The Run For A Million (TRFAM), presented by Teton Ridge, one of reining’s most exciting shows, is about to get a little more Western. This year, the event will host the Bullfighters Only (BFO) Fight for Fifty, a freestyle bullfighting competition.
The BFO Fight for Fifty challenge will invite four of the top bull fighters in the sport to match their wits against a single bull each in pursuit of a purse worth $50,000. First place will win $30,000, second place will pay $10,000, and then third and fourth will take home $7,000 and $3,000, respectively.
“[Co-producer] Taylor Sheridan and I wanted to bring something totally new to the event this year to wow our spectators,” said Amanda Brumley, who co-produces TRFAM. “We came up with a couple of ideas and landed on Bullfighters Only. With the addition of the BFO performance, the event truly incorporates the American West, tying in Western performance horses, heritage ranching and rodeo. What is more Americana than that?”
BFO is the premier professional sports league for freestyle bullfighting. The organization hosts events all over the country throughout the year, culminating with the Resorts World BFO World Championship in December, held concurrently with the National Finals Rodeo. Joey Austin, BFO CEO, said the opportunity to showcase the sport at TRFAM in front of a new audience, especially with the added bonus of big checks, was extraordinary.
“In my personal opinion, there is no more of an exciting and captivating event in Western sports than freestyle bull fighting, and to be able to showcase it on this stage is really exciting for the organization and for the bullfighters,” Joey said. “For four bullfighters to come in and compete for a total purse of $50,000 on one bull is unprecedented.”
The four bullfighters invited to the event include Weston Rutkowski, four-time BFO World Champion, and two-time BFO World Champion Aaron Mercer. The other two spots will be filled based on the performances of other bullfighters up until the cutoff date of Aug. 12.
Austin was excited to introduce BFO to the Western performance horse world. BFO’s marketing initiatives are normally only seen in sports like skateboarding and motocross, he said, but the excitement of reining and reined cow horse offers a seamless blend with the adrenaline of bull fighting.
“The cool thing about BFO is the rodeo crowd and the Western crowd love it, but it also has huge appeal to an action sports crowd,” Austin said. “A lot of times you’ll have people that maybe wouldn’t be as interested in a rodeo event that still really enjoy freestyle bullfighting because it’s sort of the ultimate action sport.”
The BFO Fight for Fifty will take place Saturday, Aug. 20, at 4:00 P.M. To learn more about the BFO, visit their website. For updates from TRFAM, follow the show on Facebook and visit the event’s website for more information.
Questions regarding TRFAM? Contact Brumley Management Group at brumleyevents@gmail.com.