FRESNO, Calif. ― Well over half the bulls out in Round 1 are unproven – meaning they have less than five outs at professional level events. Bulls that live on the West Coast tend to get fewer opportunities at outs and most of the bulls out tonight are from the region.
Chase Outlaw on 305/8 Timber Wolf:
This is a rematch from way back in 2012. Outlaw rode Timber Wolf at a Touring Pro Division event in Clovis, Calif., for 86 points. Overall, this bull has been ridden five times in 25 outs, with Outlaw’s ride being the highest score ever turned in on him.
Jory Markiss on 2W Duck Butter:
This is a nice bull that most guys here should be able to handle. The best riders he’s faced have ridden him more often than not. He’s more of a bucker than a spinner. He will turn back, but he puts more effort into his up and down than his spinning. Bulls that get locked into a spin with good rhythm can be relatively easy to ride. Bulls like this one require a little more work.
Zack Brown bucks off Duck Butter in Round 2 of the 2013 PBR BFTS DEWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational in Boise, Idaho.
Jay Miller on 022 Whiskey:
Whiskey has three Built Ford Tough Series outs on record. J.B. Mauney rode him in Oakland last season. Each of the other two riders took him past seven seconds. Miller may be the least recognizable name in the field for this event. He’s here as an alternate because he’s the highest-ranked guy in the Touring Pro standings that isn’t already on the Built Ford Tough Series. But, here’s the real news – his riding percentage is 88 percent at the TPD level this season. He’s 15-for-17 at events we have results in for. That makes him the most interesting newcomer on tour since Silvano Alves earned his way on tour in 2010 by riding 15 of his first 16 bulls at the Touring Pro level. Miller is definitely a man to watch.
Kasey Hayes on 915 Houla Hoop:
This bull has been ridden twice, both times by left-handed riders. Ryan Dirteater rode him in Sacramento, Calif., for 87.75 points. Houla Hoop may be the nicest draw in this round. He had great timing against Dirteater – as even a rhythm as a bull can have. When each jump is exactly like the one before, it makes it much easier for the rider to react. A great many buckoffs are caused by a break in the bull’s rhythm.
Guilherme Marchi on J08 Strike Back:
Strike Back made his BFTS debut in Albuquerque, N.M., just last week, but he’s been on the rodeo trail quite a bit in the past year. The best rider he’s faced is J.W. Harris – and Harris is the only man who’s ridden him. Marchi has a shot at a good score here.
Sean Willingham on 136 Esteban II:
These two met in Albuquerque in 2013 and Willingham came down in 5.53 seconds. Esteban has been ridden just once in seven career outs. Brendon Clark earned 87 points on him at a Touring Pro event in Prescott, Ariz., in 2012. Like some of the other bulls out in this round, he’s spent most of his career outside of professional level events and only some of his history is known.
Tanner Byrne on T70 Shameless:
While a lot of the bulls in this round have very little history, Shameless is the highest-rated, proven bull we will see Friday night. Fabiano Vieira rode him for 87.25 points last September in Oakland, Calif. He was in Sacramento and Anaheim earlier this season where he was unridden in three outs, but Marco Eguchi did last for 7.94 seconds in Anaheim. This is a solid bull with great timing once he gets into a spin and is a good draw for Byrne.
J.W. Harris on T954 Hot Blooded:
We don’t know too much about this bull. He only has one out on record. He threw Ty Pozzobon in 6.41 seconds in Sacramento earlier this season. However, while this is Harris’ first Built Ford Tough Series event, we do know quite a bit about him. Outside the PBR he’s been a PRCA World Champion four times. But, just a glance at his records from the Touring Pro level tells us he’s ridden close to 60 percent of his bulls and close to 45 percent of the top 500 PBR bulls he’s faced. He’s 7-for-12 in short rounds. Those are World Championship contender numbers. Harris has been around bull riding about the same length of time as Mauney and they have very similar career numbers, except that Mauney has gone against the highest ranked bulls more often. Just about everyone around the sport expects Harris to be able to compete at this level.
Silvano Alves on 95X Dumber:
This bull has been ridden a couple of times in his short career. He has 10 outs on record, but he’s only faced top tier riders a couple of times. The rule of thumb is that if anyone can ride him Alves probably can too because he’s been just better than almost every other rider. He should have the advantage here.
Ty Pozzobon on 599 Coyote:
Pozzobon hasn’t turned in a qualified ride in the past two events. He needs one and is likely to get it here. Coyote has just three outs on his record and has been ridden twice. This is a bull that has been around more than his record suggests, because he’s only recorded three outs in two and a half years. That suggests that he is normally used at amateur level events. While his entire history isn’t known, we do know that he hasn’t been going against riders of this caliber very often.
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