Benton and Teel Duke it out as Championship Bull Riding's $50,000 Purse rolls into $70,000

CONROE, Texas - Oct. 5, 2014 - PRLog -- For the first time in the history of Championship Bull Riding 24 bull riders will travel to Mercedes, Texas on October 18, in an attempt to collect an unprecedented $70,000 first place purse just made available after no rider heard the whistle in the winner take all format at the Inaugural Conroe Bull Mania, the third stop of the CBR’s Road to Cheyenne Tour.  In spite of a gallant effort, 5 World Champions, 6 rookies, and 13 veterans rode only 13 out of 72 bulls at the Montgomery County Lone Star arena. But more importantly none of those thirteen came in the Shoot Out round thus leaving the first place prize of $50,000 unclaimed.  Trey Benton, Rock Island, Texas won the average on two bulls  defeating his former traveling partner, Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas, by 4.5 points, but neither could make the required 8 second whistle to pocket the $50,000 thus rolling over the prize monies to a $70, 000 plus payday for the next regular season CBR event.

. Rematched on the same bull that he rode successfully in July at the CBR World Finals, Benton began his night with 90 points on Mid States Rodeo’s Gold Buckle. Joining the nine other qualified rides from round one, the Sam Houston University student progressed easily to the semifinals where he rode 952 Nashville, (Jones and Ferguson) for 88 points.  With only 3 of his colleagues making the whistle in the stronger bull powered round, Benton took the average lead with 178.5 over the 2012 PRCA World Champion Cody Teel who was 174 which positioned him to select his bull for the Shoot Out Round first. Rookies Tim Bingham and Brannon Eldred qualified on their 90 and 90.5 scores that placed them first and second in the earlier round.

The pressure of competing for $50,000 seemed to affect the rookies quickly as they bucked off in 4.02 and 4.37 seconds respectively. Riding third was Teel who drew the unridden #145 Uncle Ned, an Ace of Hearts bred bull raised by the Ferguson Ranch. Making a big move at 7.10 seconds, Teel lost his rope as the bull underneath him won the battle and bucked him off.  Obviously frustrated with coming so close to $50,000 payday, Teel joined the previous riders at the back of the chutes.

Watching the three unqualified rides before him Benton was in position to take home the largest prize ever won in a regular season event On the Road to Cheyenne, but fate would intervene and at 5.24 the clock stopped as Benton bucked off Honky Kat of Harris Bucking Bulls.

“It just goes to show you every moment of every second counts,” said a disappointed Benton who despite failing to win the lion’s share still collected $2,200 and a buckle for being the average winner of tonight’s contest. “Losing $50,000 by just a few seconds is tough, continued Benton who is currently the #2 ranked PRCA bull rider in the world and in addition to competing in Mercedes later this month, Benton will make his second appearance at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.

As much as not winning the $50,000 was the story of the night, the battle of the bulls continued on the other side of the chutes. Featured in the Shoot Out round, locally owned World Champion Bucking Bull, Penny Lover, bucked off rookie Brennon. Penny Lover is owned by local businessman and CBR Chairman Benny Cude.  CBR features the “other side of the ride” bucking the crème of the crop in bovine athletes as the CBR Bull Team Challenge provides the bull power for the three bull teams that are featured during the first two rounds of competition. Those bulls receive points for their performance in the arena. Additionally, the time the bull rider stays on is added to the bull’s score. At the end of the night, the owner with the three highest-scoring bulls will receive $25,000.  Mike Rawson of Martinsville, Texas finished first clearing the field by more than 4 points for his $20,000 payday.          The high marked ride of the night was CBR rookie Brannon Eldred, Sulphur, Okla., who was 90.5 in round one on Rawson’s Raven’s Mistake. High Point bull, an award for the rankest bucker, went to a new bull and new bull team owner on the CBR tour, Hard Whiskey from #990 Cunningham and Scoggins. The newest addition to the CBR team event launched Aaron Pass from his back at 3.72 seconds.

Immediately following the bull riding action, fans enjoyed country music recording artist Cody Bryan in concert.

The Road to Cheyenne tour continues on October 18, 2014 in Mercedes, Texas where bull riders will compete for over $70,000.  In addition to the now tripled prize money, bull riders accumulate points which qualify them for the World Finals, which will be in Wyoming next July as part of the historical Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration. Those points become very important as the rider who ends the world finals at the top of the standings will be crowned the CBR world champion and will receive a $100,000 bonus.

Conroe, Texas Results

Round One

1, Brennon Eldred, 90.5 on Raven’s Mistake (Rawson), 2. (Tie) Trey Benton on Gold Buckle (Mid States), Tim Bingham, on Rajun JT (Mid States), 90 points,  4.Chandler Bownds on White Wolf (Rawson)89 pts

Semifinals

1, Cody Teel, 89 on Raptor (JQH), 2. Nick Volden on Red Rocket (Pointed Rock) 88.5, 3. Trey Benton, 88 on Nashville (Jones/Ferguson)

Shoot Out Round

No qualified Rides

Conroe Open Bull Team Results

1. Rawson Bucking Bulls (Texas)        288.25

2. Mid States/Elite (Oklahoma)          284.81

3. Harris Bucking Bulls (Texas)          283.53

4. Sellers Bucking Bulls (Oklahoma)  281.75

5. JQH Bucking Bulls (Texas)          280.18

About Championship Bull Riding –

Located in the historic Stockyards of Fort Worth, Texas, Championship Bull Riding (CBR) is an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the very best elements of the sport. Under the direction of 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. Bull riders start in the Horizon Series earning points to move onto the elite Road to Cheyenne Tour.  The Road to Cheyenne Tour culminates in July in Wyoming at the legendary Cheyenne Frontier Days where the world champion 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 SPORT^tm. 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. For more information visit www.cbrbull.com or call 817-626-BULL (2855).