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Behind the Chutes: Louisville

04.15.13 - Behind The Chutes

Behind the Chutes: Louisville

The complete report from Louisville, Ky., where Bushwacker extended his unridden streak to 41 consecutive outs.

By PBR

LOUISVILLE, Ky. ― Kent Cox not only believes that one of the Top 35 riders will eventually stay on Bushwacker for 8 seconds, but he's also convinced that it will look effortless.

"Oh yeah, he can be ridden," said Cox, when asked. "When? I don't know, but it'll happen."

It interesting, to say the least, to hear Cox, who handles and hauls Bushwacker for his owner Julio Moreno, try and convince anyone of his prediction only minutes after his prized bull had just bucked off one of the top-ranked riders in the world for what is an all-time PBR record 41 consecutive times.

Bushwacker hasn't been ridden since October 2009.

"He can be ridden."

Cox later explained what it'll take to make the whistle,"It's going to have to take somebody that's in the zone that day and, in my opinion, it'll look like - whenever that comes that they ride him - it's going to look so effortless on the bull rider's part of it because you can't get into a fight with him and win that fight, so they're going to make it look effortless when they ride him."

Ben Jones looked like he was one of the many who got in a fight with Bushwacker on Sunday afternoon.

Jones surprisingly took Bushwacker with the fourth pick in the bull draft for the Built Ford Tough Championship Round, in Louisville, Ky., and then lasted all of 2.04 seconds.

Judges may not have seen a whole lot, but they saw enough to mark the bull 48.25 points.

By now they're used to get only a quick glimpse of the 2011 World Champion Bull. Only four times during his current streak has he been taken past the 6-second mark.

"That's incredible," Cox said. "That's what we go for. That's his heart and his will.

"You can't ask one to do that. There's no way."

Bushwacker won't buck again until the Last Cowboy Standing.

He'll be in Round 3 of the progressive elimination style format and along with Asteroid the two bulls will be identified as Monster Energy bonus bulls each worth an additional $80,000 for whichever riders draw them.

Asteroid will be in Des Moines, Iowa, next week in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, where he'll pair up with Douglas Duncan as the Monster Energy bonus bull worth $87,000.

"That's the kind of bull the guys in the bull business are looking for," said Gene Melton, who handles and hauls the reigning World Champion Bull for Circle T Ranch & Rodeo.

The past two bulls will be worth $250,000 in the next three Built Ford Tough Series events if the top riders can find a way to make the whistle.

Stormy Wing took Asteroid with the third pick in the final round on Sunday and made it 4.54 seconds before losing his seat.

Asteroid was marked 44.75 points.

However, afterward Melton said, "I thought they were a little short on points today. That bull really bucked. He didn't do anything different. He is what he is."

He's bucked seven times this year been marked anywhere from 44 points to 46.5 points. In three of his past five outs he's been marked 44 points, 44.25 points and 44.75 points, whereas Bushwacker hasn't been marked less than 46 points since September 2011.

Melton said he has time to haul his bulls, including Asteroid, home to Louisiana, but will stay in Indiana with them until Thursday and then haul them to Des Moines to avoid putting an additional 1,000 miles of travel on them.

After the Des Moines event and then the Last Cowboy Standing, in Las Vegas, Melton said he'll lay Asteroid off for the summer.

The reigning champion has shined the second half of the past two seasons, but the veteran bull handler noted that Asteroid is a year older, more mature and settling into his ways as he logs more miles.

"I don't expect those big kicks like he was last year," said Melton. "No. I really don't. He may have one or two, but, like I say, that bull is mellowing and he's got a lot of miles on him. He's another year old and he's settling in there."

Cox was equally cautious in talking about Bushwacker's future, "I get nervous every time we buck him because when one bucks that hard, I mean, thinking on the bad side of things one could hurt themselves at any time. That's always on the back of your mind."

15/15 DRAW: The draw for next week's 15/15 Bucking Battle, in Des Moines, was set once the world standings were updated following the Louisville event.

The 15 matchups will feature Shane Proctor versus King Lopez, Marco Eguchi versus Buck Dynasty, Silvano Alves versus Palm Springs, J.B. Mauney versus Lightmaker's Rango, Douglas Duncan versus Asteroid, Eduardo Aparecido versus Shepherd Hills Trapper, Joao Ricardo Vieira versus Big & Rich, Jordan Hupp versus David's Dream, Cody Nance versus Mississippi Hippy, Aaron Roy versus South Paw, Mike Lee versus Western Way, Luke Snyder versus Rock & Roll, Kody Lostroh versus Jared Allen's Home for Wounded Warriors Hot Iron, Guilherme Marchi versus Big Tex "Rocks" and Emilio Resende versus Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey.

As previously mentioned, Asteroid is the Monster Energy bonus bull and if Duncan makes the whistle he'll earn an additional $87,000. Fabiano Vieira is the first alternate in line should one of the Top 15 riders not be able to compete on Saturday night in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

INJURY UPDATE: Ty Pozzobon was not cleared for the second round, in Louisville, because of a concussion sustained in the opening round. He is questionable for next week's BFTS event in Des Moines, Iowa. Pozzobon also sustained a scalp laceration when he was hit by the Carolina Kicker's horn as he was thrown from his first round bull on Saturday night.

Luke Snyder sustained a concussion when he was thrown hard to the ground by his second round bull. He is probable for Des Moines. Brant Atwood bruised his right hip and thigh when he was stepped on after being thrown from his second round bull.

MISSING BULLFIGHTER: Bullfighter Jesse Byrne missed the event in Louisville this past weekend because a late afternoon doctor appointment on Friday. Byrne, who is a Canadian resident, had been on a waiting list for the non-emergency appointment for nearly year and, unfortunately, the timing interfered with the BFTS schedule. He replaced in Louisville by Lyndel Runyan, who is the fourth member of the team as voted by the Top 35 bull riders prior to last year's World Finals. Shorty Gorham and Frank Newsom are also on the team.

MAKING MUSIC: Jory Markiss is becoming well-known known for his carefree attitude and willingness to enjoy every opportunity associated with competing on the BFTS. Saturday afternoon, in downtown Louisville, he met a street musician named Karrizzmaa, who was busking on a corner near the KFC Yum! Center. He originally tipped him $20 to play a few songs while he ate pizza and then offered him $200 to come along to the event, where Karrizzmaa, who later said Saturday was the most memorable night of his life, played music in the locker room, sports medicine room and later behind the chutes. "I just thought it was good music," Markiss said.

Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter   @PBR_KRC