The Morning Line: Anaheim, Day 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. – We saw a lot of these bulls last night, but the round is drawn up better for the riders individually tonight. In a round of 36 riders, it’s a safe bet they will ride 12 bulls since that was the season average in 2016. Tonight’s number may be closer to 15 or 16.

Matt Triplett on Z04 Shake It:

This is the bull that Marco Eguchi had last night, and he’s a good draw for a right-handed rider. He looked a little heavy for the first couple of jumps, but he settled into a spin and got nicer to ride. Triplett came down last night, but he should find this bull is a much better fit for him.

Dener Barbosa on 05 Whiteout:

Whiteout has been ridden once in six career outs. He threw Chase Outlaw off last night, and got Ryan Dirteater in Sacramento, California, last week. He’s been marked high consistently, and Barbosa could get a big score out of him. Barbosa hasn’t been in the limelight as much as some of the other riders, but when looking at his matchups each week it’s hard to have confidence that any bull will throw him off.

Marco Eguchi on 062 Copper Star:

Whatever they say on the television or PBR LIVE broadcasts, this guy is the best rider in the PBR at the moment. He has the best numbers, anyway. That’s not likely to change tonight. Copper Star has been ridden in four of his last five outs, and he’s something of a pushover for right-handed riders. He’s very similar to the bull Eguchi had last night with less up and down and more round and round.

Paulo Lima on 2-1 Mortimer:

Lima hasn’t been doing that well this year, but sometimes a good draw can turn things around for a guy. Lima bucked off this bull last week, but he’s ridden him before. Mortimer is a good fit for any left-handed rider because he usually goes to the left, but when Lima rode him in their first meeting, he went to the right.

J.W. Harris on Y1 Crazy Days:

Crazy Days is a great draw for Harris after his big score in Round 1. This bull should go to the left, but he’s been good to right-handed riders because he has good timing and a little backup. If Harris can keep from getting tipped too far forward he will ride this one all day.

Guilherme Marchi on X18 More Big Bucks:

Joao Ricardo Vieira won the round on More Big Bucks last night. This bull has been harder for right-handed guys to ride, but Marchi should still be able to handle him. In many ways More Big Bucks is the prototypical Built Ford Tough Series entry-level bull. He’s rideable, but not easy. Guys who have staying power at this level should ride him six to seven times out of 10 regardless of which way he goes. World Championship contenders should ride him eight to nine times out of 10.

Mason Lowe on Z293 Thunderstruck:

This bull has three outs on record and has given up three qualified rides including an 87.25-point score for J.W. Harris last night. Lowe should be able to pick up a second score here easily.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 3028 Stunting Like My Daddy:

While Vieira won last night’s round, he didn’t follow up with a promising draw in Round 2. This is one of the better bulls in the round, and we’ve seen him in short rounds before, but he’s the equivalent of kryptonite for left-handed riders. He’s 21-0 against lefties in his career. The odds are against Vieira here, not because he’s less efficient on bulls that go away from his hand, but because this bull’s size and style make him really difficult for anyone going away from their hand.

Chase Outlaw on 40Y Chocolate Shake:

Outlaw bucked off this bull in Oklahoma City, and Chocolate Shake turned in a 44.25 point bull score. Kaique Pacheco scored 87 points on him last week in Sacramento. This won’t be an easy win for Outlaw, but if he can get it done there is potential for a 90+ point score here. In a long round, there usually aren’t many matchups that could ever reach 90.

J.B. Mauney on 83 Cowboy Up:

Cowboy Up goes to the right, and that will be away from Mauney’s hand, but in every other way he’s perfect fit for Mauney, who doesn’t really have much trouble riding bulls that go away from his hand.

Silvano Alves on Z7 Sketchy Bob:

This is easily the best matchup in the round, and should easily be the round win. Sketchy Bob may be the best draw in bull riding right now, especially for right-handed guys. The only possible issue here is that Alves has made something of a game out of staying in the chute as long as possible, and it clearly affects the performance of some bulls.

It affects his performance as well, because it’s become something of a distraction, and his riding has suffered for it. It’s common to see bulls that are bad in the chute, but I think Alves may be somewhat unique as a rider who is bad in the chute. This is an easy bull to get out of the chute on, and if Alves does that he wins the round. If not, then I’m not sure what Alves’ goal actually is.