#1 Ranked Bull on Pro Bull Stats selected as CBR World Finals Mahindra Max Bounty Bull

FORT WORTH, Texas - July 1, 2014 - PRLog -- Time in the sport of bull riding is measured by seconds, but anxious moments more accurately describe the once in a lifetime opportunity that one bull rider will feel at the Championship Bull Riding (CBR) World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days. On July 21^st, the first night of competition, fans will experience the Mahindra Max Moment. The cowboy with the highest marked ride of round one will be pitted against the bucking bull industry’s #1 ranked bull, 8043 Penny Lover, in an attempt to make history and win the keys to a brand new Max Mahindra 25hp utility tractor courtesy of long-time CBR corporate partner Mahindra.

Four time World Champion bull rider Tuff Hedeman, who selects all the stock on the Road to Cheyenne Tour, made the announcement claiming it was an obvious choice to select the bull from Benny Cude’s pen of buckers who boasts six round winning outs against 10 different cowboys at 14 events.  Hedeman and Penny Lover obviously have mutual respect for each other as the six-year old bull, son of superstar bucker Just a Dream, was hand-picked by Hedeman eight times for the CBR Shoot Out rounds.

The #1 ranked Penny Lover has faced off with the #1 ranked cowboy, Sage Kimzey (Strong City, Okla.), three times, 2012 PRCA World Champion Cody Teel (Kountze, Tex.), twice, but it was the reigning world champ Cole Echols (Elm Grove, La.), who came the closest to making the whistle as he bucked off at 7.72 seconds in Hobbs, New Mexico, the fifth stop on The Road to Cheyenne tour.

So what makes Penny Lover so difficult to ride? According to Tuff Hedeman it is his ability to change his mind. “He is smart, athletic, big and quick. If you expect him to go one way, he goes the other. He can go either direction with a big move and a quick reverse.”

Who will be the first bull rider to make the whistle on him? “Sage Kimzey, one of the best bull riders on tour this year, I would have bet he could ride him, but he hasn’t yet. You can bet if it’s going to happen it will be in Cheyenne where the riders and the bulls will be at their best”, said Hedeman.

Penny Lover is resting up at Benny Cude’s 7 Rocking X Ranch in Priddy, Texas for another shot at remaining the CBR’s most prestigious unridden bull. Shocking to most fans is that only about five percent of the work (with bucking bulls) happens at the bull riding.

Having a pen full of potential bounty bulls is what makes a great stock contractor, but Cude’s bull manager Mike Jones stresses the work behind the scenes is what creates success, “We put our bulls first. We live, eat and breathe with these bulls”.

Like any professional athlete Penny Lover has an exercise regime and a strict diet. With just a few weeks left on the calendar before the World Finals, Mike shared a few tidbits about life with Penny Lover.

“Penny Lover gets 12 pounds of grain and 2 flakes of hay in the morning – we keep the same routine at the ranch or on the road.  The only time this varies is if we have to load up and hit the road really early, then he gets his grain and hay when we get to our destination.  There were also several events we went to this winter where it was extremely cold and he got more hay in order to help sustain his body heat to keep him warm and keep his energy up.

We have a track at the ranch and all the bulls, including Penny Lover are jogged around the track 5 times every morning– he’s no different -  all the touring bulls have this same morning workout. When we are on the road, if the pens and housing permit, he is jogged up and down the alleyways every morning.

For the third consecutive year Mahindra Tractors will provide the cowboy’s incentive to ride Penny Lover and among the thousands scheduled to witness the event in Cheyenne, will be members from Mahindra USA, which is headquartered in Houston, Texas. "It is exciting to be a part of the CBR World Championship with the Mahindra "Max Moment," putting the best rider, on the best bull for the chance to win the industry’s best tractor," said Mani Iyer, President of Mahindra USA. “Mahindra MAX is as strong as a bull, but definitely a lot more comfortable to ride.”

"Mahindra USA's sponsorship of CBR, continues to grow and evolve with the sport," said Cleo Franklin, Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Planning, Mahindra USA. "We are proud to be CBR’s second longest tenured sponsor and the addition of Mahindra's "Max Moment" at the CBR World Championships demonstrates our commitment to developing innovative partnerships that are meaningful to our customers and CBR fans!"

"It is exciting to be a part of the CBR World Championship with the Mahindra "Max Moment," putting the best rider, on the best bull for the chance to win the industry’s best tractor," continued Franklin, “Mahindra Tractors are the toughest tractors on dirt and the Mahindra Max has redefined what real performance means by raising the bar with true tractor performance.”

“Mahindra Tractors is one of our longest-tenured partners.  Mahindra has been here for the evolution of CBR, dating back to our days on Outdoor Channel, through RFD-TV, GAC and now to FOX Sports Network. The opportunity to offer one of our riders a chance to ride for Mahindra's 25HP Mahindra Max tractor is something that we are really excited to present again at the CBR World Finals. That type of product integration is what Brands are now seeking through sponsorships with sports properties. CBR is proud to activate such a program for a great partner like Mahindra Tractors – we look forward to doing more like this with all of our partners in the future", stated CBR CEO Benny Cude.

Editor’s Note:  Statistics courtesy of Probullstats.com; Penny Lover ranked #1 on 90 day hot list as of June 30, 2014

For tickets to the World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days see www.cfdrodeo.com.

About Mahindra USA

Mahindra USA (MUSA) is part of the US $ 16.5 billion Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector - the #1 selling tractor company in the world, based on volumes and the only tractor manufacturer in the world to win the industry’s top two quality awards – the Deming Application Prize and the Japan Quality Medal, care of Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers.

Houston, Texas based Mahindra USA (MUSA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and began selling tractors in the USA in 1994. MUSA has since grown rapidly due to high customer satisfaction levels and strong customer referrals. Mahindra USA has four distribution points in North America to help meet the needs of its customers and the growing demand for its products.


To learn more about Mahindra USA, please visit www.mahindrausa.com. About Mahindra

Ruzbeh Irani

Mahindra Group

Phone: +91 22 2490 1441

Email:  group.communications@mahindra.com