Championship Bull Riding World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days
CHEYENNE, Wyoming (July 27, 2016) — Sage Steele Kimzey was the only cowboy to ride all five bulls at the CBR World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days and as a reward the twenty-one year old bull rider from Strong City, Oklahoma earned his second CBR World Championship title, his first World Finals event average win and a check for $140,000.
“Getting paid for doing what I love, riding bulls, it’s all I’ve dreamed about since I was three years old and to get to come do it for a living it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Kimzey while surrounded by reporters and fans.
Kimzey, who came into the competition in the No. 1 position, took an early lead in the event competition on night one riding both of his draws, 125 Hood Rat and 108 Admiral Bull for 88.5 and 86.5 points for a total of 173.5.
“Coming in here to the finals with the lead, all I was worrying about was staying on my bulls, that’s my job,” said Kimzey after a record breaking bull riding attendance night for the first performance of the CBR World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Round One and Two
With 23 qualified rides from 49 outs on the first night of competition, Kimzey finished second behind US Army Veteran Juan Alonzo who was inspired by the elite forces of U.S. Navy Leap Frogs and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performing and cheering him on from the back of the bucking chutes.
Alonzo for the second consecutive year finished first after round one and two posting 90 points on 1711 Too Juicy (Rawson) and 87 points on 108 War Tiger (D4 Cattle Co.) for a total of 177 points while celebrating Military Monday in the opening performance of the CBR World Finals.
Round Three
With his fourth World Champion bull riding title on the line and three rounds to go of the CBR World Finals, Sage Steele Kimzey came to work on night two at his temporary office at the Frontier Park arena.
Night two, which featured the CBR’s proprietary three round tournament format began with the Cajun cowboy, Jacob O’Mara, the No. 2 bull rider coming into the finals, taking the early lead in round three with 90 points on Jared Allen’s 911 Hy Test. That score would hold against the field of 24 where 12 posted qualified rides including three rookies, Tyler Taylor who tied Cody Rostockyj’s 89.5 to progress to round four, the Semifinals of the 5 round competition.
Rookie rider Jeffery Ramagos and veteran Neil Holmes were both 89 points followed by the World Champs Cody Teel and Sage Kimzey who were both 88.5 points on 626 Karaoke and 126 Hood Rat respectively. Jonathan Brown, Wyatt Rogers, Taryl Smith and Mickey Andrews would all receive scores but it was Eli’s Vastbinder 87.5 on C735 Jack Tar that would be the winning combination to advance to the semifinal round.
Semifinal round
Advancing on aggregate scores earned from night one’s two rounds and the third round on night two, 12 bull riders prepared for their fourth bull on the dirt in front of a record breaking Cheyenne Frontier Days bull riding crowd.
Cody Teel would strike first after watching the first three buck off. He rode 3446 Bio Hazard (Nunes) who was into his hand for 88 points. Mahindra Young Gun Eli Vastbinder answered with the same 88 points on Harris’s perennial bucker 911 Bargain Bin to get three bulls down in Cheyenne.
Rostockyi, who left the arena in round two on a stretcher, snatched the fourth round lead with a comeback ride on 9100 Kojack (Championship Pro Rodeo) for 89 points.
The fans would fall silent as the last cowboy that could challenge Kimzey’s dominance of the World Standings and the World Finals average, No. 2 cowboy Jacob O’Mara, bucked off a rookie bull of Lyndal Hurst’s 125 No Dry County.
Kimzey, knowing he had clinched the World Championship title by riding his first three, never backed down and tapped out the bull he watched Teel ride in round two, 25 Billy Jack, owned by Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team, for 90.5 points and the round win.
Shoot Out Round
After 92 total outs in Cheyenne four bull riders qualified for the final four man round. It was three veterans and one rookie, Tyler Taylor who came into the competition as an alternate and rode all three draws to find himself in the first Shoot out round of his newly found CBR career. He would face the bull rider who led the CBR season for over seven months, a Mahindra Young Gun, and the reigning PRCA champ of the world, Sage Kimzey.
Selecting their own fate in the final round, Kimzey opted for the newly crowned CBR World Champion bucking bull who had been ridden by Brennon Eldred for 94 points to earn the season’s high marked ride at the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding in Del Rio, Texas in April.
Rostockyj took no time picking his tour buddy J908 Outside the Box (Jaynes), who assisted him to two tour event wins this season, for his ride to the finish while Eli Vastbinder, 263 on three bulls took no time telling Tuff Hedeman he would ride cowboy favorite Boomer from Jeri Harmon’s Elite Bucking Bulls.
Rookie Tyler Taylor tied with Cody Teel at 262 points on three, but managed to edge out Teel for the final round with a back judge score from round four. He was left with a lesser known bull, Jared Allen’s Uncle Tink who was unridden in CBR competition on the 2016 Road to Cheyenne.
Riding in reverse order, rookie Tyler Taylor would buck off first. Riding to tie Kimzey and be the second man to cover four bulls at the 2016 World Finals, Eli Vastbinder made the most of his first trip on 059 Boomer and was the first rider to post a score in the four man, 90.5 points.
Rostockyj, matched with J908 for the fourth time found himself in unexpected trouble.
“I let him well me a little and the way he bucks a little is a lot,” said Rostockyj after the competition.
Kimzey selecting the rankest bull in the pen of final four bulls, William Barnette’s Cowtown Cartel, selected the bull he knew if he rode he would win. Kimzey, the bull rider who was born to ride bulls paired with the bull who was bred and born to buck him off, had a firm seat from the first jump and after what looked like an easy eight seconds, landed on his feet amongst the many cowboy hats being thrown from behind the chutes out of respect for the new four time World Champion.
World Standings Race
Sage Kimzey, earning his fourth bull riding World Championship buckle and riding all five bulls in Cheyenne, is without doubt on target to become bull riding’s all-time leading cowboy athlete. Winning his second CBR World Championship, Sage Kimzey had this to say about his final bull and his two day ride to the top.
“It’s amazing, coming in he (Cowtown Cartel) was just named the World champion bull and I knew I had a good chance to be a lot of points on him if I rode him. Stepping off one of the greatest bulls in the world with the whole crowd behind you, its pure bliss,” said the champ about his 93 point score in the Shoot Out round in Cheyenne.
“Anytime you get to see all your hard work pay off like it has done in my bull riding career, being in the position I am in today, and to see the blood sweat and tears pay off, it’s a great feeling.
Kimzey’s price package win included Juan Jose Muñoz Andrade Custom Saddle, Full Quill, Exotic Hand Made Custom Boots by Fenoglio Boot Company, Hyo Silver Trophy Buckle, and a bonus check for $100,000.
It’s All in the Family
Arriving in Cheyenne with multiple friends and families of support. Kimzey first gave credit and thanked the rodeo royalty family that accompanied him to Cheyenne.
“My family and my girlfriend are my rock, they always pick me up when I am down because this is one of the most humbling sports, one day its feast and one day its famine,” added Kimzey.
Eight-time World Champion bull rider Don Gay who watched and commentated on the only bull rider he thinks has a legitimate shot at breaking his record said it best on night two from the announcer’s booth when describing Sage Kimzey.
“Kimzey grew up at the rodeo, he was born to do this, he rides fundamentally flawless, and it’s all he has ever wanted to do.” American Hat Co. Pure Beaver Felt Hat
CBR Bull Team Challenge
One ride score, the highest marked bull in Cheyenne and the bull who has the most CBR outs on the 2016 Road to Cheyenne earned Jeff Harris $120, 00 on the final night of the CBR World Finals Bull Team Competition. His trio of buckers 231 Big Baby, 911 Bargain Bin, and 8 Ole School stood firm amongst the CBR’s top 22 teams and sixty six outs.
“It’s been a struggle for me all year to keep three bulls solid and this was a real challenging event to pick the right bulls,” said Jeff Harris who used eighteen different bulls during the regular portion of the CBR season.
Harris proclaimed his love for the sport as the driving force behind his four year journey to the top of the CBR Bull Team Challenge competition. His bulls scored a total of 286.5 points, 3.95 points behind JC Knapp and Flip Connelly’s team.
“You have a chance to redeem everything you put into it at the end of the year and the people we share our passion with, the friends, the bull riders and other stock contractors, make it all worth it.”
Mickey Andrews rode 231 Big Baby for an 87 point ride score and an 87.5 bull score in round one of the CBR World Finals. Harris would draw bull rider Brennon Eldred, one of the most consistent bull riders in CBR competition, for his next two outs. 911 Bargain Bin who had 16 outs during the regular season was his round two bull and he surprisingly bucked off Eldred in 3.96 seconds but with an 88.5 bull score. On night two Eldred showcased the final bull 8 Ole School for 6.44 seconds and a 92 point rank bull score.
Harris’ team earned $55,000 during the regular season, $120,000 in Cheyenne and his World Champion Bull Team Prize package includes and American Hat Co. pure beaver felt hat, a Juan Jose Muñoz Andrade Custom Saddle, a Full Quill, a pair of exotic handmade pair of custom boots by Fenoglio Boot Company, a Hyo Silver Trophy Buckle, and a custom 24-Foot Neckover trailer.
High Marked Bull was a tie between two Road to Cheyenne veteran bulls, Jeff Harris’ 8 Ole School and Winston Loe and Melton’s 161 Firehouse, both with 92 points. One of Don Gay’s pick of the night for rank bulls was D4 Cattle Company’s Big Lew who bucked off Juan Alonzo in 4.04 seconds to earn his 90.5 bull score. Championship Pro Rodeo’s bull of the year finalist, 1137 Cowbanger tied that score and remains unridden after ending Chandler Bownds night in 2.8 seconds.
The 2016 CBR World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days will air on FOX Sports 2 on Wednesday, August 3rd & 10th, and on FOX Sports Networks Sunday, August 28th & September 4th.
The 2016 CBR World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days awarded the following monies for the 2016 season: $372,500 to Bull Team Contractors including the $120,000 to the 2016 Bull Team World Champion owner, Jeff Harris: $100,000 to CBR World Champion Bull Rider Sage Kimzey; additional $50,000 in the World Finals event payout; $20,000 to 2016 CBR Horizon Series Tour Champion Koby Radley, $5,000 to Bullfighter of the Year, Brandon Loden.
World Finals Average Event Results
1, Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., 445.5 points, $140, 00. 2, Eli Vastbinder, Statesville, NC, 353.5, $22,000. 3, Cody Rostockyj, Lorena, Tex., 266. $$6,000. 4, Tyler Taylor, Stephenville, Tex., 262. $5000. 5, Cody Teel, Kountze, Tex., 262, $6,000.
World Finals Standings
See cbrbull.com
CBR Bull Team Challenge Results
1, Harris Bucking Bulls, 286.40, $120,000. 2, Flip Em Off Buck’en Bulls/Knapp, $60,000, 282.46. 3, Rawson/Baker/Hurst, $41,000, 282.36. 4, Winston Loe Melton, $30,000,282.23. 5, Cunningham Scoggins, $35.000. 6, Mike Rawson, $15,000,281.53. 7, D4 Cattle Co., $13,000. 8, $11,500, JQH Bucking Bulls, 280.94. 9, Jared Allen Pro Bull Team, $10,000, 280.13. 10, Rawson Probst, $8,500,279.46.
For more information contact Leigh Ann Schroeder at 940.902.1112 or leighann@theshortround.com