FORT WORTH, Texas – D&H Cattle Company announced on Tuesday evening the passing of legendary three-time YETI World Champion Bull SweetPro’s Bruiser (2011-2022).
Bruiser will go down as one of the greatest bucking bulls in PBR history.
He is one of three bulls in PBR history who have won three world titles (2016-18), alongside Little Yellow Jacket and Bushwacker. Little Yellow Jacket and Bruiser are the only bulls to win three titles consecutively. Bruiser, the 2015 ABBI Classic Champion and 2017 PRCA Bull of the Year, and Bodacious are the only two bulls in history to win World Championships in both the PBR and PRCA.
Bruiser concluded his career in 2020 with a 60-17 record on the premier series and 104-29 overall. He was ridden for 90 or more points 25 times, which is all but four times that he was ever ridden.
Bruiser was born on March 2, 2011, and is the son of World Finals qualifier Show Time and a daughter of 2006 World Champion Bull Mossy Oak Mudslinger.
PBR.com takes a look back at coverage from each of his three World Championships.
2016: Love and care goes long way for SweetPro’s Bruiser
LAS VEGAS – H.D. Page and SweetPro’s Bruiser have been the best of pals for the last five years.
It is hard to find a bull more loved by Page on the D&H Cattle Company ranch in Ardmore, Oklahoma, so of course Page was concerned when he noticed Bruiser’s hocks appeared to be swollen while unloading the 2016 World Champion Bull contender out of his hauler and into his pen at the South Point Hotel, Spa and Casino.
Page knew he had a decision to make. He always puts his bull’s health at the top of the priority list, but he also loved the idea of giving Bruiser a chance to win his first World Championship a year after the 2015 ABBI Classic Bull almost beat out his brother and 2015 World Champion SweetPro’s Long John.
There was no way he would buck Bruiser if the bull wasn’t healthy enough, therefore, Page, his girlfriend, Mesa Pate, and Mike Hadley put their heads together about what kind of treatment they could give Bruiser.
Hadley’s wife is a barrel racer, and Mesa also has her fair share of horses, and the two brought up the idea of using some poultice mud on Bruiser’s hocks and ankles to try and draw out the inflammation.
Three times a day, Page, Mesa and Hadley would get to work on Bruiser in preparation for the World Finals.
“We had some issues with him earlier in the week,” Page said after Bruiser won the 2016 World Champion Bull title on Sunday afternoon. “His hocks swelled up. His hocks were huge. We worked on him day and night for three or four days. We wrapped his legs and, luckily, he is so gentle and his disposition is not like any bucking bull I ever had. He is like a dog. We were able to get in there and do some work.”
That’s right.
The 2016 World Champion Bull is so peaceful and docile outside of the arena that the 5-year-old bovine superstar let the group lay underneath him and apply the poultice mud, a clay or salt-based paste that is spread on lower legs (typically) to draw out heat and inflammation, without even flinching.
READ MORE
2017: Cool as a cucumber, Bruiser is one loveable World Champion Bull
SweetPro’s Bruiser was standing inside the bucking chutes like a silent soldier during Round 2 of the 2017 Built Ford Tough World Finals in T-Mobile Arena.
Longtime stock contractor H.D. Page glanced at his reigning World Champion Bull and looked puzzled.
For a quick second, Page thought, ‘Is he awake?’
Bruiser then blinked his eyes, twitched his ears and licked his lips.
“That is just his deal,” Page said with a chuckle. “He is cool as a cucumber.”
A few minutes later, Bruiser roared to life out of the bucking chute and the almost-sleeping giant sent Emilio Resende crashing to the arena dirt in only 1.91 seconds.
Bruiser was marked 47 points, which was his second-highest score of the season, and he was well on his way to winning a second consecutive YETI World Champion Bull title.
“I know he is going to buck, there is no question about that,” Page said. “But I sometimes want to say, ‘Come on buddy! Get your game face on!’”
Sure enough, on Championship Sunday, Bruiser did what he does best and almost helped propel Ryan Dirteater to a round win and massive payday before Dirteater was sent off the side of Bruiser at 7.19 seconds.
The two buckoffs and bull scores propelled Bruiser to the 2017 championship.
READ MORE
2018: SweetPro’s Bruiser wins 2018 World Champion Bull title
LAS VEGAS – H.D. Page could not hide his nerves in Las Vegas.
For the first time in SweetPro’s Bruiser’s career, the star-studded bovine arrived for the PBR World Finals with plenty of question marks after not bucking at all in competition for the past four months.
Page believed Bruiser was ready publicly, but inside he sure was a little anxious.
That was until Bruiser was loaded into the bucking chute on Thursday night.
Bruiser was standing at full attention, intently looking forward, chest puffed out and his ears pointed forward.
It was game time, and Bruiser was ready.
“He was zoned in and ready to go,” Page said. “He was ready, so the nerves were gone.”
READ MORE
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
