Bull Fight

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The name may have changed, but the action remains the same.

A group of 41 hard-nosed cowboys from the Professional Bull Riders Copenhagen Challenger Tour -- formerly the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Challenger Tour -- will kick off the Clovis Rodeo festivities by competing for $30,000 in total prize money April 24.

The tour is the second tier of the PBR, with cowboys fighting for the chance to appear in the top circuit. The bulls, however, don't care that this isn't the top flight in bullriding. Provided by Broken Arrow and Taylor Made out of Odessa, Texas, among others, these world-renowned bulls will be bucking just as hard.

"These bulls are in great shape. We wanted to get them on that good California alfalfa," said Thomas Taylor of Taylor Made. "Alfalfa out there in the Valley is awesome."

Last year's champion rider, McKinnon Wimberly, will be back, along with a few others, but they will not have an easy ride. Taylor Made's bull Smokeless War Dance, the 2005 Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association's Bucking Bull of the Year will make an appearance, as will 2005's PBR Bull of the Finals, Pandora's Box.

Smokeless War Dance is the top-rated active bull in the world right now, according to Taylor. Pandora's Box is No. 6.

"He is very seldom ridden for the full eight seconds," Taylor said of Pandora's Box. "He's known as the enigma of bullriding. When his game is on, there's not too many cowboys that can ride that bull.

"Either one of those bulls, you ride them, the judges will pretty much hand you the clipboard and let you write your own score."

He said Pandora's Box, a big, red bull, tends to take one big jump right out of the chute, then turn back to the left and buck harder every time he comes around.

"If the cowboy survives the ride, he will generally be around 90 to 95 points," said Taylor, who will bring 16 bulls, which will also be around for the Clovis Rodeo's bullriding event. He estimated the total value of the bulls to be about $2 million.

Other stock contractors include Julio Moreno Western Rodeos, Russell Rodeos and Anna Hunt.

The event will also feature a match tie-down roping event and veteran barrel man Flint Rasmussen.

The is the second year the PBR's second tour has appeared on the Thursday of rodeo weekend, and the fifth year there's been bullriding in general. The PRCA Xtreme Bulls made appearances before the PBR, but when the PRCA went to another rodeo, the Clovis Rodeo brought in the PBR.

"We went with PBR, because they had a bigger fan base," said arena director Vince Genco. "And it showed, because last year our crowd about doubled for the Thursday event."

The 94th annual Clovis Rodeo opens April 25 with the finals of the three-day event set for April 27.