Grantsville's Casey Sullivan would like to take his bull riding to the next level and compete against some of the top cowboys in the world as part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

The seasoned 25-year-old bull rider made a giant step toward that goal this weekend by winning in his home county at the Deseret Peak Complex indoor arena. It was his first victory in the 23-stop Hopes & Dreams bull riding series which started back in February 2006 and ended last weekend.

Despite not placing first at other events, Casey Sullivan collected plenty of points along the way. Those points combined with all his points last weekend pushed him to the top of the standings.

Sullivan finished the year with 678 points. The next closest rider was Cole Sherman of Cleveland, Utah, with 523 points. Fred Kinney of Tooele placed seventh overall with Casey's brother Bradey Sullivan finishing ninth on the season. Mike Evans of Tooele placed 21st.

"To be good at bull riding you have to have heart and try and that kid is full of try. He thrives and lives for bull riding," said PCBRA director Frank Noyes about Casey Sullivan.

Last weekend, the Grantsville man rode four times and stayed on the bull for at eight seconds three times.

The champion bull rider said he's been riding bulls for 16 years. He forged his way to the top of the standings with a strong performance back on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at Mesquite, Nev., and solidified his top spot last weekend.

"I don't workout other than riding bulls," Sullivan said. "Experience helps out but you just have to have good balance."

Sullivan pocketed $3,500 in prize money last weekend and said he plans to continue throughout the winter by riding at small rodeos at indoor arenas.

In addition, Sullivan wins a PCRBA saddle, buckle and new pair of chaps. Noyes said that usually the top seven riders earn prize money at these events. Utah stops on the tour included Tooele, Alpine, Delta, Minersville, Cedar City, Hurricane and Kanab. The tour also stopped in Page, Ariz. Nevada stops included Mesquite, Ely and Pahrump.

"Our tour grows a little each year as we pick up events at various cities," Noyes said.

On each ride the bull and cowboy are awarded points by two judges with 100 points possible. A bull can earn up to 50 points and the rider can earn up to 50 points, so both the bull and rider both must be good to score points. On one ride Sullivan scored 80 points.

"Bull riding is an exciting sport of man conquering beast. Both the bull and the rider are great athletes," Noyes said.

The raging bulls tip the scales at 1,700 to 1,800 pounds.

The PCBRA also likes to host events in Tooele.

"The indoor facility's really nice at Deseret Peak Complex and the people there are great to work with. They know what they are doing," the director said.

The PCBRA Web site declares that great bulls love to buck.

"They have personalities just like people. Some are always ornery. Some are friendly and like to be scratched behind the ears. There have been a number of bulls that were tame enough for children to ride around on in the back pens, but when loaded into the chute, seemed to know it was game time and relished the chance to try and throw a cowboy," the Web site reveals.

"A great bucking bull could be worth upwards of $50,000, and as such, they live a life of bovine royalty. They receive the best veterinary care, the best feed, the feistiest girlfriends, and for the most part, work a maximum of 16 seconds a week -- and that's only if they are feeling well."

Mark Watson: mwatson@tooeletranscript.com