This morning at Mandalay Bay, 53 of the world’s best riders officially checked in for the 2010 World Finals.

Ty Murray remembers the rider check-in as a “happy time,” and place where each rider experiences a whole range of emotions.

“They’ve worked all year to get here,” said Murray, who added that for some, it’s been a lifelong dream to compete at the Thomas & Mack Center. “Usually the check-ins are fun, everybody’s in a good mood and everybody’s laughing and giggling and very optimistic about how the week will go.”

Wednesday night, hopes turn to reality with the opening round of the 2010 PBR World Finals.

There are 13 riders mathematically in the running for the title, but the Top 4 – Austin Meier, J. B. Mauney, Renato Nunes and Valdiron de Oliveira – are the clear favorites. Asked if this year’s winner will be one of them, Murray said, “I would sure think so, but it seems like I get proved wrong all the time.”

Murray cites 2004 as one example of being wrong. That year, Mike Lee came from behind and defeated Adriano Moraes.

He also pointed to Justin McBride’s title run in 2007, when he bucked off his first three bulls, but rode four of his last five for 90 points or better to win his second championship in three years.

“It seems like you can have those types of things happen at the World Finals,” Murray said, “and when I say those type of things, I mean surprising things and things that you didn’t expect.

“Really we’re kind of having a whole season and year that there have been a lot of surprises and things we didn’t expect to happen.”

Any can happen over the next six rounds.

“What I always hope for, and I even hoped for this when I was riding, is that you want everybody to come in here and be at their best,” Murray said. “That’s what you hope for as a fan, but that’s also what you hope for as a rider.

“If you go win a World Championship, you don’t want to feel like there ought to be an asterisk beside it, or that you got something given to you or got lucky.”

“It feels a lot better if you’re able to feel like you bettered the best at their best,” he continued. “And definitely, as a fan, I hope our guys are able to slug it out.”

Murray's interview can be heard here.

RIGHT THIS WAY: All 53 riders were slated for their check-in this morning at 9 a.m., which also included new photographs for media purposes. That was followed by a 10 a.m. check-in for stock contractors and an 11 a.m. meeting for riders and contractors.

LIVE ON THE INTERNET: Brendon Clark will be streaming his live online talk show today at 3 p.m. PT. Log onto www.ustream.tv and type “Brendon Clark Show” in the search box. Today’s guests include Luke Snyder and Mark Lopes. Clark said he intends to host a new show every day during the Finals. He encourages fans to email questions for the show by contacting him through his Facebook page. The shows will be archived on the site.

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED: For the third year in a row, the PBR will kick things off at the Fremont Street Experience. This year’s kick-off party, which includes the first round draw for bulls, begins at 5 p.m. PT today.

BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT: The Rider Relief Fund will be hosting its annual charity blackjack tournament tonight at Treasure Island. Registration is from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., and the tournament is scheduled to take place from 8 p.m. until midnight. For more information, log onto www.riderrelief.com.

LOS DE SONORA, an up-and-coming Mexican band and YouTube sensation, will perform on the Cooper Tires stage in the Fan Zone outside the Thomas & Mack Center immediately following Round 1 of the World Finals on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

SINGING COWBOY: Justin McBride’s newest CD/DVD, “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas” is available today. In support of the release, he’s playing two concerts this week in Las Vegas. The first of them is Wednesday night at his CD release party, which takes place at The Palazzo inside the Venetian Hotel. It starts at 10:30 p.m. and is an acoustic-only performance. McBride will perform with his entire band Friday night at The Venetian Showroom. That performance also begins at 10:30 p.m.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS continues at the Finals. The pink jerseys previously worn by the Cooper Tires team will be available at the silent auction hosted by the Rider Relief Fund. The riders wore pink shirts and pink chaps in Columbus, Ohio, and again in Times Square. Proceeds from the sale of the uniforms will be split between the Rider Relief Found and the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.

PBR Fan Club members were so taken by the riders who participated, including all those who wore pink ribbons in Columbus, that they have organized an unofficial “pink” night on Wednesday. Through comments on www.pbr.com and social networking sites, it appears there are a growing number of fans planning to wear pink to the opening round of the Finals.

RIDING HIGH MINISTRIES will host Faith & Family Night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, immediately following Round 2 of the 2010 Built Ford Tough World Finals on Thursday, Oct. 21. The event will feature Christian artist Jeremy Riddle, PBR Champions sharing stories of faith, and a unique horse-breaking demonstration by PBR Chaplain Todd Pierce. Everyone with a ticket for Round 2 is invited to attend.

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright