MILWAUKEE – Gene Owen has been hauling bulls for more than two decades, and he had never had the luxury of seeing one of his bulls buck the way Moonlight Party did on Friday night.

Moonlight Party erupted out of the bucking chutes with ferocity, kick and pure force, and sent 2019 Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel sailing into the air like a rag doll in only 1.67 seconds.

Owen walked over beyond the out gate to look at the list of the scores on a side monitor and wiped his brow in disbelief when he saw Moonlight Party was marked a season-high 47 points.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a 47,” Owen said. “I’m a little speechless. I mean, he’s three-foot in the air and just handed it to Dalton. He didn’t have a chance. Kasel is one of the best. There’s guys, and I would’ve been one of them, that would’ve picked him as a Top 2 or 3, if not the World Champion this year. He rides that good, and it speaks for itself. It doesn’t happen to him too often. He’s one of the best in the world.”

Last season, there were only four bulls who scored 47 points or higher – 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa (six times), Dennis The Menace, Chiseled and Ridin Solo.

Moonlight Party is the No. 2-ranked bull in the 2022 YETI World Champion Bull standings with an average bull score of 46.08 points, but he is the only bull in the Top 5 with three outs. Current No. 1 Woopaa has only one out so far this season.

Moonlight Party opened the year with an eye-opening 46.25 points when he bucked 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco off in 2.46 seconds in Indianapolis. He followed that up with an average 45-point score for 5.08 seconds of work vs. Andrew Alvidrez in New York City.

“He’s had a month off since New York,” Owen said. “Didn’t have his best trip in New York. He was real good in Indianapolis. The dirt – I ain’t making excuses, but it was a long week in between, the dirt was terrible in New York, and he wasn’t as good.”

Owen commended all the stock contractors who overcame winter weather across the country to provide the livestock for this weekend’s event at Fiserv Forum. He also was happy to see Moonlight Party not be too concerned about the chilly temperatures outside the arena.

“He’s a Canadian bull, so apparently it didn’t bother him,” Owen said with a laugh.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media