Las Vegas, NV (January 23, 2009) ~ The Equestrian Center at the South Point Hotel and Casino was abuzz as lines of fans packed in for the first night of competition at the 2008 Waggin’ Train CBR World Championship. From the opening of the show to the concert afterwards the huge crowd of fans and participants enjoyed a high-energy world caliber bull riding show. Nashville recording artist Jason Meadows opened the night with the 2009 tour song “Ride It Out” and TV Host Susie Dobbs followed by paying tribute to our armed forces and the singing of the National Anthem as the Honor Guard from Nellis Air Force Base presented arms.

Fans eagerly participated in the competition by drawing cards for the six rider teams presented this evening. All 40 contestants were divided into six teams, Wrangler, Stoney’s, Navajo Nation, Mahindra, Waggin’ Train, and Palace Station and the star studded team of Wrangler took home the big bonus for the evening and won CBR fans free merchandise.

The big winner of the night though was Cooper Kanngiesser. Cooper who has lead the Crown Royal Standings for most of the 2008 season clinched a win with a 92 on Hot Diggity Damn, a bull he had previously scored the same on in Longview. Cooper had a shot at a $25,000 bonus at the end of the evening because he was the top score of the night. He was matched on Shakedown, a bull that has yet to be ridden, and was bucked just short of the 8 second buzzer. He did receive a facial laceration and was sent to the hospital for stitches but said he was ready to come back the next night and claim his spot as the CBR World Champion. Cooper jumped back into the World Standings lead and holds that spot by 728 points.

All and all there were 19 rides the first night of bull riding. One by one the top riders in the world, many of whom are previous World Champions and Recent WNFR qualifiers, ranked in high scores on some of the worlds highest ranked NBBA bulls. Logan Knibbe scored 91 on Magic Man the Mark Cordwell and was the second highest score of the night. The third place spot was tied up between Ladden Ledbetter and Clayton Baethge with 90.5 as was the fourth place spot by three riders, Trent Cromier, Spud Jones and Wesley Silcox. Chance Smart rounded up the top 5 positions.
Blake Shelton finished off the evening with a performance in front of a jam-packed room after the CBR King of the Month presentations for 2008.

The next CBR World Champion will be determined in less then 24 hours on Saturday Night. Doors open at 6PM at the South Point Hotel and Casino Equestrian Center . Craig Morgan will perform afterwards. Tickets are available now for the Waggin’ Train World Championship by calling the South Point 866-796-7111. Tickets range from $25 to $75. A $10 discount is given to ALL military, Children between the ages of 3 and 12, and seniors. (Children under 2 are free).

Cooper Kanngiesser – Zenda, KS Hot Diggity Damn (CG) 92. Logan Knibbe –Stephenville, TX magic Man (MC) 91. Laddan Leddbetter Midland, TX Cat Daddy (MR) 90.5. Clayton Baethge Johnson City, TX Skat Jacket (LG) 90.5. Trent Cromier Houman, LA Cude Energy (BC) 89.5 Spud Jones Tohatchi, NM Arrowhead (BCB) 89.5. Wesley Silcox – Payson, UT Headliner ( BCB) 89.5. Chance Smart Philedelphia, MS Comets’ Gold (CG) 89.

World Standings- Cooper Kanngiesser (1) Danny McDowell (2) Chad Castillo (3) Elliot Jacoby (4) Jay Morrow (5) Steve Woolsey (6) Wesley Silcox (7) Zack Oakes (8) Corey Davis (9) Hugo Pedrero ( 10)

About CBR
Led by bull riding icon, Tuff Hedeman, Championship Bull Riding, Inc. (CBR) is a nationwide professional bull riding tour which airs primetime every week on both GAC and RFD-TV and reaches over 55 million viewers annually. Labeled the “fastest hour on television”, and the first in the industry to broadcast in High Definition, the CBR promotes professional level bull riding and has logged over 300 hours of television coverage annually since 2004. For more information on CBR, please visit www.CBRbull.com or call us at 817.626.BULL. CBR is committed to the riders, the fans, the sponsors, and all those involved in the professional bull riding industry.



Back to Profile