Grunt Style World Finals Watch: Triplett makes his move with Beaver Creek Beau
By: Justin Felisko
September 17, 2018
Matt Triplett rode Beaver Creek Beau for 87.5 points at the Atlantic City Invitational. Photo: Andy Watson/BullStockMedia.com.
ATLANTIC CTY, N.J. – It was a familiar foe for Matt Triplett, and the 27-year-old got exactly the kind of bull ride he needed during the championship round of the Atlantic City Invitational on Sunday.
Triplett rode 2,000-pound veteran bovine athlete Beaver Creek Beau for 87.5 points to propel himself to a fourth-place finish at Boardwalk Hall.
More importantly, the 177.5 world points Triplett earned moved him from 34thto 28th in the world standings.
“It was by the skin of my chin,” Triplett said. “I got lucky there to get a score, but I will take it.”
It is the second time Triplett has ridden Beaver Creek Beau at all levels of competition, and it was the fifth showdown between the two stalwarts.
Beaver Creek Beau had just bucked off Triplett a week earlier in Springfield, Missouri, in 5.19 seconds.
“He fits me real good,” Triplett said. “He bucks really hard, and he still has a little bit over me. He has bucked me off more than I have rode him. I still have to keep picking him until I get that averaged out or I am ahead of him.”
Triplett previously rode Beaver Creek Beau this past summer for 89.5 points at Chad Berger’s Touring Pro Division event in Bismarck, North Dakota.
“The bull jumps out and gets after it,” Triplett added. “He bucks hard. It is just nice to get him rode.”
Triplett said he had an extra bit of motivation once he saw Cooper Davisconquer Smooth Operator for a sensational 93.75 points minutes earlier.
“Right after Cooper rode, I was on cloud nine,” Triplett said. “Props to him. That was an amazing ride. That fired me up. I knew I had to do something to get my name in the fix. I love when guys ride. It fires us all up. It was awesome.”
Plenty of riders near the premier series cutline came through with qualified rides and world points this weekend to help give themselves a tiny bit of breathing room.
No. 30 Sean Willingham (1-for-3, 65 world points), No. 32 Gage Gay (1-for-3, 45 world points), No. 33 Lachlan Richardson (1-for-3, 55 world points) and No. 34 J.B. Mauney (1-for-3, 55 world points) all picked up a qualified ride and some points.
That has only tightened the race to qualify for the 2018 PBR World Finals on Nov. 7-11 in Las Vegas.
“That pushes each other,” Triplett said of competing for a spot with his friends, including Richardson. “We travel all summer. We are really good buddies. When you see your good buddy do good, you feed off him. He made me get pumped up and wanted to ride really good as well. Yeah we are going against each other trying to make the Finals, but in all reality it is you against the bull. If you don’t do your part, people are going to pass you. You are going against the best bull riders in the world. You have to do your part.”
Triplett now holds a 175-point lead on No. 36 Brock Radford.
No. 35 Marcos Gloria needs an MRI this week to determine the extent of his left shoulder injuries from this weekend, while Radford (knee) and No. 37 Emilio Resende (reconstructive shoulder surgery) are still a few weeks away from returning to competition.
That means there will be more opportunities for No. 38 Alisson de Souza, No. 39 Cliff Richardson, and No. 40 Lucas Divino to try and gain ground in the race to qualify for the World Finals.
There are five regular-season premier series events remaining until the PBR World Finals. There are also four Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour events left and the 2018 RVT Finals.
Triplett missed the first six months of competition following offseason reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder three days after the 2017 PBR World Finals. The Columbia Falls, Montana, bull rider injured his shoulder last September in Springfield, Missouri.
That hasn’t stopped him from getting back inside the Top 30 of the world standings despite competing in only six premier series events so far this year.
“I am so pumped,” Triplett said. “It has been three years since I have had a healthy Finals. I am just ready to go there healthy for once.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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