The Morning Line: BlueDEF Finals, Day 2
By: Slade Long
October 30, 2016
Morning Line – BluDEF Finals Round 2
The bull pen for Sunday night’s Round 2 in the South Point Arena is going to look a lot like the pen from last night – a mix of 3 and 4-year-old ABBI bulls who for the most part don’t have much experience. What we saw last night was a group of young bulls who looked very polished and gave the riders all they could handle. There were a few bulls who were off their game, but there were far more who looked very good.
Tonight’s round is a continuation of two separate ABBI bull competitions, and the bulls in the lead from last night were very impressive. The top 3-year-old bull last night turns out to be sort of a father and son tie between McCoy Ranch’s TC302 Opus, and Cord McCoy’s 387 Call the Law with 87.33 points each. They were the second and third bulls out in last night’s performance. The top Classic bull was D&H Cattle’s T71 Air Marshall with 88.5 points. Air Marshall threw Marco Eguchi near the end of last night’s action.
The two McCoy bulls are both grandsons of McCoy’s Bell’s Blue, who was a PBR Finals short round bull a decade ago in 2006. Air Marshall is a son of Fender Bender, who was a three-time NFR bull and two time PBR finals bull from 2005 through 2007.
Chase Outlaw on 909 Runaway Train:
This is a brand new bull with no history, so we don’t know much about him. Outlaw finished the season with an event win in Tucson, Arizona, and that carried over to last night. He’s riding very well right now, and it’s a good time to be at your best. There is a lot of money to be won this week in Vegas.
Sage Kimzey on 705 Scary Harry:
Kimzey came down last night, but that doesn’t mean a lot. This is a guy who knows how to win, and it’s not a good idea to bet against him. This bull should spin away from his hand, but he’s got great timing and he’s the kind of bull Kimzey has won a lot of money on in his career.
Emilio Resende on 831 Last Minute:
Resende has another relatively unknown bull here, but he’s riding his best right now just like Outlaw. In the way that some bulls are flashier than others, Resende I think is flashier than a lot of other riders when he’s riding his best. He makes mistakes, makes moves that big and dramatic, and while that’s not perfect form, Resende is quick to recover when he overrides a little. The guy just looks good doing his job, and at the moment he’s doing it well.
Dakota Buttar on 304 Scotty’s Crossroads:
Buttar got a score last night, and it moved him to within 14 points of 35th place. A lot is on the line for him here. This bull is an unknown quantity, but Buttar needs to get to know him quick.
Mike Lee on 632Z Double Doze:
With all the various storylines playing out at the BluDEF Finals, Mike Lee could end up sneaking up on everyone and taking the event. He was 83.5 points last night, which isn’t great, but he has a bull he should ride easily tonight. If he puts two together, he’ll be in good shape going into the final rounds on Monday.
Marco Eguchi on 08A Smooth Air:
On a night when most riders have a bull they’ve never heard of, Eguchi drew one he’s actually been on and ridden before. They met in Tulsa, Oklahoma, earlier this season, where Eguchi manhandled this bull for 86.25 points. He has to be happy to have him here.
Dener Barbosa on 432-3 Clifford:
Chase Outlaw eanred 82.75 points on Clifford in San Jose, California, a couple of weeks ago, so this bull is less of a question mark than some of the others. Dener Barbosa is less of a question mark than he was before last night. He looks like a gritty rider who isn’t going to hit the ground without a fight.
Fraser Babbington on 2117 Paradise City Slinger:
Paradise City Slinger is 1-2 against right-handed riders, and Babbington really needs to make that 1-3. Babbington is sitting squarely in the 35th spot this morning, but four other riders are breathing down his neck and they are all entered in this event. Nathan Schaper, Dakota Buttar, Cody Heffernan, and Keyshawn Whitehorse are all within 34 points of passing him in the standings.
Fabiano Vieira on 206 Burn it Down:
Vieira is in the same position as Mike Lee. He got a score last night, and has a nice bull today that he should be able to get a second score on. Guilherme Marchi rode Burn It Down in Tulsa for 84.5 points. Vieira and Lee are both veterans who could bypass all the bubble drama and pick up an event win here by riding with consistency
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