The Morning Line: Charlotte, Day 2

Morning Line – Charlotte Day 2

Fraser Babbington on 9507 Blues Man:

Babbington was on a cold streak until last night, when he put up 86.5 points and finished fourth in the round. He’s got a pretty good draw in this round too. Blues Man goes to the left, which will be away from Babbington’s hand, but this is a bull that hasn’t bucked anyone off on the Built Ford Tough Series level yet. He has seven BFTS outs, and has been ridden seven times.

J.B. Mauney on 915 Tom Horn:

This is a better bull than the one Mauney had last night, and he should go into Mauney’s hand too. Jess Lockwood was 88.25 points on Tom Horn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, back in April. That’s the only ride this bull has given up in 21 career outs, but he’s probably about to give up number two.

Kaique Pacheco on 976 Slick Rick:

Lachlan Richardson rode this bull in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for 87.75 points and a round win. Pacheco has a great chance to pick up a big score here. This bull should fit him perfectly, and with 85 points last night, Pacheco could easily end up in the Top 3 going into the short round.

Guilherme Marchi on EB1 Fast Tracker:

Marchi’s Round 1 bull almost always goes to the left, and he picked a bad day to change things up. He’s got another good draw here, and this one actually prefers the right. Cooper Davis was 87.75 on Fast Tracker in Nashville, and Marchi will probably pick up a second score on him here.

Jess Lockwood on 685 Billy Bat Skat:

This bull threw off Kaique Pacheco in Phoenix earlier this year, but he’ll probably be a better fit for Lockwood. With Pacheco he went to the left, but he didn’t look overly difficult. Last night was Lockwood’s second buckoff in a row, and he rarely ever bucks off three in a row. The last young rider who I could say that about was Silvano Alves in 2011.

Jorge Valdiviezo on 55Y Shake it Up:

Jess Lockwood was 86.5 points on this bull in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and Joao Ricardo Vieira has a ride on him this year as well. Shake it Up has only been around since April, but he’s had some issues staying on his feet. He’s got five outs this year, and he’s fallen in two of them. When he’s stayed upright, he’s been ridden twice. Valdiviezo may not be at the top of the standings, but one thing he has going for him is that he makes every bull work to get him on the ground. He doesn’t get three degrees off center and give up, he tries hard every time.

Silvano Alves on 73 Big Dan:

This is a solid bull, but he’s not a particularly difficult one. Alves shouldn’t have much trouble with him. The trouble he will have is even if he puts up a good score here he may be well back in the pack headed in the short round. He kept a low score last night, and quite a few riders have a good chance to get two bulls ridden.

Stormy Wing on 214 Jailbreaker:

Wing may find this bull a little tougher than the one he had last night. Jailbreaker is 9-0 on the BFTS, and 18-0 overall. Wing is capable of riding any bull here, but the odds are against him with this one.

Nathan Schaper on 2X15 Gut Punch:

Schaper has a pretty good chance to put two scores together for the first time in a while. This will be the BFTS debut for Gut Punch, but in six Touring Pro Division outs he’s given up four scores.  Schaper needs to pick up some points as he’s on the bubble to qualify for the Built Ford Tough World Finals.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 96 Fire Rock:

Vieira is quite familiar with this bull, since he’s been on him five times. He’s got an 89.5-point score, an 87.25 and three buckoffs. Fire Rock is a good draw for anyone. He can spin either way, but he’ll be out of a left-hand delivery today, so there’s a good chance he will go to the left. He typically takes three to four big jumps and gets well away from the chutes before he spins, and he’s a flashy bull that riders can look good on.