FORT WORTH, Texas – In January of 2023, Hudson Bolton made his PBR debut at the Stockyards Showcase inside Cowtown Coliseum, where he bucked off in his only out and failed to place.

Less than two and a half years later, Bolton was back in Cowtown Coliseum. This time, it was for the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations, and this time, Bolton didn’t buck off.

On the contrary, he rode July for 88 points to win Round 1.

“It’s just really a blessing to get to ride with these people and these guys that I’ve always looked up to,” Bolton said. “To be at my first World Finals and win my first round, it’s just a blessing.”

It was Bolton’s first-ever out at a World Finals. The biggest stage of his career by far, but the 19-year-old rolled into Fort Worth with confidence.

“I definitely had the confidence coming in here,” Bolton said. “Every time I calm down on one, I know that I’m here to win, and that’s what I was put here to do.

“It was definitely nerve-racking at first, but I just slowed my breathing down and just kind of calmed my nerves and went to the same basics that I always do. Just deep breaths and slow my breathing down. It calms everything down when you start breathing slow.”

It certainly worked, and the payoff was huge. Bolton is in the race for the 2025 Rookie of the Year honors, and the two riders leading him in the standings, Anderson de Oliveira and Elizmar Jeremias, both bucked off.

Bolton earned 60 points for his round-winning effort, enough to surpass Jeremias in the standings. He now trails Oliveira by just 58.33 points heading into Round 2.

“Heck yeah,” Bolton said. “I definitely come here with one thing on my mind: to win rookie of the year. And it’s off to a good start.”

Bolton says he’s been focused on rookie honors since the season began.

“That’s been my goal since day one,” he said.

It’s been a frustrating campaign for Bolton, who began the season with three Top 10 finishes in his first five events. He then pulled a groin muscle in Chicago in early January and was forced to the sidelines, missing 10 events before returning in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late March.

In the five events since his return, he has had another three Top 10 finishes, including a second-place showing in Billings, Montana. He placed fifth in Tacoma, Washington, to conclude the regular season.

The injury bug has also managed to work in his favor, as Oliveira has been struggling with a bad knee. Bolton has made up 226.5 points on Oliveira since his return.

Bolton is also up to No. 24 in the Unleash The Beast standings. The Top 15 in the standings at the end of Eliminations advance directly to the Championship at AT&T Stadium on May 17-18, along with the Top 5 riders in the Eliminations aggregate not already qualifying. Bolton could advance via the aggregate, but he’s just 65 points behind No. 15 Austin Richardson – more than doable in three more days of competition.

Making his most recent 60 points even more special is that Bolton shared the Round 1 win at Eliminations with Kaiden Loud and John Crimber, two of his best friends.

Crimber was the third-to-last out of the night, and both Loud and Bolton were on the back of the chutes to support him.

“Kaiden pulled my rope when I got on,” Bolton said. “We’re always on the back of the bucking chutes when everybody’s going.”

Now, they get to share the round win buckle and the big check.

“They’re some of my best friends right there, and to split the win with them guys, there’s no better feeling,” Bolton said. “You always want your buddies to win, and to split it with them, it’s an awesome feeling.”

Another awesome feeling? Heading back to the locker room and having the No. 1 pick in the Round 2 bull draft.

“Heck yeah. That’s awesome. It’s definitely better than being last pick,” Bolton said with a laugh. “I had the first pick and I picked Fringe Minority. Never been on him, but every video I’ve seen, he’s been super good and I think he’ll take me to another round win.”

Round 2 from Cowtown Coliseum airs at 8:45 p.m. ET on RidePass, the PBR App, YouTube and X, and at 9 p.m. ET on the Cowboy Channel.

Bolton could continue to eat away at his deficit in the rookie race in Round 2, and he knows it. But his plan for the evening is simple.

“Get some good rest, eat good, and wake up and do the same thing tomorrow,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media