Fans in New Mexico will have the opportunity to watch four riders from their home state compete against the world’s best bull riders and the fiercest bucking bulls when the Professional Bull Riders nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series returns to the world-famous “Pit” for the Sandia Resort & Casino presents the Ty Murray Invitational on March 25-27. It is the 15th year in a row that Albuquerque has hosted the PBR.
The field will include New Mexico riders Travis Briscoe of Edgewood, L.J. Jenkins of Texico, Spud Jones of Tohatchi, and Ryan McConnel of Farmington.
Bull riding begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 25, at 5:50 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 27. Tickets for the event begin at $15 and can be purchased at UNM ticket outlets and Albertsons stores in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe, by telephone at (877) 664-8661, and online at www.unmtickets.com/.
Jones is one of the top three Native American bull riders invited to compete in the event. He and Justin Granger of Tuba City, Ariz., are representing the Navajo Tribe, while Dakota Louis of Browning, Mont., will be representing the North Cheyenne Tribe.
It is the third year in a row that Jones has competed. He rode his first two bulls and advanced to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round in 2009, riding perennial World Champion Bull contender Voodoo Child (Robinson/Beutler/McNeely) for 4.3 seconds before being bucked off.
“As a fan, I think The Pit is the greatest place to watch a PBR event. I don’t think you’re going to get a louder, more exciting, or more electric venue anywhere in the country,” said PBR founder, nine-time World Champion and event host Ty Murray. “On the other side of that coin, I don’t think there’s a more exciting place to be as a rider. The fans are on top of you, and you can really feel the excitement of the crowd, so you can feed off of that as a bull rider.”
Leading the way into Albuquerque is top-ranked Valdiron de Oliveira, who has won the last two BFTS events in Glendale, Ariz., and Fresno, Calif. He also won the season opener at Madison Square Garden in New York, giving him a season-leading three wins in the first 11 events.
One of college basketball's most famous and recognizable buildings, The Pit is the home court for New Mexico men's and women's basketball and has hosted countless NCAA tournament games, including the national championship game in 1983.
Each of the 40 riders will ride on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Following Round 2 on Saturday, the riders with the 10 highest cumulative scores will each compete with one more bull. Following Round 4 on Sunday, the riders with the 10 highest cumulative scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round where they will compete with one more bull. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest combined score from all five rounds.
The field in Albuquerque will include 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi, who has two victories and is ranked second. Robson Palermo, who has competed all season on a broken left ankle, will be looking for his third win of the year in Albuquerque.
New Mexico fans will also be able to see Australia’s Ben Jones, who delights fans with his post-ride celebration dances. Jones is ranked sixth in the world and has competed in the last four events with three broken ribs.
Four PBR World Champions – Marchi (2008), Kody Lostroh (2009), Mike Lee (2004), and two-time World Champion Chris Shivers (2000 and 2003) are all scheduled to be in Albuquerque.
Riding High Ministries will host a Family Faith Event at The Pit, immediately following Round 1 on Friday, March 25. The event will feature Christian band Seventh Day Slumber, PBR champions sharing testimonies about their faith, and a unique horse-breaking demonstration by PBR Chaplain Todd Pierce. Everyone with a ticket for Round 1 is invited to attend.
The draw for Round 2 will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Thur Pa Lounge in the Sandia Resort & Casino. It is open to the public, and all 40 riders will be in attendance.
The action will be televised in HD on VERSUS at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 26, and Sunday, March 27. Play-by-play broadcaster Craig Hummer will be joined by Ty Murray, who will provide color commentary, and Erin Coscarelli, who will be doing dirt-level interviews. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR by David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 30-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer and creative lead.
Albuquerque is the 12th stop on the nationally-televised BFTS, which makes 28 stops in 23 states. The season began at world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York, and culminates Oct. 26-30 in Las Vegas at the richest bull riding event in the world, the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals. The Finals is where the 2011 PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the $1 million Built Ford Tough bonus.
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money, and 20 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million – the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly 2 million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.
