Behind the Chutes: Sioux Falls Draw Notes
By: Justin Felisko
March 30, 2016
Guilherme Marchi has been dealing with injuries to his knee all season. Photo: Andy Watson/BullStockMedia.com
PUEBLO, Colo. – 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi hinted at the Ty Murray Invitational that his right knee was beginning to give him some issues, and Marchi has since decided to take an extra week off following a 1-for-4 performance in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Souix Falls Draw notes (3-30-16)
Marchi informed the PBR competition department this week he would not be competing at the First Premier Bank / Premier Bankcard Invitational in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, because of an aggravated right knee injury. The 33-year-old has been competing this season with torn ligaments in both of his knees after rejecting offseason knee surgery.
“I feel healthy and strong,” Marchi said in Albuquerque. “I just think about my knee a little bit. It is starting to bother me. I am feeling pain again in my right knee.”
Marchi added that he expects to be ready for the Bad Boy Mowdown in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 9-10.
The No. 23 ranked bull rider in the world standings is one of five riders inside the Top 35 of the world standings not competing this weekend.
No. 7 Tanner Byrne decided on Wednesday morning he would not compete in Sioux Falls as he continues to recover from injuries he sustained during his 3.63-second buckoff against Catfish John.
“That last day long round in Albuquerque, when that bull welled me and hung me up for a bit, I pulled my groin and tweaked my shoulder somehow,” Byrne said. “Got on my short round bull, but shouldn’t have. It got progressively worse as the week went on.”
Byrne has been replaced by No. 37 Jorge Valdiviezo in the draw. Valdiviezo will face Lieutenant Dan (7-3, BFTS) in Round 1.
The addition of Valdiviezo, who is from Baja California, Mexico, means that for the first time in PBR history six different countries will be represented at a Built Ford Tough Series event – United States, Brazil, Australia, Canada (Aaron Roy), New Zealand (Fraser Babbington) and Mexico.
No. 25 Cody Heffernan (visa issues), No. 29 Cody Nance (torn right MCL) and No. 30 J.W. Harris (elbow surgery) are out.
Meanwhile, Matt Triplett is in the draw this weekend after X-rays last week revealed Triplett only sustained a sprained right ankle when he was bucked off by Criminal Mind in 3.81 seconds at the Ty Murray Invitational.
Triplett has drawn Slick Rick (8-4, BFTS) for Round 1 on Friday night and said that the swelling in his ankle is finally going down.
The 24-year-old is one of the four alternates replacing Marchi, Heffernan, Nance and Harris in Sioux Falls.
Triplett is using the second of eight guaranteed BFTS events, while Alexander Cardozo is using the second of five guaranteed events. Robson Aragao is in the draw with the last of his remaining injury exemptions and Reese Cates, 36th in the world standings, is the top alternate.
Cardozo faces Rebound (0-1, BFTS) in Round 1 and Aragao has a matchup with Rod Iron Road (1-3, BFTS).
Aragao is 51st in the world standings, but only trails No. 35 Kurt Shephard by 95 points for the final draw spot.
Cates, who has drawn What’s Under Your Hood (2-0, BFTS), is even closer with only five points separating him from Shephard.
Shephard is back on the BFTS after having to miss the Ty Murray Invitational because of riders using injury exemptions. He returns Friday with a Round 1 meeting against High Chaparral.
Jess Lockwood used two victories in two weeks – one at the Wheeling, West Virginia, BlueDEF Tour event and another at the Perkins, Oklahoma, Touring Pro Division event – and a second-place finish at the Stephenville, Texas, TPD event to jump from 47th in the world standings to 28th. The 18-year-old from Volborg, Montana, will make his BFTS debut in Sioux Falls against Dakota Storm (0-0, BFTS).
World leader and defending World Champion J.B. Mauney will see Speed Dial (1-0, BFTS) in Round 1.
Following Round 2 on Saturday night, Mauney will then look to win his third consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battle when he takes on Pearl Harbor (11-1, BFTS).
The 15/15 Bucking Battle can be seen on CBS national television Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Here is a look at the 15/15 Bucking Battle Matchups
Ben Jones vs. Cooper Tires Semper Fi (22-10, BFTS)
Kaique Pacheco vs. Magic Train (23-3, BFTS)
Derek Kolbaba vs. Slinger Jr. (19-1, BFTS)
Lachlan Richardson vs. Cochise (7-3, BFTS)
Cooper Davis vs. Wicked (23-6, BFTS)
Mason Lowe vs. Little Red Jacket (14-11, BFTS)
Robson Palermo vs. Big Tex Walk Off (48-6, BFTS)
Eduardo Aparecido vs. Stanley FaxMax (68-4, BFTS)
Mike Lee vs. Jared Allen’s Air Time (20-1, BFTS)
Wallace de Oliveira vs. Crossfire (21-1, BFTS)
Fabiano Vieira vs. Seven Dust (8-0, BFTS)
Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Beaver Creek Beau (37-4, BFTS)
Shane Proctor vs. Boot Jack (26-2, BFTS)
Paulo Lima vs. I’m a Gangster Too (46-13, BFTS)
J.B. Mauney vs. Pearl Harbor (11-1, BFTS)
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