UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Riding Bad Moon (Circle T Ranch & Rodeo) for 88.25 points on Friday, 2008 Professional Bull Riders Rookie of the Year Reese Cates is the leader after Round 1 of the PBR Built Ford Tough Series event at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Austin Meier is in second place with 87 points on South Paw (Gene Owen Bucking Bulls), while Lachlan Richardson, who is making his BFTS debut, is in third with 86.75 points on Red Man (5S Ranch). Ryan McConnel is in fourth place with 86.25 points, and Douglas Duncan and top-ranked Valdiron de Oliveira are tied for fifth place with 84.75 points.

Second-ranked J.B. Mauney, who has missed the past two events after having a broken bone in his left (riding hand) surgically repaired, switched to riding with his right hand down, and bucked off Deja Blue Emu (Jeff Robinson/Cappello).

CBS will broadcast the PBR 15/15 Bucking Battle, which has the Top 15 riders in the world competing against the 15 highest-ranked bulls at the event, in its entirety at 2 p.m. ET this Saturday, April 28 (please check local listings).

Round 2 of the Mohegan Sun Invitational presented by Cooper Tires will be at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Series Championship Round will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Each of the Top 35 riders in the world will ride again in Rounds 2 and 3. Following Round 3 on Sunday, the riders with the 10 highest cumulative scores will advance to the championship round, where they will each compete with one more bull. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest combined score from all four regular-format rounds.

Tickets begin at $15, and can be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com, and by telephone at (800) 745-3000. Bull riding begins at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28, and at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 29.

CBS Sports Network will broadcast action from Round 2 at 10 p.m. ET this Saturday, April 28, with an encore airing at 1 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 29. CBS Sports Network will then broadcast action from Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round at 6 p.m. ET this Sunday, April 29. There will be encore airings at 10 p.m. ET, and on Monday, April 30, at 1 a.m. ET.

The Mohegan Sun Invitational presented by Cooper Tires is the 16th stop on the BFTS, which opened the 2012 season on Jan. 6-8 with capacity crowds at Madison Square Garden in New York. The BFTS will make 28 stops in 23 states before the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-28, 2012. The World Finals are where the PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the coveted Championship Buckle and a $1 million bonus. The richest bull riding event in the world, the World Finals has a total purse of more than $2 million.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and YouTube. 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. 

Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series
Mohegan Sun Invitational presented by Cooper Tires
Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Friday's Results
Event Leaders (Round 1-Total Points)

1. Reese Cates, 88.25-88.25 points.
2. Austin Meier, 87-87 points.
3. Lachlan Richardson, 86.75-86.75 points.
4. Ryan McConnel, 86.25-86.25 points.
5. Douglas Duncan, 84.75-84.75 points.
(tie). Valdiron de Oliveira, 84.75-84.75 points.
7. Justin Koon, 84.5-84.50 points.
8. Kasey Hayes, 83.5-83.50 points.
9. Skeeter Kingsolver, 83.25-83.25 points.
10. Aaron Roy, 79.5-79.50 points.
11. Silvano Alves, 72.75-72.75 points.
12. Markus Mariluch, 68-68 points.
Billy Robinson, 0-0 points.
Caleb Sanderson, 0-0 points.
Chase Outlaw, 0-0 points.
Cody Nance, 0-0 points.
Cord McCoy, 0-0 points.
Dusty Ephrom, 0-0 points.
Emilio Resende, 0-0 points.
Fabiano Vieira, 0-0 points.
Guilherme Marchi, 0-0 points.
Harve Stewart, 0-0 points.
J.B. Mauney, 0-0 points.
Jarrod Craig, 0-0 points.
L.J. Jenkins, 0-0 points.
Luke Snyder, 0-0 points.
Marco Eguche, 0-0 points.
Matt Bohon, 0-0 points.
Nathan Schapper, 0-0 points.
Renato Nunes, 0-0 points.
Robson Palermo, 0-0 points.
Rubens Barbosa, 0-0 points.
Ryan Dirteater, 0-0 points.
Shane Proctor, 0-0 points.
Ty Pozzobon, 0-0 points.