2008 has got to be the best event ever held in the history of the PBR. As the following press release shows, it set some amazing records and brought a lot of fans to the sport.

Every event was more exciting than the one before it. The changes to the finals proved a success in adding new thrills and new challenges to an already tough sport.

We look forward to being a part of the 2009 season:

The 2008 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals presented by Wrangler made history in more ways than one. The seven-night Las Vegas extravaganza not only marked the PBR’s 15th consecutive championship event, but saw the emotional retirement of two legends of bull riding – three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes and two-time World Champion Justin McBride.

But it was the fans – all 116,177 of them – who made the 15th PBR World Finals the best and largest ever.

“It speaks volumes about the passion of our fans that the PBR saw strong growth in spite of a national economic downturn,” said Randy Bernard, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PBR. “I’m very confident that the city of Las Vegas felt the impact of tourism in their city, and the non-gaming revenue will show a significant increase over last year, which was $32 million.”

Attendance and enthusiasm were also raised to new heights at the Mandalay Bay Fan Zone and Marketplace, where visitors enjoyed a wide variety of vendors, live entertainment, and interactive displays, including PBR funnyman Flint Rasmussen’s “Outside the Barrel” show, and the always-popular Wrangler University, giving tomorrow’s PBR stars a chance to ride sheep and steers. New this year to Fan Zone were the “Bullapollpooza Tours,” that allowed guests an up-close visit with 20 of the world’s top bucking bulls – making the 2008 Mandalay Bay Fan Zone and Marketplace a PBR-utopia for attendees.

“Las Vegas is proud of its history of success with sporting events,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “We were confident that Las Vegas and the PBR would be a great partnership, and it’s very rewarding to see the continued growth and success of the World Finals.”

What could possibly top the most monumental PBR World Finals in history? Only 2009 will tell.

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This was one PBR Finals for the record books. More records fell, more titles changed hands, more money won and a lot more people than ever before witnessed some absolutely amazing bull riding.

The world’s best bull riders electrified the sold-out Thomas & Mack Center crowd during the seventh round and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round at the 2008 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals presented by Wrangler. The crowd watched as Brazilian superstar Guilherme Marchi was officially crowned the 2008 PBR World Champion after eight rounds of competition. He rode seven of eight bulls and finished second overall in the average.

The crowd also witnessed the final rides of retiring legends Adriano Moraes and Justin McBride.
Adriano did not cover his bull, but gave the crowd an emotional, tear filled good bye. McBride covered his seventh round bull, Pearl Snap, owned by Boyd/Floyd Bull Company, for 93.5 points and the round victory.

Marchi’s fellow Brazilian Robson Palermo took the 2008 PBR World Finals Event title with a total of 625.25 points, riding seven of eight bulls. He received scores of over 90 points on three of his seven bulls. The Thomas & Mack crowd also saw Reese Cates take the title of the 2008 Daisy Rookie of the Year.

“I felt great coming into the event in Vegas,” Cates said. “I think this year was an outstanding year for rookies although everyone was a rookie as some point in their career and I don’t want to overlook other greats like Justin McBride, Guilherme Marchi, and Adriano (Moraes).”

Eighteen of the season’s top 45 riders successfully rode the some of the world’s top bucking bulls in today’s seventh round with the top 15 moving into the eighth and final Championship Round with only three riders covering their short-go attempts.

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People who have never been to a PBR event, usually laugh when I tell them there are three athletes in competition. You have the bull riders, the bull fighters and you have the bulls. These are the best bulls in the business and they are here to make some money as well..

How Much Money?
Here is the latest from the PBR:

With only two rounds left in the 2008 Professional Bull Riders World Finals presented by Wrangler, D&H Cattle Company has made its mark on Sin City. With twenty plus bulls competing in Las Vegas, D&H Cattle have won over $716,000 in an 8 day stretch with more money up for grabs at the conclusion of the World Finals.

D&H Cattle Company is owned by Dillon and H.D. Page from Dickson, Okla. With years of experience, the Pages take pride in their genetics from the bulls to the cows that produce their superstars. The duo was named the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 & most recently 2005 PBR Stock Contractors of the Year. Also to their titles, they have won the most short-go high scores, 2005 Classic Bull of the Year, and 2004 Bull of the Finals, Crossfire Hurricane.

Dominating the competition in every aspect of the bucking bovine industry, D&H Cattle Company took home honors in the inaugural PBR Bull Team Challenge, earning them $250,000, and bragging rights for the 2009 BFTS season. They also won the American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) Wild Card competition, winning $50,000; ABBI Classic Bull of the Year competition with Jacob’s Pet going in as the favorite for the Classic Bull competition although his traveling mate, Crosswired took home the honors and the $250,000; and in the ABBI futurity system their bulls collectively won $21,125.

Prior to the 2008 PBR World Finals presented by Wrangler, D&H Cattle Company consistently placed at every ABBI competition they traveled to. Winning close to $200,000 in the regular ABBI season, D&H have been raising bovine superstars for more than 20 years.

At the conclusion of the 2008 World Finals on November 9th, up for grabs for D&H Cattle is the 2008 Daisy Rookie Bull of the Year and a $5,000 bonus as well as the 2008 Mikel Moreno Bull of the Finals with the winner receiving a $12,500 bonus.

2008 have been a remarkable year for Dillon and H.D. Page with winnings of over $900,000 and more to come.

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Ty Murry who was one of PBR’s founding members, PBR President, and spokesperson and his wife, friend, and pop music sensation Jewel, quietly came into the back of the room to watch the interviews and congratulate the champion.

Ty is referred to as the “King of the Cowboys” for his many titles, records, and all around skills in the arena. He is also probably the most recognized man of the PBR, and in the world of rodeo and bull riding.

Retiring world champion Justin McBride won the sixth round with a 91.75 ride on Scene of the Crash. But, the night clearly belonged to Guilherme Machi, as the Brazilian became the uncatchable point’s leader and was crowned the new world champion with one day left in the finals.

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In years past, each rider would come in the back door and we wouldn’t see them until the ride.  This year they added a “walking the red carpet” to each round.  Now they come in through the front door and meet with the fans.  Shaking hands and signing anything they get handed.  All done with a smile and a sincere “Thank You” for coming.

The trick is to try and them to speak in more than one or two sentences.  They talk about as long as the ride.  They don’t see themselves as the celebrities they are.  This is for the fans and they let you know it. 

The coolest thing is that this is a red carpet anyone can attend.  You don’t have to be famous, have an entourage or have your own show.  They want to speak to anyone who is willing to show up.  They know if it wasn’t for the fan, they wouldn’t be here.

So come on out and say “Hello” to the the best athletes in the business.  They won’t bite!

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This was an awesome round. Not as many full rides as the first night, but still, some great attempts!!

The top riders took on some of the best bulls in the world for the third round of competition during the 15th anniversary of this world-class event. In the end, PBR veteran bull riders Brendon Clark (Morpeth, AUS) and Ross Coleman (Molalla, Ore.) split the round win after each scored 90.75 points on the bulls they each drafted the night before. Clark took on the bull, Pearl Snap of Boyd/Floyd Bull Company while Coleman rode Mayo/Hooker’s bull, Outsider.

“The draft deal is great especially if you win because you get to choose the bull you want. I don’t know what kind of bulls we’re going to have on Thursday but I’m just excited to be able to pick first and second with Brendon (Clark),” Coleman stated. “I just looked up at that scoreboard and saw that we (Coleman and Clark) were one and two and thought that’s the way it should be—Brendon and I on top of the leaderboard and Justin (McBride) below. It’s always fun when you’re up on that scoreboard with one of your buddies.”

Clark added, “I actually wanted the bull (Chris) Shivers had chosen because I knew it was going to be good and rank, but so did Chris. A friend told me to pick the one I road tonight and it worked out for me. There are many types of bulls that Cody Lambert had for us and I craved the rankest. I feel I can ride any of them if I can just hang on to the rope.”

Splitting third and fourth place were two-time and reigning World Champ Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) and top Daisy Rookie of the Year contender Reese Cates (Carthage, Texas) who each scored 90.5 points. McBride conquered the bull, Gonzales Black (James DeBord) while Cates rode the bull, Firewater, owned by Big Bend/Flying 5 Rodeo Co. Rounding out fifth place was two-time World Champion Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) who was given a score of 89.75 points after riding Frontier Rodeo Company’s Flash.

The inaugural 2008 PBR Bull Team Challenge was a spectacular race in Las Vegas. Twenty-two teams were formed, each providing $50,000 for the opportunity to win their share of the $1.1 million total competition purse. In the end, the team, D&H/Enlow/Gilbert, took first place and the $250,000 check after totaling 223 points, beating out second place team, Lone Star Bulls, who ended the event with 222.75 points and a check for $125,000.

“We are so excited to be the first bull team winners. All we set out to do was put together a great bull team with the rankest bulls we had and win,” HD Page, one of the Bull Team owners, stated. “We are blessed to have Enlows and Gilberts as partners and wanted to win for them.”

As the winner of round two at the 2008 PBR World Finals presented by Wrangler in Las Vegas, Nev., Mauney was eligible to compete for the $5,000 Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Ride with the Best” bonus during round three. He covered the bull, Boogie Board, owned by Diamond S Bucking Bulls; therefore, he collected the $5,000 bonus. As the winner of round three, Coleman will be eligible to compete for the bonus during round four of the event.

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