PUEBLO, Colo. - The Professional Bull Riders will again hold its Touring Pro Division Finale at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The event has the largest purse among TPD events with $80,000 in prize money.

The TPD provides an opportunity for riders to compete in PBR-sanctioned events to earn points toward qualifying for the nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series, which is comprised of the Top 35 bull riders in the world. The TPD is the developmental tour in which established veterans and newcomers compete against some of the most famous bucking bulls. More than 100 TPD events are sanctioned annually by the PBR, awarding almost $3 million in prize money.

Bull riding will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets are on sale at http://www.nationalwestern.com/rodeo/pbr-bull-riding.aspx.

For the 14th year in a row, Tommy G Productions will bring the Lucas Oil Touring Pro Division to the Southwest Motors Events Center in Pueblo on Thursday and Friday. Bull riding begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available at the Colorado State Fair box office, www.Ticketmaster.com and by telephone at (800) 745-3000.

"These two annual events give fans in Colorado an opportunity to see some of the best bull riders in the world competing on some of the greatest bulls," PBR Senior Vice President of Competition Jay Daugherty said. "We have riders who will stop in Colorado on their way from the Built Ford Tough Series event in Chicago, and then continue to next week's BFTS stop in Winston-Salem, N.C."

There are a large number of the Top 35 riders from the nationally-televised BFTS scheduled to compete, including former PBR World Champions Renato Nunes (2010), Kody Lostroh (2009), Guilherme Marchi (2008) and Mike Lee (2004).

The PBR has been headquartered in Colorado since being founded 20 years ago as the dream of 20 bull riders, who believed that bull riding could be a standalone sport. The premier bull riding organization has been located in Pueblo since 2007.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. 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. 

The PBR will celebrate 20 years of competition with the 2013 season. PBR broadcasts reach over half a billion households in 50 nations and territories around the world, and over 2.5 million fans attend PBR events each year. PBR has awarded more than $120 million in prize money over 20 years of competition, including a $1 million bonus to the PBR World Champion each year.

The 2013 BFTS season again opened with capacity crowds at Madison Square Garden in New York, and will make 26 stops in 18 states. The season will conclude at the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-28, 2013. The PBR World Champion will receive the coveted Championship buckle, a $1 million bonus and a new pickup truck from Ford, which is also title sponsor of the BFTS.