Bull of the Year: Texas Cocktail (Cervi Championship Rodeo)

"What is a cowboy cocktail? It’s not a drink—it’s an attitude.”

Cervi Championship Rodeo’s contemporary bucking bull, Texas Cocktail, was first introduced to the CBR in Las Vegas at the 2008 World Finals. Now he’s back as the 2009 CBR Bucking Bull of the Year. With an average score of 46.3, he earned the confidence of CBR President and Livestock Director Tuff Hedeman to not only be on the CBR Televised Tour, but claim a permanent spot on the draw list of the Championship Round.

A cowboy’s legendary taste for liquor makes great cocktails and it is obvious #172 “Cocktail” got his name from Trent West’s good taste in bucking stock. So what’s in the Texas Cocktail? According to West, “I blended three of the best bloodlines in the bucking bull industry; mixed them together and got the “Texas Cocktail.” His sire is #74 Wrangler Sports Jacket, and he is out of an Oscar bred cow that all reside at the Crooked Six Ranch in Whitesboro, Texas. I have 2 full brothers to him.

Ridden only twice, and that was back in 2008 by Cole Echols for 91 pts at Rodeo Houston, and by Ted Bert in 2007, Cocktail has been tried by most of the elite bull riders in the industry today. The longest attempt record in 2009 was Clayton Foltyn’s 5.7 second ride in Casper, WY. With 43 records on hand, statistics show you have a better chance of riding him if you are a right-hander, but the odds are still against you with a 92% buck off rating by probullstats. What is his best quality? “He can take the rope,” West said referring to how tight some riders pull their bull ropes.

As proud as West was of Cocktail’s 47 point score in Kansas City, West who admitted he was caught off guard when the award was announced at the CBR Awards Banquet, he is most proud to have raised this bull. “People just don’t know how much blood, sweat and tears go into developing a good bucking bull genetics program. And to have it recognized like this is a great honor, and I will never forget it,” remarked West to the crowd as he received a standing ovation. He also thanked Robert (Paw Paw) Williamson who is the unsung hero of the CBR. “He is the guy in the back that always makes sure your bull is treated the best. Good care of our animals means a lot and I know that starts with Tuff” added West.

How hard is it to raise the number one bucking bull in the country? You can start by stepping into the world of hot days, hard work, and dusty afternoons, and then treat yourself to a bona fide cowboy Texas Cocktail straight from the heart of Trent West.

Editor's Note: Other bucking bulls by #74 Wrangler Sports Jacket include NFR bulls 555 Silent Assassin and 402 Hulk and PBRWF bull Carrillo Cartel.

This article is compliments of Leigh Ann Schroeder, Editor of The Short Round Magazine, OFFICIAL Magazine of CBR.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!!

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High Money Bull: Cude Energy (Benny Cude)

Cude Energy was named the 2009 High Money Bull of the Year. Owned by Benny Cude, the four year old son of Hammertime has proven himself to be a challenge, and a bull that successful riders can rack up points on.

“He has been a great bull for me personally”, stated Cooper Kanngiesser, who scored a 92 in Huron South Dakota this past summer. “ He’s everything you need a 90 point bull to be and he keeps getting  better and better.”

Benny Cude acquired the calf from Chad Beaver. As a two year old, Cude Energy was unpredictable and did not look very promising. The next year, he earned enough points to compete in the NBBA Classic World Championship in Las Vegas. He surprisingly finished eighth at the event despite competing against four year olds.  The experience in Las Vegas plus the added weight and age seems to have sparked the development of this bull into a true athlete. Cude Energy will compete once again at the NBBA World Classic in two weeks, and has a strong chance at winning the competition.

This season, the CBR introduced Cude Energy as a short round bull in several events including the 2009 Tour Finale. Wesley Silcox was one of 40 riders qualified to compete for the Tour Finale World Championship, “I rode this bull earlier in the year in Lufkin for an 87. I drafted him in the short round at the finals a couple of weeks ago in Kansas City. He was much stronger and harder to ride this time.”

Benny Cude sees a bright future for his bull, “I hope Cude Energy will be a long lasting tour bull that riders will seek out for a long, long time.”

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Stock Contractor of the Year:  Alan Murphy

Southeast Texas, home to hurricanes, tropical storms and some of the best bucking bulls in the business. Infamous bull breeders and contractors park there bulls here in the lush green grass. The ranches of Jerry Nelson & Frontier Rodeo, Roy Carter, and Blueberry Wine’s family, Herrington Cattle Company (just to name a few) dots the map of southeast Texas. In the center of this distinguished neighborhood is the most recent addition. North of Beaumont about 30 miles, towards Livingston, and about halfway before you get to Woodville, is now home to about 40 of Championship Bull Riding’s four legged super stars. But in addition to 40 bulls that can go on the truck to events, Murphy’s Ranch and Rodeo of Saratoga, Texas is also residence to over 300 head bucking bull bred cattle.

The owner of Murphy Ranch and Rodeo, Alan Murphy, is a unique individual. He was raised one of eight children. “We grew up the old fashioned way…we worked. No luxuries of going to college, just great parents who taught us to work hard and we would be blessed”, said Murphy talking to me from his Peterbilt rig on his way home from bucking bulls in Southern California. “I did not have a chance as a kid to go to many rodeos; no frills in a family of eight, but I always loved it. When professional bull riding began broadcasting on television…I was hooked. I now have grown children and grandkids that love the sport and they watch it on TV.” So how did this bull dozing, deer hunting oilfield work-aholic get into the bull business?

“Timber companies started selling out around us and when the timber gets to a marketable size, I have my own bull dozers..so I began reclaiming the land for cattle..Specifically now for my bucking bulls”, explained Murphy. But the story begins much earlier in his life. “I have been around cattle all my life, bought a cow with the first money I earned from my first job. Cattle will always be a good investment. I had 500 head of mama cows on a couple thousand acres of land with a cow calf operation. One of my friends that we were buying hay from for the commercial cows started telling us about the embryo transfer business (Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) whereby one or several embryos are placed into the uterus of the female with the intent to establish a pregnancy). I was intrigued. I bought into that business and took 150 commercial cows and culled hard. I picked the genetics of such great bucking bulls like Mudslinger, Vindicator, Houdini, Skat Kat, and Nacarr to bloodlines to begin my project of raising buckers. Robbie Herrington is my neighbor and he called about renting a bull dozer in early January, 2006. Seizing the opportunity to add his famous bloodlines of Moody Blues, Blueberry Wine, and Coyote Ugly, I made a deal with him. I bred them back and forth across the cows and then flushed them. I took bulls like Blueberry Wine and bred to a Red Rocker cow that I bought from Neil Gay that was 1600 pounds and tried to get some size on them. Then Roy Carter and people around me started buying some of my cows. I originally was not going to haul bulls, I was going to just raise them; see if I could build something genetically that would work, kind of like a supplier. Don’t get up out of your seat now because here is where the story gets interesting”, chimed the Saratoga cowboy.

This article is compliments of Leigh Ann Schroeder, Editor of The Short Round Magazine, OFFICIAL Magazine of CBR.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!!

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