Aparecido Stays Alive in Nashville by .01 of a Second

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Here are three things we learned from the Built Ford Tough Music City Knockout, presented by Cooper Tires on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

Aparecido gets lucky in Nashville 8-18-17

Eduardo Aparecido was alone in the locker room when he let out a big sigh.

The world No. 1 bull rider was taking the medicine tape off his riding glove and wrist when he shook his head.

“Yes, I got lucky,” Aparecido said in disbelief. “Oh my gosh.”

Aparecido advanced to Round 3 of the Music City Knockout Friday night by one one-hundredth of a second.

The 27-year-old stayed on Bugle Boy for 3.41 seconds, which was barely enough to edge past Gage Gay, who was bucked off by Shark Bait in 3.40 seconds.

Gay had eliminated 2004 World Champion Mike Lee (85 points on Slow Ride) with an 87.25-point ride on Good Ride’s Jailhouse Jr. earlier in Round 1.

Aparecido’s buckoff time was reviewed by judges, but he was cleared to live another day.

“I will get another chance,” Aparecido said with a grin.

It was a huge break for Aparecido as the other contenders in the 2017 world title race were all breathing down his neck.

Half of the 12 riders that advanced to Round 4, which begins Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. ET, are ranked inside the Top 10 of the world standings:

No. 2 Kaique Pacheco, No. 3 Jess Lockwood, No. 4 Derek Kolbaba, No. 7 Cooper Davis, No. 8 Matt Triplett and No. 9 Stormy Wing all advanced to Round 3 for 50 world points.

Click HERE for the full Music City Knockout Bracket

“There is no pressure,” Aparecido said. “It is good.”

No. 5 Chase Outlaw (3.3 seconds on Sarge) and No. 10 Joao Ricardo Vieira (3.77 seconds on Pink Cadillac) were both eliminated in Round 2 by Guilherme Marchi (6.79 seconds on Well Hello) and Fabiano Vieira (3.8 seconds on Lab Rat), respectively, and are likely not making it back for the Second Chance Bracket.

One rider can earn up to 1,205 points toward the world standings at the Music City Knockout.

“This is a good event with a lot of points and a lot of strong bulls,” Aparecido said.

Oddly enough, Aparecido was not the only rider winning a matchup by one one-hundredth of a second.

In Round 1, Marchi (5.76 seconds on Animal Kingdom) eliminated Koal Livingston (5.75 seconds on Wicked Stick) by the same difference as Aparecido.

Aparecido said he wasn’t paying attention to the rest of the riders, but a buckoff in Round 2 could have severely altered his grip on the world No. 1 ranking and opened the door to his challengers.

Instead, the Gouvelandia, Brazil, native can now refocus for his Round 3 matchup against 2012 PRCA champion Cody Teel.

Aparecido has drawn Freak of Nature (2-0, BFTS), while Teel, who eliminated Tanner Byrne (6.28 seconds on Stanley FatMax) and Rubens Barbosa (5.32 seconds on Tractor Tippin) on the way to Round 3, will look for 8 seconds aboard Bad Touch.

“What bull is Freak of Nature?” Aparecido asked. “I don’t know, but I will stay on.”

Lockwood and Kolbaba come through with big-time rides on major stage

Young guns Kolbaba and Lockwood posted the two top rides among world title contenders Friday night in Nashville.

Kolbaba used an 89-point ride to eliminate Dener Barbosa (85 points on Charge) in Round 2 for the high-marked ride of the night.

 
It is a nice start for Kolbaba after he was blanked in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend.

“It is good to shrug last week off and learn from it and come back this week,” Kolbaba said. “The guy that wins this is going to win a lot of money and a lot of points. We just have to keep taking it one bull at a time from here until November.”

Kolbaba will take on Wing in Round 3 and has drawn Losing My Religion(14-1, BFTS).

“That will be cool,” Kolbaba said. “I don’t know what we got, but it is cool little format that they have here. You have a little more extra incentive. It should be fun.”

Wing advanced to Round 3 by riding Pit Bull for 85 points and knocking out Kurt Shephard (2.25 seconds on I’m a Hustler).

The Dalhart, Texas, cowboy has drawn Cut The Cord (16-1, BFTS) for his matchup against Kolbaba. Cut The Cord bucked off Wing in 4.81 seconds last year at the World Finals.

Meanwhile, Lockwood readjusted aboard Pneu-Dart’s Doomsday in Round 2 before making the 8-second mark for 86.75 points and eliminating Luciano de Castro (86.25 points on Funky Junk).

 
“Heck, I don’t know. Maybe I hung on to the chute a little too much coming out,” Lockwood said. “He tipped me into my hand, but that is the thing. When you are feeling good, you are not just holding on. You are moving. I moved, got back to the middle and the rest is history.”

Lockwood has now ridden five consecutive bulls, which ties his career-high from earlier this season in January, after going 4-for-4 in Tulsa last weekend.

“Having the weekend like last, I had confidence no matter what, but to get the first one knocked out makes it easier to keep rolling,” Lockwood said.

Lockwood has a Round 3 matchup against Cody Nance and has drawn Bad Beagle (10-1, BFTS).

“I got a real bucking bull tomorrow with Bad Beagle of Matt’s,” Lockwood said. “I like getting on Matt’s bulls. Every single one of them buck. It is a good matchup.”

Nance will try to become only the second rider in 34 BFTS outs to ride Slinger Jr. (32-1, BFTS).

Castro only rider 2-for-2, but gets eliminated by Lockwood

Rookie Castro put together two solid rides on Friday night, but he will need to really dial it in on Saturday night if he hopes to come-from-behind and win the Music City Knockout.

Castro is the early rider in the lead for the $35,000 aggregate championship in Nashville, however none of the Top 12 riders in the world have attempted two bulls yet because of their first-round byes.

The 20-year-old began his evening by riding Set ‘em Up Joe for 86.25 points and eliminating Brennon Eldred (4.45 seconds on Big Tex Walk Off).

“I felt good on that ride,” Castro said with the help of Marco Eguchitranslating. “That bull is usually on the right and today he turned to the left and into my hand.”

Castro then rode Funky Junk for 86.25 points in Round 2, but was edged out by Lockwood.

Therefore, Castro will now have to see if he will qualify for the Second Chance Bracket.

The Second Chance Bracket will be finalized once Brackets A, B and C are finished Saturday night. At the conclusion of the three brackets, the Top 8 riders eliminated during the first four rounds of competition will be seeded in the Second Chance Bracket based on ride score or buckoff time.

Castro is currently seeded third for the Second Chance Bracket, but he may slide further down the rankings if Lockwood or Kolbaba get eliminated during Rounds 3 or 4, or if any of the 12 riders still alive in the tournament post a single ride score higher than Castro’s 86.25 points.

A Brazilian-born rider has won seven of the 10 PBR Majors since the PBR unveiled the special events in 2015.

Castro understands a PBR Major victory would be a turning point in his career, especially if he could rally with a memorable performance coming out of the Second Chance Bracket.

“This is a very important event,” Castro said. “This is one of the best events in the USA. If I can win, a lot of things can happen. Not just because of the title, but I can win a lot of points too and be better in the world rankings.”

Injury Updates

Pacheco returned to competition Friday after missing the final day in Tulsa last weekend with what originally was described as a right groin injury.

The No. 2 rider in the world standings advanced to Round 3 after lasting 7.63 seconds on Mud Duck, while Stetson Lawrence was bucked off by Fire Bender (4.12 seconds).

According to Dr. Tandy Freeman, Pacheco is actually dealing with a mild pelvis injury after further examination Friday afternoon.

“He has some mild tenderness on his pelvis,” Freeman said. “That is it. He has no evidence of any muscle strain or any hip problem today. He is just a little tender.”

Pacheco did not go visit Freeman on Tuesday like he originally said he would, but he did participate in physical therapy at Fit-N-Wise Rehabilitation and Performance Center in Decatur, Texas.

The 2015 Rookie of the Year said he felt about 85 percent healthy on Friday night and that his pelvis hurt “only a little bit” during his buckoff.

Pacheco is scheduled to square off against Mason Lowe in Round 3 and has drawn Jammin Jackson’s Handsome Jeff (14-6, BFTS).

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko