PUEBLO, Colo. - The Professional Bull Riders will have its Touring Pro Division Finale at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Jan. 9-11. The event has the largest purse for TPD events, with $80,000 in prize money.

The TPD is the development tour of the PBR, allowing established veterans and newcomers an opportunity to compete against some of the world's best bucking bulls.

Bull riding will begin at 7 p.m. on Jan. 9, Jan. 10, and Jan. 11. Tickets are available at http://www.nationalwestern.com/rodeo/pbr-bull-riding.aspx.
 
For the 12th year in a row, Tommy G Productions will bring the TPD to the Colorado State Fair Events Center in Pueblo on Jan. 13. Bull riding begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available at the Colorado State Fair box office, www.Ticketmaster.com, and by telephone at (800) 745-3000.

"This is the perfect opportunity for fans to see some of the world's best bull riders and some of the greatest bulls," said PBR Senior Vice President of Competition Jay Daugherty. "Riders are able to stop in Colorado on their way from the Built Ford Tough Series season opener in New York to the next week's BFTS event in Anaheim, Calif."

Pete Farley of Kempsey, Australia, won both events in 2011. Farley went on to qualify for the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas, finishing fourth in Round 4, and 12th in the average.

There are a large number of the Top 40 riders from the nationally-televised BFTS scheduled to compete,  including five former PBR World Champions with Silvano Alves (2011), Renato Nunes (2010), Kody Lostroh (2009), Guilherme Marchi (2008), and Mike Lee (2004).

The PBR has been headquartered in Colorado since being founded 20 years ago as the dream of 20 bull riders, who believed that bull riding could be a standalone sport. The premier bull riding organization has been located in Pueblo since 2007. The nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series makes an annual stop in Pueblo in conjunction with the Wild Wild West Festival, hosted by the PBR, Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and the community of Pueblo. The event will be May 18-20 at the Colorado State Fair Events Center.

The TPD gives riders the opportunity to compete in PBR-sanctioned events while earning money to qualify for the elite BFTS, which is comprised of the Top 40 bull riders in the world. Every five events on the BFTS, the Top 5 riders (based on money earned) from the TPD are allowed to move into the BFTS. The top-ranked TPD riders are also allowed to compete when injuries prevent BFTS riders from competing.

The 2012 BFTS season will open at world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 6-8. The season will conclude Oct. 24-28 in Las Vegas with the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, where the PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded a $1 million bonus. The richest bull riding event in the world, the World Finals has a total purse of more than $2 million.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, and NBC Sports Network. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.