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Scouting Report: Davis vs. Seven Dust

By: Justin Felisko
June 15, 2017

Cooper Davis will face Seven Dust for only the second time after attempting him at the 2014 Calgary Stampede. Photos: Andy Watson / BullStockMedia.com

PUEBLO, Colo. – Seven Dust has an attitude problem.

Just ask Kaique Pacheco.

Pacheco was on his way to a 90-point ride last year in Colorado Springs before Seven Dust ripped him off his back just before 8 seconds, launching him against the steel bucking chutes inside the Broadmoor World Arena.

Then, for good measure, Seven Dust proceeded to rail his head and horns onto Pacheco’s body as the aspiring World Champion bull rider desperately tried to fight his way to safety.

 
Pacheco, and the rest of the Built Ford Tough Series riders that dare to try him, have learned to watch their backs with Seven Dust in the arena.

The bull is mean, fearless and has a nastiness to him that keeps the Matador Beef Jerky Bullfighters on red alert.

It isn’t uncommon for Seven Dust (27-1, BFTS) to run down a rider from behind and then see which bullfighter wants a piece of him.

Regardless, 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis didn’t flinch when he decided to select Seven Dust for his $25,000 matchup against J.B. Mauney at the Hometown Dodge Challenger PBR Touring Pro Division event on Saturday night.

Mauney will attempt to ride Cochise.

The rider that reaches 8-seconds on their bull for the highest score will take home the money.

In fact, Davis’ decision had been already made nearly a month before he made it official in May.

Stock contractor Gene Owen believes that kind of confidence may help Davis to make the 8-second mark on Seven Dust and end the bull’s streak of 14 consecutive buckoffs.

“Cooper has the harder road to get him rode, but I would bet money on him,” Owen said. “We talked a month before Cooper picked him. He kind of let on that he didn’t mind getting on Seven Dust, which most bull riders don’t want on Seven Dust, especially after being on him.

“Cooper is confident that he is going to ride him so I would have trouble saying he won’t. I just couldn’t bet against either one of them really.”

It will be Davis’ second attempt on Seven Dust after lasting 3.29 seconds on him during the 2014 Calgary Stampede.

Both athletes are much-improved from that first encounter, which was only Seven Dust’s third career out.

Seven Dust nearly always goes to right, but sometimes he has a habit of drifting toward the center of the arena like he did with Lachlan Richardson during the Aussie’s 92.25-point ride on him last season.

 
Then there are other times, such as with Pacheco or Matt Triplett this year at Iron Cowboy, where Seven Dust hangs close to the chutes and will dispatch his riders into the well.

 
“Getting around the corner is pretty tough, but you have to ride to get over there,” Owen said. “All of a sudden you don’t want to get over there too far or else he will leave you hanging there.”

Davis heads into the event ranked 10th in the world standings and is 19-for-47 (40.43 percent) in 2017.

The reigning World Champion missed the final night of Last Cowboy Standing because of a groin injury, but he said this week that the injury is much improved.

Davis attempted a practice bull on Wednesday afternoon.

“I only got on one just to check my groin out,” Davis said. “It felt good. Just maybe a little tight. Really, I just started working it out on a medicine ball last week.

Seven Dust – the No. 5 bull in the World Champion Bull race – last competed at Last Cowboy Standing and bucked off three-time World Champion Silvano Alves in 2.88 seconds.

“I thought he bucked good,” Owen said. “He did slip after he bucked him off at Last Cowboy. He was probably a little tired by then, but he is pretty fresh now. He will be as good as he ever was here next weekend.”

Davis said last month, “I think he will match up with me just fine. Just like Spotted Demon, he is going to step ahead really hard and be up under himself sometime. They said (in Calgary) this little bull was a mean one. He was, but I can get him rode.”

Davis and his wife, Kaitlyn, attended the CMT Music Awards and were named one of the cutest couples of the night by E! News.

Before competing in Vinita, Davis will compete Friday night at the Dakota Community Bank PBR Bull Riding Challenge Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour event in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Davis has a good Round 1 matchup against Wicked Stick (15-4, BFTS).

There are 15 riders ranked inside the Top 35 of the world standings planning on competing in Bismarck alongside Davis: No. 3 Derek Kolbaba, No. 4 Jess Lockwood, No. 6 Chase Outlaw, No. 8 Triplett, No. 11 Mason Lowe, No. 12 Rubens Barbosa, No. 14 Cody Teel, No. 17 Cody Nance, No. 19 Fabiano Vieira, No. 26 Gage Gay, No. 27 Koal Livingston, No. 28 Dakota Buttar No. 31 Luis Blanco, No. 33 Cody Rodeo Tyler and No. 34 Brennon Eldred.

Davis is looking forward to getting back to the bull riding arena following a four-week break.

The 22-year-old isn’t sure how many events he will go to this summer, but he is certainly ready to give Seven Dust and Bismarck everything he’s got.

“Man, I’m ready,” he concluded. “I’m not really sure what else I’ll go to.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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