Twenty Days of Sunshine Equals a Record-Breaking 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo(TM)

Twenty Days of Sunshine Equals a Record-Breaking 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo(TM)

HOUSTON, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo experienced great spring break weather, a junior market show homecoming and a great lineup of superstar entertainment -- all adding up to another successful year.

The following is a brief recap from the 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo:

-- The RodeoHouston(TM) Finals performance, featuring championship rodeo
action and a concert by tremendous entertainers Brooks & Dunn,
Saturday, March 18, broke the Show's all-time Rodeo attendance record
with a paid attendance of 72,867. The 2006 RodeoHouston Finals paid
attendance broke the previous record of 72,843, set in 2005 at
RodeoHouston with a performance by Hilary Duff.

-- For the first time, each of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
auctions brought in $1 million or more. Eight of the junior auction
Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion records were broken. The
prices for the top winners were (*new world's records):
-- *Grand Champion Work of Art, $163,000; and *Reserve Grand Champion
Work of Art, $92,000
-- Grand Champion Barrow, $150,000; and Reserve Grand Champion
Barrow, $100,000
-- *Grand Champion Pen of Broilers, $200,000; and *Reserve Grand
Champion Pen of Broilers, $126,000
-- *Grand Champion Goat, $102,000; and *Reserve Grand Champion Goat,
$64,000
-- Grand Champion Lamb, $120,000; and Reserve Grand Champion Lamb,
$90,000
-- Grand Champion Steer, $315,000; and Reserve Grand Champion Steer,
$170,000
-- *Grand Champion Turkey, $167,000; and *Reserve Grand Champion
Turkey, $105,000

-- The third-ever Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Champion Wine Auction
brought in $1,007,500, including $200,000 for the Grand Champion Best
of Show and $100,000 for the Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show, both
record-breaking prices at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

-- Total auction sales (including Champion Wine Auction and cattle sales)
tallied $10,616,058. Of this amount, junior auction sales totaled
$6,715,926.

-- The junior auction totals** included: market steers ($1,943,700), lamb
and goat ($1,189,976), barrows ($1,006,000), poultry ($1,285,250), and
school art ($1,291,000) (**unaudited preliminary totals that do not
include cash contributions and some presale amounts).

-- The RodeoHouston Go Tejano Day paid attendance record was broken with
70,481 fans enjoying action-packed rodeo, concerts by Ramon Ayala and
Jay Perez, and the mariachi contest finals. The 2006 Go Tejano Day
RodeoHouston attendance beats the record set in 2003.

-- This year's livestock competitions and horse shows boasted 27,068
entries. For the first time ever, all Houston Livestock Show(TM)
events were held on-site at Reliant Park. Previously, junior market
pre-judging activities were held at off-site locations.

-- The 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo entertained a total of
1,688,103 visitors for general attendance (for all activities on the
grounds).

-- Rodeo paid attendance topped 1 million for the 12th consecutive year,
for a total of 1,115,558 people enjoying action-packed rodeo and
superstars in concert.

-- A total of 146,285 people visited the World's Champion Bar-B-Que
Contest to help kick off the Show, topping last year's attendance of
140,036.

-- More than 350,000 visitors rode the Rodeo METRO Express shuttle buses
from seven locations. The METRORail to Reliant Park was a popular mode
of transportation, as more than 120,000 people caught a ride to the
Show. In order to get around the Show grounds more quickly, in excess
of 468,000 people rode the Ford Trams.

-- The Show hosted 1,797 international guests from 52 countries.

-- RodeoHouston produced three live pay-per-view telecasts, including the
finals on Saturday, March 18.

-- A total of 481 contestants were invited to participate in
RodeoHouston, competing for a share of $748,000 in prize money.

-- The High Point Champion Award went to Shaun Stroh, bareback bronc
rider from Glendive, Mont. With the $25,000 bonus for winning the High
Point Champion Award, Stroh took home a RodeoHouston paycheck of
$43,297.77.

-- RodeoHouston Champions were:
-- tie-down roping: Trevor Brazile - Decatur, Texas, $12,122.50;
-- bareback bronc riding: Jess Davis - Payson, Utah, $16,493.75;
-- team roping: David Key - Caldwell, Texas, and Kory Koontz - Sudan,
Texas, $7,353.55 each;
-- saddle bronc riding: Shaun Stroh - Glendive, Mont., $43,297.77;
-- steer wrestling: Dean Gorsuch - Gering, Neb., $12,973.40;
-- barrel racing: Tammy Key - Ledbetter, Texas, $13,186.80;
-- bull riding: Cody Hancock - Taylor, Ariz., $18,513.40.

-- The High Flyin' Award went to bareback bronc rider Silas Richards of
Azle, Texas.

-- For the second year, RodeoHouston hosted a Collegiate Championship
Rodeo. Eighty-four collegiate athletes, from 21 colleges and
universities in the Southern and Southwest National Intercollegiate
Rodeo Association regions in Texas, met for action-packed competition.
Competitors vied for individual and school scholarship monies
exceeding $25,000. The High Point School (overall team) was Hill
College, which received an additional $5,000 scholarship.

-- RodeoHouston Collegiate Champions were:
-- goat tying: Amanda Wisdom - Hill College, $400;
-- tie-down roping: Wesley Hines - Panola College, $400;
-- bareback bronc riding: Jerad Schlegal - Vernon College, $420;
-- team roping: Nathan McWhorter - Northeast Texas Community College,
and Kolby Pichotta - Hill College, $400 each;
-- saddle bronc riding: Timothy Johnson - Northeast Texas Community
College, $400;
-- steer wrestling: Hunter Cure - Texas Tech University, $400;
-- breakaway roping: Tomile Brown - Hill College, $400;
-- barrel racing: Morgan Montello - Wharton County Junior College,
$450;
-- bull riding: Bobby Dernehl - Hill College, $600.

-- Heritage partners for the 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo were
Reliant Energy, Coca-Cola, Ford and Miller Lite.

For complete results and highlights, visit the Show's Web site at http://www.rodeohouston.com/ .

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable event that benefits youth, supports education, and facilitates better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. Since the Show's beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has contributed nearly $200 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence(TM), School Art participants, and other educational and youth programs.

Source: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

CONTACT: Clint Saunders of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,
+1-832-667-1200, or saunders@rodeohouston.com

Web site: http://www.rodeohouston.com/

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