Hobbs Bull Team Challenge Results

1, CPR/CPX Cattle Co., 287.50, $20,000. 2, Barrett-Willis #2, 286.27, $12,000. 3, Rawson/Probst, 283.04 $8,000. 4, Barker/Barnett #2 282.27, $5,000.

For more information and round by round scoring go to CBRBULL.COM.

Courtesy of CBR