The event format of the Mount Isa PBR Touring Pro was not as I expected so I apologise and hope to be able to obtain this type of information from the PBR in the future and be able to inform the fans via ridetherage.com in my previews. In previous years, the event featured two long rounds with a championship round on the second night of competition but this year each night appears to be a separate competition with a long round followed by a championship round.
The Winner
Bailey Woodard (Dingo, QLD) took out night 1 of competition at the Mount Isa PBR Touring Pro with a 2-for-2 effort to move up into the 8th spot on the PBR Australian National Standings. It was the 19-year-old’s second winning performance of the 2018 PBR Australia Season with his maiden win coming in Rockhampton, QLD on New Year’s Eve.
Woodard was one of thirteen riders to record a qualified ride in Round 1 with his 81 point effort on Gang Related (Dittmann Bucking Bulls) leaving him in the 8th spot heading into the Championship Round.
The Long-Go
The leader after Round 1 was Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, NSW) who received a re-ride option following his 71 point ride on Aussie Gangsta (Wallace Bucking Bulls). Richardson took full advantage of his re-ride bull, making the whistle and scoring 84 points on Puff N Stuff (Troy Chappel).
Finishing in a tie for second in the round on 83 points were Justin Paton, Ethan Watts and Michael Smith.
Paton (Nebo, QLD) covered Mixed Culture from Brandenburg Bucking Bulls while fellow Team Australia rider Watts (Tamworth, QLD) made the whistle on Troy Chappel’s Bad Egg.
Smith (Tully, QLD) received his 83 points courtesy of a successful re-ride opportunity on Scene of the Crash (Wallace Bucking Bulls).
Rounding out the Top 5 was Ky Hamilton (Mackay, QLD), who entered the Championship Round with 82.5 points following his ride on Brumby Pride (Brandenburg Bucking Bulls)
Championship Round
Cliff Richardson (Gresford, NSW) was the first to ride in the Mount Isa PBR Touring Pro Championship Round drawing Kings Ransom from Brandenburg Bucking Bulls. The 27-year-old produced a spectacular ride to move straight to the top of leaderboard with his 86 points ending the evening as the high marked ride of the night. Richardson ultimately finished in second place with an aggregate score of 164 points
Lane Mellers (Mundubbera, QLD) was quick to follow with 82.5 points on Troy Chappel’s Hot Thing to finish with an event total of 161 in third position while Darcy McBean (Katherine, NT) also remained perfect through two rounds of competition covering Django (Wallace Bucking Bulls) to take his total to 160.5.
But it was to be Bailey Woodard’s night with his 83.5 point ride on Wallace Bucking Bull’s Superstitious boosting him to the top of the leaderboard with a total of 164.5 points.
The high marked bull of the night was 2018 PBR Australian Bucking Bull of the Year, Top County Take the Gamble (Brandenburg Bucking Bulls) who bucked off Lachlan Richardson in 3.12 seconds in the final out of the night and received a bull score of 44.0 points for his effort.
Night 2 Preview
It is once again hard to pick a winner with many of these bulls rarely seen on tour.
Cliff Richardson will obviously be the cowboy to beat once again. Richardson has now covered his last 7 bulls and has drawn Capital Punishment in tonight’s Round 1. The Troy Chappel bucker recorded a buck off on debut with Jacob Linwood failing to make the whistle last night.
Take the Gamble was a tough draw for Lachlan Richardson after leading the field into the Championship Round last night. Richardson looks in good form and should cover Off The Chain (Troy Chappel). This bull bucked off Jack Henley last night but from what I have found on social media, the bull should be a good fit for a right-handed rider.
View the Mount Isa PBR Touring Pro Night 2 Draw HERE
The Championship Round pen looks to be quite a rider friendly (with a few exceptions) and after recording four qualified rides last night, I think the cowboys may ride one or two more tonight.
I will once again try to provide some updates via Social Media during the event tonight. There will also be a recap of the Mount Isa PBR Touring Pro Night 2 available on ridetherage.com from late Sunday afternoon.