Fort Gibson's Famous Rodeo Bull

Some of the toughest cowboys in the country are gearing up for some Championship Bull Riding at the Tulsa State Fair. <br/><br/>There's one bull many in the crowd will be watching for coming out of

Friday, October 6th 2006, 11:28 am

By: News On 6

Some of the toughest cowboys in the country are gearing up for some Championship Bull Riding at the Tulsa State Fair.

There's one bull many in the crowd will be watching for coming out of the chute. He's called Lucky Strike and if his reputation holds true, that's exactly what a rider will have to get to stay on.

News on 6 reporter Heather Lewin says it takes a lot of guts to come flying out of that gate and a lot of skill to hang on.

While many may wonder what possesses a person to cling to the back of a charging animal, professional cowboys jump at the chance, hoping for fortune and fame. But there's one entry this year that makes even the most experienced rider quake in his boots. He's 1,800 pounds of bull.

And if you end up eye to eye with this bad boy, you're probably in a whole lot of trouble. "He's got a lot of power and usually the cowboys just can't get by the power." Ft. Gibson rancher David Bailey's been raising bucking bulls for 40 years and one he's proudest of is Lucky Strike. "He was the best bull out of all the producers in the United States."

It's not just his fine breeding that those in the know admire, the reason lucky strike is the bull to watch this weekend is no one has ever stayed on the full eight seconds. In three years on the circuit, more than 50 riders have taken their shot out of the chute, trying to get the best of this muscle-bound mount and ending up in a matter of seconds with a view like this. "They've tried, they got on, but they didn't make the whistle."

So why would anyone take the risk? The tougher the bull, the higher the score, but you've got to hang on. "I'm not out to throw everybody off, because they gotta make a living riding bulls, but still I wanna produce a good animal and I want to have the best I can."

To learn more about Lucky Strike, check out his stats at probullstats.com/bulls/1000/.