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IT'S A WHOLE LOT A BULL IN CHARTERS TOWERS

12/06/2011

IT’S A WHOLE LOT A BULL IN CHARTERS TOWERS

On Saturday December 31st, Charters Towers is going to come alive with the sound of thundering hooves as the Professional Bull Riders prepare to deliver one of the most anticipated events of the year, The Touring Pro Series New Years Eve showdown at the Dalrymple Equestrian Centre.

The main night time Touring Pro performance which will feature a combination of the most accomplished riders in the nation going head to head against Australia’s most extreme bulls from 4-5 of the state’s leading bull breeders.

To secure a win in the sport of Professional Bull Riding, 50% of the total score is determined by how the rider controls his ride, whilst the other 50% of the score is given to how well the bull performs. Not only does the cowboy have to have his riding pants on each and every time he nods his head, but he also hopes that the bull contractor has also done his job and brought a bull good enough for him to win on.

Richmond based stock contractor and former 2 times Australian Bull Riding Champion, Darren Brandenburg is all too aware of the caliber of bull required in today’s competitions and even though he is relatively new to the stock contractor scene, he has been test piloting and trading in bucking bulls for over two decades.

Finding a potential PBR bucking bull is by no means and easy task, genetics and breeding with the right bloodlines is quickly becoming the favored approach for many Australian contractors, however from past experiences, Brandenburg knows there are still plenty of superstar bucking bulls roaming paddocks around Australia that will go through their life undetected. One of his latest finds is exactly that, Big Brian, a Charbray herd bull, that Brandenburg picked up from Ray & Judy Heslin’s, Inverleigh Station in Normanton.

“Big Brian is just one of the 120 plus bulls I currently own, but he has to be one of my favourites, he is tough and spectacular to watch and will get a rider a winner’s cheque if he is good enough to weather his storm of moves”, Brandenburg states.

On the other end of the spectrum is Suicidal Blonde, a genetically breed bull who’s father “Little Yellow Jacket” was a multiple PBR World Champion Bucking Bull back in the USA and is recognized as one of the greatest bulls of all time. A few years ago Troy Dunn was fortunate enough to negotiate a deal with Little Yellow Jackets owner, Joe Berger and secure a batch of his semen and introduce a new bloodline into the sport here in Australia, of which Suicidal Blonde is the first of his prodigy to be old enough for the PBR Australian Tour.

We have been real fortunate that Brandy has invested allot of time and money in establishing such a great pen of bulls in the north, it’s good for us but also great for our local fans who get to see local bulls testing these high caliber riders, Troy Dunn states.

Consisting of 40 riders all competing on one bull each in a random draw round, the top 10 scorers will then progress to Championship Round where they will face off against 10 of the toughest bulls the state of Queensland has to offer. For a rider to win this event, they are going to need to put together 2 solid rides, however in this sport there are no favourites and anyone of the 40 bull riders in the competition are good enough to win, it all comes down to drawing the toughest bulls and making the 8 second whistle.

With the expected large attendance, the venue will undergo some infrastructure changes with the inclusion of additional seating, the main rodeo arena being made smaller to bring the audience closer to the action, a kid’s zone that will feature Laser Tag, Jumping Castle and play area, along with a free camping site.

The support for this event from the local community has been exceptional, local businesses have backed it and pre event ticket sales are well exceeding our expectations with people from as far north as Cairns and south to Bundaberg getting in early to secure their seats, states PBR General Manager, Glen Young.

Our main aim was to deliver Charters Towers a signature New Years Eve event, however with the high percentage of out of town visitors this event is attracting, it is certainly shaping up to have positive economic impact to the region giving us a great platform to grow and develop this event well into the future.

In addition to the main bull riding event the PBR will be holding a Meet n Greet the riders at the White Horse Tavern on the Friday Night before the event, autograph signing at Titley’s and Co on the Saturday morning, along with the newly introduced Toyota Ute Muster with the number one ute of the show being awarded a handcrafted gold and silver limited edition trophy buckle. Directly following the event Live Entertainment will kick in with 52 Pick Up and Australian Idol contestant, Laurence Sorbello to bring in the New Year.

Saturday December 31st is going to be a whole lot of bull at the Dalrymple Equestrian Centre in Charters Towers, so come join the PBR for a weekend of Real Men – Rank Bulls and the Toughest Sport on Earth.

Tickets on Sale now: City Hall, Mossman Street or by dialling: 0749 454 450
Adults: $30, Under 18: $15, Family (2 Adults + 2 Kids): $80 and each additional child $10 each.