PLAYGUN FINISHES ABBI FUTURITY SEASON AS NO. 4 IN THE WORLD
Before Cord McCoy ever bucked calf with brand No. 117, he knew there was something special about the young white bull.
“You could just see it in him,” said McCoy, who runs the operation with his wife, Sara. “His sire is Rip Cord, the top producer of our herd. His momma is also a great producer, so we’re really excited for him.”
This past week while at the American Bucking Bull Inc. World Finals in Las Vegas, in conjunction with the Professional Bull Riders World finals, 2-year-old Playgun finished No. 4 in the final world standings.
“He finished second in the first round of the futurity with an 89.5,” McCoy said. “He was the only bull that could knock down the No. 1 bull in the world. I’m pretty pleased with how well he’s done this year.”
There is a lot to be proud of for the family. The bull was just a year old when McCoy visited Pieper Ranch in Marietta, Okla., for an episode of his show, “The Ride with Cord McCoy,” which airs at noon and 10 p.m. Mondays on RDF-TV. It was during the filming that McCoy visited with Dick Pieper about honoring the Pieper’s renowned horse, Playgun, a 22-year-old gray stallion that has earned more than $185,000 in competition and whose offspring have earned more than $8 million.
“I’d always known about the horse Playgun, so I asked Dick if I could name a bull to honor his Playgun,” McCoy said.
It has worked out well.
“I thought it was quite an honor,” Pieper said. “Cord’s a very good friend of mine, and he knows the bucking bull business, so if he wanted to name one after Playgun, then I knew that bull must be pretty good.
“As time went on, Cord kept me informed every time they bucked him and what a nice bull he was. He kept me informed all the time they were in Vegas on how he was doing. I felt like I was involved in the thing.”
Like the original Playgun, the calf is quite athletic, and the color of his coat is nice tie-in to the stud.
“He’s very quiet, and he’s kind of a people horse,” Pieper said. “He enjoys being around people. He’s not like a lot of studs that want to bit you or kick you like a lot of studs. That’s the kind of yours you should be breeding, because those traits are inherited like athletic ability.”
McCoy’s Playgun proved his athleticism in Las Vegas for the world to see. He will be part of the McCoy Ranch’s 2013 Production Sale, which takes place Tuesday, Oct. 29-Wednesday, Oct. 30, on The Breeders Connection. In fact, Playgun will be Lot 17, which will be up for sale Wednesday. The bull is one of numerous great animals that will be part of the online sale.
“This will be my second year that I’ve done Cord’s sale,” said Nate Morrison, who runs The Breeders Connection. “He’s got three lots that really stand out to me, with one being a pregnant recip calf that has a bull calf inside her that is sired by Shepherd Hills Tested, the PRCA’s Bull of the Year and the PBR’s Reserve World Champion Bull of the Year.
“The mother to that calf is Playgun’s mother. We also have a pregnant recip cow that has a bull sired by Asteroid, which was the 2012 PBR Bull of the Year.”
The preview show aired as the Oct. 28 episode of “The Ride,” which showed what is available during the two-day sale. For more information, anyone interested can view HERE.
“I’m really excited about it because Cord has been so outstanding at spreading the word,” Morrison said. “I wish all my cosigners could promote it like Cord does.”
Of course, it helps that McCoy has so much that is available. Whether it’s a calf with world champion genetics still growing in a womb or a 2-year-old phenom like Playgun, McCoy knows there are plenty of lots that are attractive to potential buyers.
“Playgun definitely shocked the world,” McCoy said of the bull’s performance in Las Vegas last week. “To see a bull spin that fast and jump that high just shows he’s an amazing athlete.”