NAMPA, Idaho ― Nearly 6,000 fans packed the Ford Idaho Center Friday night not only to watch the Top 35 men in Round 1 of the Professional Bull Riders DeWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational, but also to watch the best bovine athletes in the sport.
They weren’t disappointed.
Ride after ride showcased the talent of the PBR’s Built Ford Tough Series bulls as only seven of the 35 riders reached the 8-second buzzer for a score. Canada’s Zane Lambert leads the event after Round 1, capturing the first round win of his career with 86.25 points on Julio Moreno’s Woody.
“Let’s hope this is the start of something good,” said Lambert.
Invitee J.W. Harris showed the talent that spurred his invitation to the BFTS when he rode Team Paige (Franklin Rodeo Stock) for 86 points to capture second place. This is Harris’second event of his three-event exemption to the BFTS.
Rounding out the Top 5 are Fabiano Vieira (85.25), Eduardo Aparecido(83.75) and L.J. Jenkins (83.75).
The night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle, which will air on CBS Network Television on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, saw Vieira take the top spot in the round with an 89.25-point performance on Cowtown Slinger (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve). Stormy Wing covered Shepherd Hills Stockman (Wolf Creek Cattle Co.) for 88.50 points for second place and Jenkins earned 88 points on Smackdown to land in third.
The last ride of the evening featured the Bad Boy Mowers Bounty BullBushwacker being challenged by Joao Ricardo Vieira – a repeat matchup from the Dr Pepper Iron Cowboy V in Arlington, Texas, earlier this year where Vieira, the Iron Cowboy V champion, met Bushwacker in a bonus ride for $1 million.
“I was tired that night,” said Vieira when asked about that ride. He had already attempted five bulls on his way to the Iron Cowboy title.
Friday night, he had only attempted one bull (Boo-Ray) before he met Bushwacker. However, it made no difference and in only 2.4 seconds the ride was over and Bushwacker added another cowboy to his list of buckoffs, which now stands at 58 riders.
Round 2 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round of the DeWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational will take place Saturday at 8 p.m. CBS Sports Network will carry all the coverage Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network 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.
The Ford Idaho Center is the 14th stop of 27 on the 2014 PBR Built Ford Tough Series schedule. The season kicked off Jan. 3-5 at Madison Square Garden in New York and will conclude at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 22-26, when the 2014 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most points during the 2014 season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.
Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series
DeWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational
Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho
Event Leaders (Round 1-Event Points)
1. Zane Lambert, 86.25-86.25 points.
2. J.W. Harris, 86-86.00 points.
3. Fabiano Vieira, 85.25-85.25 points.
4. Eduardo Aparecido, 83.75-83.75 points.
(tie). L.J. Jenkins, 83.75-83.75 points.
6. Ryan Dirteater, 82.25-82.25 points.
7. Silvano Alves, 81.5-81.50 points.
Austin Meier, 0-0.00 points.
Brady Sims, 0-0.00 points.
Chad Vanamburg, 0-0.00 points.
Cody Nance, 0-0.00 points.
Douglas Duncan, 0-0.00 points.
Emilio Resende, 0-0.00 points.
Gage Gay, 0-0.00 points.
Guilherme Marchi, 0-0.00 points.
Guytin Tsosie, 0-0.00 points.
Harve Stewart, 0-0.00 points.
Jason Malone, 0-0.00 points.
Jay Miller, 0-0.00 points.
Joao Ricardo Vieira, 0-0.00 points.
Jordan Hupp, 0-0.00 points.
Jory Markiss, 0-0.00 points.
Kasey Hayes, 0-0.00 points.
Kody Lostroh, 0-0.00 points.
Lachlan Richardson, 0-0.00 points.
Marco Eguchi, 0-0.00 points.
Markus Mariluch, 0-0.00 points.
Matt Triplett, 0-0.00 points.
Mike Lee, 0-0.00 points.
Renato Nunes, 0-0.00 points.
Robson Palermo, 0-0.00 points.
Sean Willingham, 0-0.00 points.
Stormy Wing, 0-0.00 points.
Tanner Byrne, 0-0.00 points.
Thad Newell, 0-0.00 points.
Ty Pozzobon, 0-0.00 points.
Valdiron de Oliveira, 0-0.00 points.
Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series
DeWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational 15/15 Bucking Battle
Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho
Final Results (Ride Score-Bonus Points-Total Points)
1. Fabiano Vieira, 89.25-200-289.25 points.
2. Stormy Wing, 88.5-180-268.5 points.
3. L.J. Jenkins, 88-160-248 points.
Markus Mariluch, 0-0-0 points.
Sean Willingham. 0-0-0 points.
Gage Gay, 0-0-0 points.
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0 points.
Kasey Hayes, 0-0-0 points.
Cody Nance, 0-0-0 points.
Emilio Resende, 0-0-0 points.
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0 points.
Valdiron de Oliveira, 0-0-0 points.
Mike Lee, 0-0-0 points.
Tanner Byrne. 0-0-0 points.
Joao Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0 points.
© 2014 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.