Pacheco Gets Rematch Against Slinger Jr.
By: Justin Felisko
January 11, 2017
Kaique Pacheco will be looking for revenge against Slinger Jr., who bucked him off at the World Finals last year Photo: Andy Watson / BullStockMedia.com
DENVER – Kaique Pacheco took a sip of his water and asked Fabiano Vieira which bull he had for this coming weekend’s 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Pacheco gets rematch against Slinger Jr., Chicago Draw Notes (1-11-17)
Vieira responded with Slinger Jr., and Pacheco – a little bit shocked – then smiled.
Slinger Jr. was the bull that bucked off Pacheco last year on the final day of the 2016 Built Ford Tough World Finals. Pacheco’s 6.46-second buckoff against the bull in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round clinched the world title for Cooper Davis and sealed Pacheco’s fate as a bridesmaid once again.
“I am excited,” Pacheco said at the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour event in Denver. “He is a good bull. I am ready to ride.”
Pacheco appeared to have Slinger Jr. easily ridden in Las Vegas before he was flung off the side to the disbelief of those in attendance.
The 22-year-old is coming off a slow start at the BFTS season-opener in New York, but he went 2-for-2 in Denver on Monday night and is in contention for the Velocity Tour victory on Wednesday night.
The Chicago Invitational takes place Friday-Sunday and Pacheco will first take on Fire Bender (11-7, BFTS) in Round 1 on Friday night. Pacheco then will look for revenge against Slinger Jr. in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
The 15/15 Bucking Battle will air Saturday at noon on CBS national television.
Derek Kolbaba, Stetson Lawrence and Gage Gay will be competing in the 15/15 Bucking Battle as alternates because Tanner Byrne (shoulder blade), Wallace de Oliveira (broken clavicle) and J.B. Mauney (hip) are unable to compete.
Kolbaba draws in to face Gambini, while Lawrence will take on Catfish John. Gay will face 2012 World Champion Bull Asteroid.
Below are the 15/15 Bucking Battle matchups
Derek Kolbaba vs. Gambini (1-0, BFTS)
Chase Outlaw vs. Smooth Operator (30-2, BFTS)
Stetson Lawrence vs. Catfish John (13-5, BFTS)
Paulo Lima vs. Who Dey (26-7, BFTS)
Shane Proctor vs. Flight Plan (9-2, BFTS)
Mike Lee vs. Handsome Jeff (12-4, BFTS)
Fabiano Vieira vs. Wicked Stick (11-2, BFTS)
Jess Lockwood vs. Beaver Creek Beau (46-5, BFTS)
Eduardo Aparecido vs. Big Cat (3-4, BFTS)
Guilherme Marchi vs. Pneu-Dart’s Southern Style (3-1, BFTS)
Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Cooper Tires Semper Fi (28-13, BFTS)
Ryan Dirteater vs. Red Moon (8-5, BFTS)
Gage Gay vs. Asteroid (58-4, BFTS)
Kaique Pacheco vs. Slinger Jr. (29-1, BFTS)
Cooper Davis vs. Bad Touch (14-0, BFTS)
World leader Jess Lockwood has drawn Big Stuff (0-0, BFTS) for Round 1 and leads No. 2 Marco Eguchi by 280 points in the world standings. Eguchi will face off against Dirty Deeds (2-2, BFTS).
There are 11 alternates competing in Chicago this weekend.
J.B. Mauney (hip), Tanner Byrne (shoulder blade), Wallace de Oliveira (clavicle), Lachlan Richardson (bicep surgery), Aaron Roy (leg), Robson Palermo (knee) and Dakota Buttar (personal) are unable to compete.
J.W. Harris and Alex Cardozo are competing because of injury exemptions, while Robson Aragao is this week’s Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour invite because of his win last year in Portland, Maine.
Matt Triplett, Cody Heffernan, Brant Atwood, Keyshawn Whitehorse, Kurt Shephard, Dener Barbosa, Justin Paton and Reese Cates are the other alternates.
Barbosa – the 2016 PBR Brazil Champion – will be making his BFTS regular-season debut against Milky Jones (7-2, BFTS) after going 3-for-6 at last year’s World Finals.
Shephard, Paton and Cates are also making their 2017 season debuts.
Cates is currently eighth in the world standings based on his performance on the Velocity Tour. He has drawn Vegas Outlaw (8-3, BFTS).
As a reminder, based on the PBR rulebook, riders that placed 1-30 in the 2016 world standings are guaranteed eight BFTS events before being subject to the cutline, while riders ranked 31-35 are guaranteed five BFTS events before being subject to being cut.
Therefore, until the sixth event of the 2017 season (Kansas City, Missouri), all alternates for BFTS events will be based on the 2016 world standings point totals plus the 2017 world standing point totals following any riders with injury exemptions.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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