NEW YORK CITY – Ridin’ Solo is a very quiet two-time reigning YETI World Champion Bull.

He hasn’t dominated wire-to-wire. In 2022, he was the surprise winner when he took down 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa at the PBR World Finals. In 2023, he chased down Cool Whip with a dominant World Finals performance to take his second title.

Even now, as one of just six bulls to win multiple world titles, Ridin’ Solo is almost taking a backseat to some of his competitors. Penmates UTZ BesTex Legend and UTZ BesTex Smokestack have been the talk of the proverbial town, while Man Hater is putting up astronomical scores, including six bull scores above 46 points in his last seven outs.

But Solo is a proven winner, and as of this weekend at the Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, in New York City, his road to a potential third consecutive world title has officially begun.

Only three bulls in PBR history have won three world titles – SweetPro’s Bruiser, Bushwacker, and Little Yellow Jacket. Only Bruiser and Little Yellow Jacket won them consecutively.

In Round 1 on Friday night in New York, Solo made his 2024 debut, dispatching Canadian newcomer Chanse Switzer in 2.67 seconds, earning a bull score of 44.75 points. While not eye-popping, it would end up being the third-highest bull score of the event, behind Man Hater’s 47.75 points and Legend’s 45.75 points.

“Getting fired up, ready to go,” stock contractor and Florida Freedom head coach Cord McCoy said. “I thought he did good. He had a new Canadian rider that I’ve heard a lot about, so it was kind of breaking the ice for both of them, getting his season started and Solo as well. I was proud of him.”

The YETI World Champion Bull race includes a bull’s top outs from both the 2023 PBR Teams season and the 2024 Unleash The Beast season, so Solo already has nine scores on the board for 2024. While most are in the 44-point range, he bucked off two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme for 46 points in September. His lowest score came Sunday afternoon in New York when he bucked off Conner Halverson in 5.73 seconds for 42.45 points.

For context: in 2023, Solo went to 17 events and had 20 outs.

McCoy has plenty of time to get his star bovine into the mix.

“It feels like Solo, coming off a two-time bucking bull of the year, people expect Solo to do amazing things. He has a reputation to uphold,” McCoy said. “So I try to just definitely stay in my lane and do what Solo wants to do. But also, I have TV and social media. I watch Man Hater and Legend and what those bulls are doing and try not to get caught up in the chase, because it’s early in the year, but also really focus on the schedule and what’s best for Solo to strategically place him for another shot. And honestly, the only reason that Solo is here is, if he’s got a shot to win it three times, I want to give it to him. But other than that, he doesn’t owe me anything.”

After the PBR Teams Championship in October, Solo had a bit of a break but bucked once at an Xtreme Bulls event in Springfield, Illinois, in November.

“He actually kind of got a little sored up there,” McCoy said. “For a bull that’s been all the miles that he’s been through, it’s kind of the very first health issue that he’s ever even faced. I’ve been so blessed with his health, especially the positions he’s put his body into. To never pull a muscle, to never do anything, was amazing.”

While Solo is still the star of the McCoy pen, he has some other up-and-coming bulls that he’s excited about. First Infraction, who had his first premier series out on Saturday and scored 41 points against Alex Cerqueira, is the first of Ridin’ Solo’s offspring to make it to the elite level.

“He had a really, really big day,” McCoy said of First Infraction. “That’s Solo’s future, is offspring and what’s coming down the pipe. There’ll be a couple more of them that’ll come to Tulsa, to the Unleash The Beast event. So that’s kind of what’s next for Solo, but right now, he’s still speaking for himself. I try not to get in his way, but again, he doesn’t owe me anything. He’s done more than I’d ever dream any animal could do.”

In the shorter term, McCoy doesn’t have a firm plan for Solo this season. He knows he can push the bovine hard if he has to to make up ground in the world title race but will ultimately be letting Solo dictate the pace.

“I don’t think I’m going to get too caught up in chasing Man Hater around,” McCoy said. “The numbers he’s put up, I think he’s probably got six of the scores that he’s going to take into the Finals already put on the board. And Solo might just have two. So we’ll continue to give him the opportunity, but we’re not going to get in some crazy chase just yet. I want to keep watching it every week. If Solo does good today, and he’s healthy and feeling good, then we go to Chicago. Chicago goes good, we go to Tulsa. Tulsa goes good, we go to Houston. So it’s definitely week by week.

“Whatever Solo wants to do is what we’re doing.”

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media