Pacheco back to ‘Riding his Bulls’

By: Justin Felisko
April 19, 2018

BILLINGS, Mont.— There has been a common phrase for Kaique Pacheco during his four-year career in the United States.

Whenever the topic of him chasing a World Championship came up, Pacheco would deflect any questions with a simple reply of him just needing to “ride my bulls.”

However, the career 47.23-percent bull rider hadn’t been reaching the 8-second mark much at all this season until the last three events.

Pacheco would almost sheepishly say earlier this year that he just needs to ride his bulls and that would be the solution for his slump.

The 23-year-old would say it, but he didn’t come across as confident as he once did during his previous three seasons as a legitimate World Champion contender.

A groin/pelvis injury in 2017 seemed to be in the back of his mind. He was almost trying to convince himself this year would be fine with his usual phrase.

That all changed last weekend inside the Tacoma Dome.

Pacheco had just ridden Indian Medicine for 88.25 points to cap off his 3-for-3 victory and the phrase had returned.

 
This time, though, the phrase came across with his former confident tone of voice and the simplistic shrug of the shoulders.

“Ride my bulls,” Pacheco said firmly with Paulo Crimber translating. “It is that simple.”

Pacheco then repeated the phrase in English for good measure.

He then shrugged.

He let out a confident smile for maybe only the second time this season – the first being four weeks ago when he went 3-for-3 in Glendale, Arizona.

Pacheco then went 3-for-4 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, two weeks ago, and he heads into Billings having ridden 10 of his last 12.

“I never lost confidence completely,” Pacheco said. “I knew I could do it. I just got sad because I could not do it because of my leg and everything else (injury-wise) was bothering me. It got in my mind too. Nobody really likes to be on a slump at any point in time in your career, but I always did the same stuff I have been doing in the past. I tried to keep it simple as it is. It is way better when you do something like this.”

The 2015 Rookie of the Year is officially right back in the mix of the jumbled 2018 World Championship race with three events remaining until the 25^thPBR: Unleash The Beast summer break.

Pacheco doesn’t have to come out and admit it either. His lack of long-winded responses is all you need to know that the Ice Man is well aware of where he stands.

The Itatiba, Brazil, bull rider picked up 460 world points to move to No. 9 in the world standings.

Pacheco trails world leader Ramon de Lima by 667.5 points and a second consecutive victory this weekend could push him all the way to the top of the rankings for the first time since September 23, 2017.

“He said he got injured and that led to the slump he got in,” two-time World Champion and CBS Sports Network commentator Justin McBride said. “But here is the thing, you ride yourself into a slump, you ride yourself out. It looks to me that he has rode himself out. He is riding really good. He looked awesome.”

Fans can watch all of the competition this weekend from Billings live on CBS Sports Network, while the 15/15 Bucking Battle airs on Sunday on CBS national television at 2 p.m. ET.

Pacheco has drawn Devour (0-0, PBR UTB) for Round 1 on Friday night.

He then has a familiar foe for the 15/15 Bucking Battle in Jack Shot. The 23-year-old is set to square off against the D&H Cattle Company bovine athlete for the seventh time in the past 15 months.

This weekend will be a grudge match between the two athletes with them tied at three wins apiece.

Earlier this season, Pacheco won the Sacramento, California, 15/15 Bucking Battle with an 88.5-point ride on Jack Shot. The ride ended a streak of three consecutive buckoffs against the bull –  7.65 seconds, 3.09 seconds and 6.88 seconds.

Pacheco then went into a nose-dive slump following the 15/15 win, though, failing to earn any world points in almost two months and going 1-for-15.

“We have to talk about it, it is our jobs, but the basics never change,” McBride said. “You have to do the basics right. If you are sitting down, you are not going to ride bulls away from your hand. He is getting off his butt and he is riding away from his hand. That is the bottom line. There is no magic to it. There is no this boot fits tighter now or something is going good. Basics are basics, and you have to do it every time.”

Pacheco has reiterated multiple times this season that he is not mentally fatigued from coming up short of a world title in his first three seasons.

He has finished 890 points or less behind the World Champion the last two years and was runner-up to J.B. Mauney in 2015.

“It was not to be yet,” Pacheco said. “If I continue to do my job like I always do. The time will come. Just like Guilherme (Marchi). It is all the same. You just get used to it and try to get better every time and hope to get better.”

McBride understands the frustrations that come with being so close to winning a gold buckle earlier in a career. The 2005 World Champion finished in the Top 5 of the world standings the previous four years before his first championship.

2005 was the first of three consecutive runner-up finishes for Marchi before his 2008 title.

“You can let it weigh on you,” McBride said. “But here is the thing with winning gold buckles. You can’t get to wrapped up in it. You have to forget about that and enjoy the process you go through. That process consists of riding bulls. That has to be the main thing. When you can focus on that, and learn to enjoy that, then they just throw the buckles, accolades and awards at you. All of that comes from your love doing the one thing you are going to do:

“That is riding.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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