2020 YETI World Champion Bull contenders take shape for stretch run BY: JUSTIN FELISKO
When the PBR’s first half concluded in Guthrie, Oklahoma, on May 17, it appeared the 2020 YETI World Championship race had its frontrunner. There was a growing consensus that rising bovine star Air Support was going to be the beast to defeat when the second half revamped in the late summer. Sadly, Air Support passed away unexpectedly on June 15, and that has once again left many of us wondering which bull will step up to claim the 2020 World Championship.
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“Air Support was not a veteran like Pearl Harbor, but he was that kind of bull that made you pretty sure he was going to win it this year,” PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert said last week. “Now it is wide open. My favorite bull right now is I’m Legit Too. He is my favorite to win it, but there is a lot of them that could. Smooth Operator and (SweetPro’s) Bruiser are still there, and I think they are still great.” Defending World Champion Bull Smooth Operator made a case for the throne this past weekend in Bismarck, North Dakota, by bucking off Marco Eguchi in 5.87 seconds for a season-high-tying 46.75-point bull score at the 20th annual Dakota Community Bank & Trust Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires. The effort pushed Smooth Operator into the world No. 1 ranking with a 45.75-point average on his eight best outs. He is 10-0 overall with a 45.40 average score. “He is a great bull,” Eguchi said. “He is very strong on the spin. He kicks hard and deserved to win the event, and I hope to have him again.” Smooth Operator is 10-0 this season after also bucking Eguchi off in 3.93 seconds during the Championship Game of the Monster Energy Team Challenge in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last month. Eguchi said Smooth Operator felt just as strong in Bismarck that he did in Sioux Falls, where he was marked 45.75 points. Bismarck featured only Chad Berger bucking bulls at his home state event, but the 2020 World Championship Bull race ante will be raised this weekend back at the Lazy E Arena with the Unleash The Beast PBR Bullnanza event on Friday and Saturday. While Smooth Operator will have the weekend off, fellow 2020 contenders such as Chiseled, Hocus Pocus, I’m Legit Too, Smooth Overand SweetPro’s Bruiser will be beginning their second halves at the Lazy E Arena.
