Boquet Takes Lead at Fort Worth’s Bulls’ Night Out
By Johna Cravens
FORT WORTH, Texas – Dustin Boquet enjoyed his first trip to the new Dickies Arena Tuesday. The Louisiana cowboy was one of 40 bull riders to compete in the first performance of Bulls’ Night Out at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
Each rider matched his skills against a bull in the first round of competition, then the top 10 scores qualified for the short round and the chance to ride another bull.
Boquet, who qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2018, drew a Big Rafter Rodeo bull named Living Life. “I watched three videos of him before I got here,” Boquet said. “Then I asked Jack Simmons (Big Rafter’s owner) about him.”
The research paid off when Boquet rode Living Life for 87.5 points and second in the first round behind another former NFR cowboy, Ty Wallace, who scored 89.5 on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Relentless.
In the short round Oklahoma’s Trevor Kastner, who finished 11th in the world championship race last year, was the first to earn a score, marking 88 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Night Prowler. Australian Ky Hamilton then scored 85. Boquet then hung on to Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Cow Banger and matched his first-round score of 87.5. Wallace, the final rider to compete, didn’t stay on for the full eight seconds.
“I was hoping Cow Banger wasn’t what I had (drawn),” Boquet said. “He didn’t look like fun. I told myself just to hang on tight. He had me ‘bout throwed a couple of times.”
“This is the best I’ve ever done here,” Boquet added. “I’d love to win the first Bulls’ Night Out in the new arena.”
Forty more bull riders will aim to best Boquet’s total of 175 points on Wednesday night. The championship will be awarded to the rider with the highest total score. Bulls’ Night Out at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Xtreme Bulls Tour.
The following are results from Tuesday night’s performance of Bulls’ Night Out in Dickie’s Arena at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, January 21, 2020.
First Performance: 1, Ty Wallace, Colbran, Colo., 89.5 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Relentless. 2, Dustin Boquet, Bourg, La., 87.5. 3, Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 87. 4, J.W. Harris, Goldthwaite, Texas, 85.5. 5, Jesse Petri, Palestine, Texas, 84.5. 6, (tie) Nic Lica, Garden City, Mich., and Jake Goudy, Bristow, Okla., 84.
Short Round: (three rides) 1, Trevor Kastner, Roff, Okla., 88 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Night Prowler. 2, Dustin Boquet, 87.5. 3, Ky Hamilton, 85.
Total on Two: 1, Boquet, 175 points. 2, Hamilton, 172. 3, Kastner, 171. (on one) 4, Wallace, 89.5. 5. Harris, 85.5. 6, Petri, 84.
Jr. Bull Riding: 1, Macatte Tramell, Millsap, Texas, 86.5 points. 2, Kamron Loud, Kaufman, Texas, 86. 3, Jack Mitchell, Weatherford, Texas, 78. 4, Cooper Adams, Fort Worth, Texas, 76.