Las Vegas Weekly

November 7, 2009 · 1:35 PM

PBR Photo Galleries: Kody Lostroh wins again, retains overall lead

By Robin Leach

Round 5 of the 2009 Professional Bull Riders World Finals at Thomas & Mack Center on Nov. 6, 2009.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

For the second consecutive night, championship leader Kody Lostroh won the Professional Bull Riders World Finals round that puts him closer to tomorrow’s $1 million prize and the world championship title.

The Longmont, Colo., superstar cowboy notched a 91.25 point ride at our Thomas & Mack Center on angry bucking bull Troubadour to win another $25,000 and extend his lead over rival J.B. Mauney of Mooresville, N.C. Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue once again faced danger for this close-up, all-action photo gallery.

After the win, Kody described the 8-second ride of terror: “The previous three times I’ve ridden Troubadour, he’s spun to the right. So tonight when he spun left, he still bucked just as hard, but it was just a little different feel. That bull kind of backs up while he’s spinning, backs up under himself and wants to pull you over his head. It all worked out good, though.”

He also acknowledged faith in God as his riding partner: “God built me and designed me to ride bulls, and it’s something I love to do. Through it, I get to meet a whole lot of people and pour God’s love into other people’s hearts. I want it to be about Him and not about me. That He’s glorified and not me.”

The race for the ultimate title in bull riding -- the 2009 PBR world championship -- continues down to the wire, as the top two bull riders in the world, Kody and J.B., have matched each other bull for bull. Each man has ridden all five of his bulls, and they sit only 2 1/2 points apart in the World Finals average. Two days with the Built Ford Tough Championship Round remain, and the tight race will be decided when the Top 15 riders take over from the 40 pack with two rides each.

Then tomorrow, PBR will crown a new world champion who will be rewarded the $1 million bonus courtesy of Ford, plus the coveted gold buckle! The PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals air live on Versus tonight, with former champion and UNLV graduate Justin McBride as the color commentator. Afterward, he’s the star singer poolside at the Silverton Casino Lodge. Redheaded beauty Angelica Bridges, who is the new resident headliner at Fantasy in the Luxor, is tonight’s special red carpet guest at Round 6 and promises “to get down in the dirt with the bulls.”

Tomorrow, the finals reach a network audience live on NBC. For the fifth consecutive round, last year's million-dollar champion Guilherme Marchi was tossed from his bull, which means he certainly won’t be a back-to-back winner this year.

Earlier this week, we reported on the ugly injuries that riders can sustain in this brutal sport. We told you that Oklahoma rider Ryan McConnell insisted on riding, even though he sustained a punctured lung in an auto accident when he was rolled over by a drunk driver.

Doctors forbad him to fly in case the lung collapsed but gave him the OK to ride. Last night, the lung was further damaged when he was thrown off just one-tenth of a second before the 8-second win.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Two-time Professional Bull Riders world champion Justin McBride.

The bull then stomped on him, and Ryan suffered a further contusion to his lung. These guys are the strongest of men: Ryan was told by medics not to ride tonight, but he refused and insisted that he be listed as “probable” to compete!

We’ll have tonight’s Round 6 winners and photos tomorrow, and then during the day, we’ll give you the results in real time on Twitter. Monday, we will follow up with the final photo gallery from Tom Donoghue and the winner’s reaction.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Share This