Pacheco is the Last Cowboy Standing

LAS VEGAS – After the dust settled in the desert, it was a familiar figure who remained. 2015 PBR Rookie of the Year Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) emerged from three rounds of intense bull riding, and was the Last Cowboy Standing Saturday night on the famed Las Vegas Strip. Pacheco successfully defended his title after winning this PBR Major last year.

Pacheco went 2-for-3 over the weekend, including two rides on Saturday night. He sealed his repeat victory with a 90-point ride on Spotted Demon (Julio Moreno/Dallas Schott) in Round 3, his first 90-point ride of the season. It is the third time in his career that Pacheco has won a PBR Major.

Pacheco picked up a total 825 world points over the weekend, along with a big $150,000 check. More importantly, Pacheco (No. 2) slashed current world No. 1 Eduardo Aparecido’s (Gouvelandia, Brazil) lead atop the world standings. He heads into the summer trailing his countryman by just 180 points.

The young Brazilian closes the first-half of the 2017 BFTS season a combined 27-for-53 (50.94 riding percentage), with a PBR Major title, a regular-season event victory, a 15/15 Bucking Battle win and $269,933.50.

CBS will broadcast the finale of Last Cowboy Standing starting at 4 p.m. ET.

Fellow Brazilian Marco Eguchi (Poa Sao Paulo, Brazil) finished in second place after his own 2-for-3 performance. Eguchi won Round 2 after riding Crazy Horse (Rocking I Rodeo Co) for 88.25 points before being eliminated in Round 3 by Bad Beagle (Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team).

Eguchi’s second place finish was his highest since finishing in second at the BFTS season-opener in New York back in January.

Eguchi pocketed a total 130 world points and $10,600 for the finish, and moved from No. 17 in the world standings to No. 15.

Stormy Wing (Dalhart, Texas) ended the night in third place overall after being eliminated by Nailed (Bar 3D Bucking Bulls) in Round 2. Wing, who won Round 1 Friday night, leaves Las Vegas with 125 world points and $10,600, and heads into the summer break seventh in the world standings.

Aparecido held onto his lead in the World Championship race with a fourth place finish. The current world leader advanced out of Round 2 with an 87.75-point ride on Cooper’s Comet (Bar 3D Bucking Bulls), but he was eliminated in Round 3 when he was bucked off by Magic Train (Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team).

Aparecido earned a total 120 points toward the world standings and $5,100, as well as maintaining a tenuous hold on the No. 1 ranking.

BFTS rookie Brennon Eldred (Sulphur, Oklahoma) rounded out the Top 5 in Las Vegas, picking up 75 points toward the world standings and $4,100. Eldred advanced to Round 2 after finishing in second place in Friday’s Round 1, but his night ended early on Saturday when he was tossed by Bad Moon Rising (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls).

Pearl Harbor (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/H&C Bucking Bulls) was named the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event when he bucked off Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) to the tune of a 45.75-point bull score in Round 3. Pearl Harbor ends the first-half of the season with a BFTS-leading seven bull of the event titles.

The Built Ford Tough Series will now go on hiatus for its annual summer break before returning to action in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Aug. 12-13 for the Express Employment Professionals Classic at the BOK Center.

The event will open the gate on the 10-event home stretch leading into the PBR’s Built Ford Tough World Finals at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena Nov. 1-5, where the 2017 PBR World Champion will be crowned.

PBR Digital Editor Kristian Limas contributed to this report. 

Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series
Last Cowboy Standing at Las Vegas Helldorado Days
Las Vegas Village, Las Vegas, Nevada
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Round 5-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Kaique Pacheco, 0-88-90-0-0-178.00-825 Points.
2. Marco Antonio Eguchi, 84.75-88.25-0-0-0-173.00-130 Points.
3. Stormy Wing, 87.25-0-0-0-0-87.25-125 Points.
4. Eduardo Aparecido, 86.75-87.75-0-0-0-174.50-120 Points.
5. Brennon Eldred, 87-0-0-0-0-87.00-75 Points.
6. Silvano Alves, 0-86.75-0-0-0-86.75-50 Points.
(tie). Gage Gay, 86.25-0-0-0-0-86.25-50 Points.
8. Claudio Montanha Jr., 86-0-0-0-0-86.00-40 Points.
(tie). Cody Nance, 0-85.5-0-0-0-85.50-40 Points.
10. J.B. Mauney, 85.75-0-0-0-0-85.75-20 Points.
(tie). Joao Ricardo Vieira, 0-85-0-0-0-85.00-20 Points.
12. Jess Lockwood, 0-84.75-0-0-0-84.75-10 Points.
13. Fabiano Vieira, 85.25-0-0-0-0-85.25-7.5 Points.
(tie). Koal Livingston, 85.25-0-0-0-0-85.25-7.5 Points.
15. Derek Kolbaba, 0-81.25-0-0-0-81.25-5 Points.
(tie). Cody Teel, 81.25-0-0-0-0-81.25-5 Points.
(tie). Guilherme Marchi, 84.5-0-0-0-0-84.50-5 Points.
(tie). Cody Rodeo Tyler, 83.5-0-0-0-0-83.50-5 Points.
(tie). Reese Cates, 81.25-0-0-0-0-81.25-5 Points.
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Mason Lowe, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Shane Proctor, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Luis Blanco, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Emilio Resende, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
J.W. Harris, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Robson Aragao, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Marcilio, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Heffernan, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Jake Gowdy, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Campbell, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Skeeter Kingsolver, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Tillman, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0-0-0.00

2017 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series World Finals Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)

1. Eduardo Aparecido, 21, 4, 8, 3,015.00, $270,002.30
2. Kaique Pacheco, 27, 5, 10, 2,835.00, $304,364.60
3. J.B. Mauney, 20, 1, 4, 1,886.24, $102,842.77
4. Derek Kolbaba, 28, 3, 7, 1,800.00, $128,836.47
5. Chase Outlaw, 20, 1, 8, 1,784.16, $98,802.08
6. Jess Lockwood, 18, 2, 4, 1,777.50, $175,802.11
7. Stormy Wing, 18, 2, 4, 1,645.00, $104,705.64
8. Joao Ricardo Vieira, 24, 1, 9, 1,520.00, $89,962.21
8. Matt Triplett, 25, 3, 7, 1,520.00, $91,448.15
10. Cooper Davis, 22, 0, 5, 1,513.33, $91,670.31
11. Rubens Barbosa, 26, 1, 3, 1,372.50, $85,902.83
12. Mason Lowe, 21, 0, 4, 1,333.33, $100,182.31
13. Shane Proctor, 19, 2, 4, 1,267.50, $79,823.33
14. Cody Teel, 16, 2, 4, 1,155.83, $72,464.44
15. Marco Antonio Eguchi, 26, 0, 6, 1,087.50, $68,206.67
16. Claudio Montanha Jr., 22, 2, 8, 1,079.16, $77,490.24
17. Cody Nance, 24, 2, 6, 1,057.50, $68,813.57
18. Silvano Alves, 22, 0, 3, 883.33, $45,366.83
19. Dener Barbosa, 24, 1, 5, 850.83, $52,097.60
20. Ryan Dirteater, 20, 0, 1, 805.83, $47,835.67
21. Fabiano Vieira, 24, 1, 5, 768.33, $59,163.96
22. Guilherme Marchi, 21, 0, 4, 767.49, $37,712.14
23. Luciano De Castro, 26, 0, 6, 712.50, $42,376.99
24. Stetson Lawrence, 21, 0, 2, 645.00, $32,466.67
25. Mike Lee, 26, 3, 5, 568.33, $41,956.36
26. Gage Gay, 20, 0, 0, 473.33, $27,086.67
27. Koal Livingston, 22, 1, 5, 385.00, $30,931.19
28. Dakota Buttar, 12, 0, 0, 375.83, $25,282.16
29. Brady Sims, 15, 0, 1, 345.00, $20,467.31
30. Troy Wilkinson, 10, 1, 3, 328.75, $27,900.23
31. Luis Blanco, 19, 0, 2, 324.58, $22,682.24
32. Emilio Resende, 18, 1, 4, 324.16, $28,330.51
33. Cody Rodeo Tyler, 24, 1, 4, 290.41, $25,028.33
34. J.W. Harris, 17, 1, 3, 280.41, $24,583.75
35. Brennon Eldred, 15, 2, 6, 279.16, $26,872.13
36. Reese Cates, 21, 1, 3, 275.00, $28,650.00
37. Robson Aragao, 24, 1, 4, 240.00, $21,263.33
38. Alex Marcilio, 18, 0, 4, 225.00, $21,718.57
39. Nevada Newman, 8, 0, 2, 215.00, $15,850.25
40. Cody Heffernan, 28, 1, 3, 212.50, $23,825.71
41. Jake Gowdy, 19, 1, 2, 205.00, $29,747.71
42. Kurt Shephard, 21, 0, 6, 195.00, $26,007.25
42. Sonny Schafferius, 15, 1, 5, 195.00, $17,019.65
44. Alex Cardozo, 26, 1, 2, 182.50, $18,286.64
45. Cody Campbell, 22, 1, 4, 181.65, $16,945.00