BY THE NUMBERS
Slade Long, www.probullstats.com statistics guru, stated that of the 1,647 events, 8,955 bulls, and 87,642 recorded outs that he has analyzed since 2003, the 2006 and 2005 Dallas, Texas events rate as the top two regular season events in the PBR or PRCA or any other organization as far as overall bull power. Long cited several key contributing factors to that outcome, “The 2005 Dallas event was one round and a finals so you had fewer bulls and less probability for lower caliber bulls to sneak in there. You also can’t ignore that there are many great bulls within walking distance of Dallas, so in that part of the country it’s not surprising that when you go after the cream of the crop you get it.”
The complete statistical details for Dallas are posted at http://probullstats.com/tracker/rodeorank. According to Long, one of his charts analyzes the top 100 events based on the percentage of total mounted outs that were accounted for by the top 750 bulls in his overall ranking table. Dallas in 2005 and 2006 are the top two regular season events at present. Additionally, the numbers reflect that currently 71 of the top 100 events held by various sanctioning bodies that have been analyzed by probullstats’ criteria are PBR sanctioned events.
“Marked outs are in the 70,000 to 80,000 neighborhood, but they don't matter much unless you are strictly looking at long-term stat trends,” quantified Long.
CODY LAMBERT’S COMMENTARY
PBR vice president and livestock superintendent Cody Lambert gave a straightforward explanation for the beasts dominating the men in Dallas, “That’s our deal. We guarantee not only the greatest bull riders in the world, but the best bulls as well.”
Added Lambert, “Every bull at the Fritos Invitational came from Texas or Oklahoma. When you’re in that part of the country it’s a little easier to get bulls. Every one of our PBR stock contractors wanted to be in Dallas.”
Aside from the simple reality of above average regional bull talent within close proximity to the Dallas area, Lambert explained, “At the Built Ford Tough Series level we are always going to bring the best bulls. If we were to have an event next week and bring the exact same bulls as we did to Dallas, who knows what would happen? They might ride twice as many.”
For Lambert the event outcome boils down to world class match-ups and that is what the PBR guarantees at each and every tour stop. Luck of the draw and the resulting individual match-ups will always be a contributing factor to how many bulls are ridden and how high the resulting scores are when the best of the best meet.
Today, it is undeniable that more and better bulls are produced as a result of specialized American Bucking Bull, Inc. (ABBI) breeding programs. Bulls then progress through the aged event ranks where they are conditioned to compete. However, the same holds true for today’s bull rider. Many advance through youth rodeo programs to compete in the PBR’s multi-tiered event structure, before earning a coveted spot among the top 45 ranked riders in the world. The future bull riding stars of the PBR are only as good as their competition. Over time the most gifted bull riding athletes will answer the challenge against the most dominant bulls, and that will make for the most memorable moments in the sport of professional bull riding.
Of the 0-15 Built Ford Tough Championship Round, Lambert explained that probably five of the 15 bulls that bucked during the Dallas finals are serious contenders for the title of 2006 PBR World Champion Bull honors. He cited 2005 PBR World Champion Bull Big Bucks, owned by Frontier and Teague Bucking Bulls as one of them. Incidentally, Big Bucks upped his streak of career BFTS buck offs to 24 in Dallas when he launched Greg Potter (Queensland, AUS). Lambert recognized Frontier, Teague, and Ron White’s Scene of the Crash, Taylor Made Bucking Bulls’ Pandora’s Box, McCoy Ranches’ Bells Blue, and Frontier, Steiner, and Teague’s Just A Dream as current contenders for the title of ultimate bucking bull. Just A Dream was awarded the Salem National Lease Bull of the Event bonus of $1,250 as the top ranked bull of the Dallas event. No small feat considering the competition.
PBR Fans will need to stay tuned to see which bucking sensations ultimately make the final selection as new talent emerges before the ultimate showdown takes place October 27-November 5 in Las Vegas.