Pacheco’s Top-5 Rides of the First Half

PUEBLO, Colo. – For as successful as Kaique Pacheco was during his 2015 Rookie of the Year season, he was never ranked number one in the world standings until winning Last Cowboy Standing last month and earning a monstrous 920 world points.

Pacheco is currently competing at the PBR Brazil event in Americana and last weekend placed 16^th in Divinopolis.

Today, PBR.com takes a look back at Pacheco’s top-five rides of the first half.

Pacheco rides Wicked for 89.75 points at Last Cowboy Standing

Two weeks before Last Cowboy Standing, Pacheco had a chance to potentially win the Built Ford Tough Series event in Des Moines, Iowa, before Wicked bucked him off in 6.41 seconds during the championship round.

With a lot more at stake, including a $100,000 payday, Pacheco made sure not to make any mistakes the second time around and he handled Wicked into his hand for 89.75 points in Round 3 at Last Cowboy Standing.

Immediately following the ride, two-time World Champion and CBS Sports Network commentator Justin McBride raved about Pacheco.

“Let’s not crown anybody until they have won something, but I think this guy has a world title in his future,” McBride said to nine-time World Champion Ty Murray. “He rides that good.”

Pacheco rides Little Red Jacket for 88.5 points in 15/15 Bucking Battle in St Louis

A year after winning his first career event with a ride on Little Red Jacket, Pacheco almost won his first career 15/15 Bucking Battle with a smooth 88.5-point ride on Little Red Jacket.

Coincidentally, the man to defeat Pacheco in St. Louis was none other than defending World Champion J.B. Mauney, who won the 15/15 Bucking Battle with a 90.25-point ride on Sheep Creek.

Pacheco passed Mauney for the world lead with his Last Cowboy Standing victory and leads Mauney by 72.83 points.

Pacheco wins First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard Invitational with 88.25 points on Legal Tender

Pacheco won his first event of the season by going a perfect 4-for-4 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It may have taken a little longer than expected, but Pacheco finally broke through for a victory, sealing it with an 88.25-point ride on Legal Tender.

Legal Tender is the same bull that broke three-time World Champion Silvano Alves hip last year in Nampa, Idaho.

This time around, Alves was there cheering on his protégé while Pacheco used the victory to jump to eighth in the world standings.

“I knew he was a good bull and hard to ride because he wants you to the front,” Pacheco said with the help of Robson Palermo translating. “I saw him a couple of times and thought he would fit me good. He pulled to the front, but I rode loose a little bit and I didn’t go to the front. I stayed toward the back.”

Pacheco wins Last Cowboy Standing with 88 points on Little Red Jacket

The ride began funky with Little Red Jacket coming out of the bucking chute backwards, but Pacheco remained composed and readjusted as needed to finish off Little Red Jacket for 88 points and a walk-off victory at Last Cowboy Standing.

“He is one of the best bulls for the riders,” Pacheco said in Las Vegas. “He is very good to ride all the time. Every time you ride that bull you score high too. He is not rank like other bulls, but he is a bull all of the riders like to always get on.”

It was the third successful time in four attempts that Pacheco made the 8-second mark on Little Red Jacket.

This one though, was the most important as Pacheco won $115,500 with his second career PBR Major victory.

For now, he still remains the world No. 1 rider with the BFTS summer break in full force.

“I am so happy to be No. 1 right now,” he said. “My goal is to be a World Champion. That is my dream.”

Pacheco rides Show Kitty for 87.25 points in Kansas City, Missouri

In one of the toughest ABBI Classic rounds of the season, Pacheco was one of five riders to hit the 8-second mark when he won Round 1 in Kansas City, Missouri, with 87.25 points on Show Kitty.

Pacheco is the only rider to earn a score on Show Kitty in six outs at all levels of PBR competition.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko