PUEBLO, Colo. (February 7, 2023) – The ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) today announced the richest event in the organization’s history, an estimated $1.5 million Futurity event which will culminate in Spring 2024.
An ABBI Futurity event is an event open to ABBI-registered 2-year-old bulls. Rather than a rider, each bull has a 15-pound box (dummy) placed on his back which is released via remote control at 4 seconds. ABBI judges award the animal a score based on his performance during the 4 seconds.
ABBI, owned by the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) and a group of visionary stock contractors, is the largest bucking cattle registry in the world with more than 300,000 DNA-registered animals. These animals are recognized as being part of a unique breed called American Bucking Bull – registered bulls who can compete at ABBI events for prize money.
“Since the inception of ABBI in 2003 we have worked to create newfound competition opportunities and increase prize money for bull riding’s youngest animal athlete superstars in a quest to take the sport to new heights, and with the creation of the 2024 ABBI Million Dollar Futurity we have set forth on a path that will accelerate that mission like never before,”
Jay Daugherty, ABBI President
“In paying out a record estimated $1.5 million across six events, we will invigorate the bucking bull industry like never before and are bound to see the sport’s next superstars vying for career-defining checks before they even carry a rider inside a PBR arena.”
Jay Daugherty, ABBI President
Superstar animals such as three-time PBR World Champion Bulls Bushwacker and SweetPro’s Bruiser, 2021 World Champion Bull Woopaa and reigning World Champion Bull Ridin Solo began their careers competing at ABBI events.
The ABBI Million Dollar Futurity will begin with four qualifying events in October 2023.
The first ABBI Million Dollar Futurity qualifier will be held in Las Vegas, followed by events in Oklahoma (November 2023) and Texas (December 2023 and January 2024).
During each qualifier the Top-25 marked bucking calves will advance to the next round of the record-setting event.
The 2024 ABBI Million Dollar Futurity will come to a climactic end during a Spring 2024 PBR Unleash The Beast event.
The competition will begin with a long round featuring the Top 100 bulls that advance from the qualifiers.
The Top 30 will then advance to the final round of competition that will payout $900,000, with the 2024 ABBI Million Dollar Futurity Champion collecting a check for $250,000. For those bulls that don’t qualify, there will be a $100,000 added consolation round.
Stay tuned to PBR.com and AmericanBuckingBull.com for the latest information on the 2024 ABBI Million Dollar Futurity.
CBS Sports is the partner of PBR, with events being carried across the CBS Television Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network.
About ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.):
PBR (Professional Bull Riders) and a visionary group of stock contractors acquired a DNA Registry formerly known as RSR (Rodeo Stock Registry) in 2003. They understood the value and importance of preserving bucking bull genetics. This database was the foundation of American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI), a registry that would swell from 20,000 to more than 180,000 animals in just over a decade. In addition to preserving the genetics of animal athletes, ABBI was determined to develop stand-alone events where the bulls would be judged on their own merits (regardless of how the cowboy atop them did). The combination of the database and events for animal athletes led to huge paydays and the explosion of bucking bull breeding programs across the country. At one time, the biggest payday a bull could hope to earn was $20,000 for being selected World Champion Bucking Bull. Today, animals can earn as much as $500,000 between their 2 and 4-year-old years competing at ABBI events. ABBI now has the world’s largest bucking cattle registry and is the leading bucking bull event promoter and producer. Some of the greatest bulls in the history of the sport, including Bushwacker, have come out of the ABBI’s competition system. ABBI is owned equally between PBR and a group of stock contractor shareholders. It is governed by a Board of Directors made up of PBR representatives and ABBI stock contractors.
About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 500 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada. In 2022, PBR launched the PBR Team Series—eight teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization’s digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
PROVIDED COURTESY OF PBR TO TENN TEXAS MEDIA
