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SECOND PROVES WINNER FOR OUTLAW IN BRISBANE

07/16/2012

SECOND PROVES WINNER FOR OUTLAW IN BRISBANE
SYDNEY FINALS THIS SATURDAY
AT ALLPHONES ARENA

BRISBANE, QLD, Australia:  The competition’s second youngest rider, celebrated the second event win of his career, to take out the second stop of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Australian Cup Series, the Brisbane Invitational, held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on Saturday night.

20 year old Chase Outlaw from the USA, having ‘the time of his life’ on his first visit to Australia, took the event by a point and a half and said, “We didn’t give the people what they needed with riding in that last round, but I’ll take it anyway.”

None of the riders scored in the eight-berth Championship round in Brisbane and Outlaw was one of only three riders, alongside Australia’s Mitch Paton and Brendon Clark, to cover two bulls in the night’s competition.

Of the Championship round’s nil-all score, commentator, Warren Matlock, said the bulls had been explosive. 

In the first round Outlaw rode Rattle Ya Cage for 82.5.  Right on the cusp, he let go just on the timer, but had it in the end.  He went for 78 on Balboa in the second and dismounted the beast like an acrobat. That’s Gold undid him in the Championship round but Outlaw had enough from rounds one and two to take Brisbane’s bragging rights with a total of 160.5 points.  

The first of the night to score on two bulls, and first out  of the chutes, Australia’s Mitch Paton got the competition off to a great start, scoring a good-numbered 81.5 on Bowie.  He locked in 77.5 on his reride bull, Underbelly, in the second, but in the Championship round Dark & Stormy thundered over Paton and the bull rider finished in second place with 159 points.

Australian favourite, Brendon Clark – a few dollars closer to being Australia’s newest millionaire bull rider (second only to Troy Dunn) – went 76.5 on El Toro in the first, and 78.5 on Ramland in the second.   The raging bovine might not have done the business with Clark on his back, but gave Shane ‘MadDog’ Simpson a run for his money, flattening the Protection Athlete to the ground and trampling him like an ironing board.

Clark picked Barn Yard in the Championship draft, but the bull proved too much animal and ruled the ride in a cock-crowing 3.61 seconds buck-off.  Clark finished in third with 155 points.  
PBR Australia President and World Champion, Troy Dunn, said of the Brisbane event, “It was a good pen of bulls, real good, and they were bucking real good too.”

There were three re-rides awarded in the 52 buck-out event and only fifteen scores were posted. “Ultimately it comes down to match-ups,” continued Dunn.  “Different bulls suit different blokes and tonight it was the bulls that come up tops.”

Dunne Bulls’, That’s Gold, PBR Bucking Bull of the Brisbane event for the past two years, pulled a hat-trick to the take the title third-year running.  Trevor Dunne, referencing the quality of riders, said, “To win in this type of company is very pleasing.”

Fighting for the PBR Australian Champion bull riding title for a third time, history-making two-time consecutive titleholder (2009 & 2010), David Kennedy, failed to cover either of his round one or two bulls at the Brisbane event, but his lead is enough to keep him in the top position heading into the Sydney Finals next weekend.

However, closing the gap on Kennedy’s dream of making it three, is the competition’s youngest up-and-comer, 19 year old Lachlan Richardson—who last week took out the PBR Australian Cup Series in Newcastle, the Brendon Clark Invitational, but had a disappointing night in Brisbane, failing to score.

Setting the world’s bull riding fraternity on fire, Richardson is one of only two Australian riders qualified for the PBR World Finals (where the winner is paid a bonus of $US1,000,000) in Las Vegas this October.  Richardson’s blistering form, so early in his career, has the honchos sitting up and taking notice.

Guaranteed to take the Australian Rookie Of The Year title and second in line for World Rookie Of The Year, Richardson is close enough to Kennedy, even without a score from Brisbane, to be a real contender for the Australian Championship title.  If he wins he will be the first bull rider in Australian history to take the double crown of PBR Rookie and PBR Australian Champion. 

Not to be discounted, despite a banged-up right elbow and broken hand, defending Australian Champion (2011), and the competition’s oldest rider, 34 year old Jock Connolly is third in line heading into Sydney. 

Going into Brisbane hurt, the tough-as-they-come cowboy aggravated his injuries, but rode like a super hero to deliver the highest scoring ride of the Brisbane event, a show-‘em-how-it’s-done 88 points on Dark Knights.

Choosing Bucking Bull of the Newcastle event, War Chief, for the Brisbane Championship draft, Connolly was asked how his broken hand felt.  “Can’t say how it feels exactly,” he answered, “not with kids here.”

Statistically, Connolly rides more bulls than any other rider on the PBR Australia tour every year, but War Chief proved in command in the Championship round last night.  However, if injury doesn’t cause Connolly grief in Sydney, it could just as readily be his title as much as Kennedy’s or Richardson’s.

Thereafter, fourth to eighth in contention for the Aussie title, heading into Sydney, are: Australia’s Chris Lowe, New Zealand’s Fraser Babbington, Australia’s Sam O'Connor and Sam Larsen, and Canada’s Zane Lambert.

Lowe and Babbington failed to score at the Brisbane event, but O’Connor, Larsen and Lambert all covered one bull in the first round. 

Fourth out of the chutes, Lambert was the second to score and had the crowd in a frenzy with a smiling 83.5 points on Crocodile.  Still in the first round, Larsen gunned 78 points on Shots On and O’Connor brought home 82.5 on Black Acid.

Six of the eight international riders scored at the Brisbane event, including Outlaw and Lambert.
USA’s Harve Stewart scored 79 on Dizzy Spell in the first round, whilst Skeeter Kingsolver locked in the night’s second highest scoring ride, equal with Australia’s Ben Jones, for 86 on Cam Chain in the second.  Zack Brown held the night’s third highest score with 85 on Insane in the second round.

Jory Markiss lived up to his bull’s name, rockin’  and a rollin’ for 84.5 points on Rock Star for the night’s fourth highest score.

Six of the 14 Australian riders scored, including Ben Jones, the only other Australian rider qualified for the PBR World Finals, and the winner of last year’s Sydney event.  He rode Jungle Rumble, a thuggish foe only covered a few times, for 86 points in the first round, but misfired on Rip Curl in the second. 

He lasted 7.91 seconds for a contentious ride on Bambi’s Blood in the Championship round, but also touched the bull with his free hand for a definite no score.

The three-stop PBR Australian Cup Series heads to Sydney’s Allphones Arena this Saturday night for its Finals, where an event winner, Rookie Of The Year and Australian Champion will be crowned. 

It’s a top-line Australian battle between Kennedy and Richardson with Connolly’s injury putting his title chances in doubt.  Richardson is in the race to take one, two or all three of the titles. 
But, like on the bulls that they buck, a twist this way, and a turn that way, can change everything.  Anything can happen.  

The PBR Australian Championship winner secures an automatic berth to ride in the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas this October.

Don’t miss the seat-of-your-pants action as the PBR takes over Sydney this Saturday night.
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au