124 - Woopaa

2020 ABBI Classic Champion

By Kelly B. Robbins

124 Woopaa is a bull to keep your eyes on folks! This four-yearold bucking bovine is an exceptional athlete. When Jose Vitor Leme climbed aboard Woopaa in the third round of the 2020 PBR Unleash the Beast World Finals in the AT&T Stadium

in Arlington, he needed 91.25 points to clinch the 2020 PBR World Bull Riding Championship and claim the one-milliondollar bonus. As the gate swung open, these two warriors began to battle it out. Leme hung on and Woopaa gave Leme a ride wild enough to give him an amazing score of 95.75 and the championship!

Photo provided courtesy of Barker Bucking Bulls.

With that ride, Woopaa had a bull score of 46.75, and claimed the 2020 ABBI World Finals Classic Championship and $75,000! That ride also gave Woopaa the 2020 ABBI World Champion Classic Bull title, earning Barker Bulls an additional $75,000 and a Neckover Trailer!

“I can’t tell you how excited I was when Jose Vitor Leme drew Woopaa for that third round,” owner Larry Barker shared. “It felt awesome for Woopaa to win both of those titles. I’ve been raising and selling bulls for 15 years. It is really a hobby for me. It was worth the whole 15 years of doing this to see him buck like that and win those titles!”

Barker Bulls is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. There Larry raises bucking bulls as a hobby. He owns and operates Barker Produce, Inc. where they raise, harvest and pack over 700 acres of onions. Larry also brokers onions for other growers, which enables him to offer onions to customers year-round.

“Woopaa is an exceptional bull,” Larry exclaimed. “I’ve had several offers to buy him. I usually raise bulls and then sell them. But Woopaa is special and I decided to keep him and see how he does. My lifelong friend, JP Lewis, always used to yell ‘Woopaa’. Whenever

you heard ‘Woopaa’, you knew that ole cowboy was close by. When JP lost his battle with cancer, his wife asked me to name one of my bulls to honor JP’s memory. So Woopaa is really special to me.”

Woopaa won the high marked bull of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals in Sioux Falls the week before the PBR Finals. He bucked off Marcus Mast in 2.61 seconds for a bull score of 46 points. I contacted Marcus and asked him what he thought about Woopaa. “I think he is the most fun, rank bull I ever got on,” Marcus offered. “When he bucked me off, I felt like he bucked really hard! I had checked out Woopaa a little and talked with the owner. I told my friend Wallace that I thought I could get a 91 or 92 on that bull if I rode him. Wallace just laughed. After he bucked me off, I remember thinking that as hard as he bucked, I would probably have gotten a 94 or 95 if I’d ridden him to the buzzer! Then at the finals, Jose got that huge score! I am definitely looking forward to a rematch!”

As a yearling, Woopaa placed fourth at the ABBI Finals in Las Vegas. “He was so electric when he jumped out of the chute, I thought he was going to break his leg or injure himself,” Larry revealed. “We brought him back home to Las Cruces and let him grow up. He just got better and better as he matured. When Woopaa turned four years old, we contacted Laramie Wilson, who owns the Hookin W Ranch in Rhome, Texas. We asked him to haul Woopaa to the ABBI Classic events for the season. He has done a great job for us!”

Laramie Wilson hauls bulls for Larry Barker and himself. His yearling bull 955 Top Dollar won the 2020 ABBI Juvenile World Championship. “I’ve had Woopaa for a little less than a year,” Laramie disclosed. “He hadn’t bucked much when I got him. I

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

have been lucky to get to haul him. He’s really a good one! He’s bucked about 15 times this season and was really consistent. At every event he went to, he bucked in the top ten.”

“He’s easy to get along with,” Laramie continued. “Sometimes he even let’s me pet him when I feed him. But he is a bucker for sure! Jose Vitor Leme is the only rider that he hasn’t bucked off this season. I can’t even begin to put into words how awesome that was to watch that ride and see that huge score! Every time I play back that ride, I am in awe!”

Woopaa was sired by 3Z Dances With Gravy (Wavy Gravy). The dam was BB 319, a daughter of Yellowhair. Going into the

ABBI Classic finals, Woopaa was leading Ridin Solo, the 2018 ABBI Futurity World Champ by just a quarter of a point. Ridin Solo is owned by Cord McCoy and Steve Best, and was scored 93.80 points in the round. Woopaa came in second in the round, with a score of 93.40 points. But it was enough to claim the 2020 ABBI Classic World title.

Photo provided courtesy of Barker Bucking Bulls.

I asked Larry what he has planned for Woopaa’s future. “He’s heading to the PBR events this next season. He’s good enough, and he’s got a lot of potential. I won’t jinx him by saying he’s got a shot at the championship. We’re going to have Laramie Wilson continue to care for him there at the Hookin W Ranch and haul him to the PBR events for us.”

“I’m going to haul Woopaa to the PBR events,” Laramie confirmed. “I sure hope he has a rematch with Jose. I live about 20 minutes from Jose. I talked to him after the Finals, and he told me he is looking forward to a 2021 rematch with Woopaa!”

“I think Woopaa’s best days are yet to come,” Laramie concluded. “He handles pressure great. He’s starting to feed off the energy now, so I think he’s just going to get better and better for sure!”

Photo provided courtesy of Barker Bucking Bulls.