Bushwacker makes it 41 straight
For the 41st consecutive out, Bushwacker sent a rider to the dirt, while Cody Nance earned his first Built Ford Tough Series win of the season.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ― Kent Cox couldn'thelp but shake afterward.
For the 41st consecutive time he watched asBushwacker, the bull he handles and hauls forowner Julio Moreno, bucked one of the top riders in the world offhis back. This time it was Ben Jones.
Bushwacker was marked 48.25 points ― the secondhighest score of his career.
"That's incredible," said Cox, whose voice cracked atime or two from the adrenaline rush. "That's what we go for."
Cox added, "I don't know what to say about it. That'sjust him. That's his heart and his will."
In his past five outs he hasn't scored less than than47 points and hasn't been marked fewer than 45 points sinceSeptember 2010. The next time he competes will be in the thirdround of the upcoming Last Cowboy Standing, in which he will be oneof two Monster Energy Bonus bulls worth an additional $80,000 ifthe rider who draws him can make the 8-second whistle.
Bushwacker, who was 2011 World Champion Bull, hasclearly established himself as the No. 1 contender for the titleagain this year along with reigning World Champion BullAsteroid.
Asteroid bucked off Stormy Wing, whowon the opening round of the Bass Pro Chute Out, in Louisville,Ky., and was third in the average coming into the Built Ford ToughChampionship Round, and was marked 44.75 points.
He'll be out again next week, in Des Moines, Iowa,before heading west to Las Vegas for the Last Cowboy Standing. LikeBushwacker, Asteroid will be worth $80,000 for whomever draws himin Round 3.
One out prior to Bushwacker and then Asteroid,Tennessee native Cody Nance earned his first BuiltFord Tough Series win of 2013.
Nance rode Rock & Roll for 86.5 points and was thelone rider to cover all three bulls at the KFC Yum! Center.
"It was good," said Nance, who is not one of the moretalkative riders on the elite tour. He did recall that a year agohe rode another unridden bull named Rock & Roll and joked that,perhaps, "they should just name all the bulls Rock & Roll."
Nance scored 253.5 points to win followed by KodyLostroh, who went 6.47 seconds on King Lopez only to lose out for asecond time this season on a possible event win having chosen thesame bull in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round draft.
Eduardo Aparecido, Wing and Jonesrounded out the Top 5.
Overall it was a tough weekend for the Top 35 riders,including the top contenders for the world title.
There were only nine qualified rides in each of thetwo long rounds ― a total of 18-for-70 ― and one in the finalround.
Aparecido was the only rider among the Top 10, whocovered two bulls, and Marco Eguchi was the only one of the Top 5riders to get his name on the leaderboard with at least one score.He managed 85.25 points on Motown Magic in Round 2 and finishedseventh in the round, but was only 12th in the average and missedthe final round by two spots.
Eguchi closed the gap between him and No. 1 riderShane Proctor from 569.87 points to 444.62 points.
Proctor has now been atop the world standings foreight of the past nine weeks.
Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC.