The Morning Line – Glendale Round 1 and 15/15 Bucking Battle

By: Slade Long
January 19, 2019

Round 1:

Chase Outlaw on A14 Road Rash:

This bull threw Derek Kolbaba off in Denver just a few days ago. He is unridden with eight outs in his record, but if he has the same trip here he had in Denver he will not throw Outlaw off.

Jess Lockwood on 50 Blown Fuses:

Blown Fuses has an unridden record with eight career outs and none of those riders made it to the five second mark on him. Lockwood has yet to buck off at this level in 2019, but he will have to break this bull’s streak to keep his own.

Cooper Davis on 14Y Indian Medicine:

Davis rode this bull in 2017 for 88.5 points and it wasn’t a walk in the park. This bull has a respectable record of throwing guys off. He’s fast and has a lot of action, and he’s only vulnerable to top riders at the top of their game.

Juan Carlos Contreras on 2-1 Mortimer:

Mortimer is one of the best money bulls in the business, but two of his biggest rivals in that respect are also out in this round. Contreras really couldn’t have drawn better. Mortimer has great timing, he’s ridden almost 70 percent of time at the UTB level and he’s good enough to place a rider in the money nearly every time.

J.B. Mauney on 097 No Excuses:

Cannon Cravens rode this bull in New York for 86 points. This is an outstanding bull with near perfect timing. He likes to go to the right, but that’s not a real problem here. Mauney is just as good on bulls that go either direction. Mauney may have struggled so far this year, but as long as he’s more or less in one piece, he’s a threat to ride anything.

Jose Vitor Leme on Z7 Sketchy Bob:

Sketchy Bob is another top money bull with a long history. He’s a little harder to ride than Mortimer, and he’s very unpredictable for a bull that riders have had a lot of success against. He’s not the best fit for Leme. When Leme struggles, it’s against bulls that go away from his hand or have a lot of up and down, and this bull is apt to do both. He threw Leme off quickly in Arlington, Texas, last year.

Nathan Burtenshaw on 017 Crazy Horse:

This is another long-time rider favorite. Crazy Horse is ridden in about half his outs at the UTB level, and he’s carried riders to 10 round wins in 24 qualified rides over the course of his career. He usually goes to the left, but a lot of right-handed riders have had success against him.

15/15 Round:

Cody Teel on 319 Canadian Mist:

Canadian Mist is 11-0 against right handed riders and he’s at the top of his game right now. Luciano de Castro rode him for 92.5 in Austin, Texas, last fall, but it took major effort on Castro’s part. This will be a real challenge for Teel. This is one of the best bulls in the business right now.

Cody Jesus on 138 M.A.G.A.:

Jesus is a little better on bulls that go into his hand, and this bull probably won’t. J.B. Mauney was 90.5 on M.A.G.A. at the World Finals. The bull went to the right there, and would have put Mauney on the ground in under three seconds if Mauney wasn’t the best improviser in the business. Jesus will have to make some moves of his own to get by this bull.

Lucas Divino on B1 Sidewinder:

This matchup features the least experienced rider in the round on the least experienced bull in the round. Divino has fewer than 30 outs under his belt at this level, and he’s 0 for 2 this season. Sidewinder is 4-0 since the middle of last season, and he threw Colten Jesse off at the World Finals.

Brennon Eldred in 397A Frequent Flyer:

This may be a tough matchup for Eldred. Frequent Flyer is a special case. He is something of a pattern spinner, but he’s always moving ahead and away from the rider. He’s unridden in 29 career outs, 23 of those at the UTB level, and 21 against top tier riders. Eldred has beaten the odds on really difficult bulls before, and he has a shot here, but the margin for error on this bull may be in the negative numbers. You can do everything right and he’ll still get you.

Dakota Buttar on B87 Wicked Hou:

Buttar has a good opportunity here. Wicked Hou is one of the top draws in this round. He is 9-3 overall, but most of his buckoffs have come against lower tier riders. He’s 1-3 when he’s faced the top guys. Matt Triplett was 88.75 points on him in New York three weeks ago.

Matt Triplett on 362A Heartbreak Kid:

Heartbreak Kid may be the hardest to ride bull in the sport right now. He has more tools than Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, and he will use all of them to get a rider on the ground. Triplett could beat the odds here but he will have to overcome a lot of adversity in eight seconds.

Derek Kolbaba on B433 Night Sweats:

This is a decent draw for Kolbaba. Night Sweats isn’t the easiest bull to ride. He usually goes to the left, but he can be fast and shifty. The few times he’s been ridden he’s had a more conventional trip with good timing.

Alisson de Souza on 77B Medicine Man:

The pen of bulls in this round is pretty tough overall, but Medicine Man is one of the better draws available for a right-handed rider. Cody Teel was 90.5 points on him at the World Finals. De Souza has a good chance at a score here, but this bull will give him all he can handle.

Cooper Davis in 5A After Midnight:

Davis has a tough one here. After Midnight is 28-2 in his career. He gets most guys because he has so much up and down that there’s no margin for rider error. This is a bigger deal for small riders. Tanner Byrne rode After Midnight at the World Finals, but the bull had an off day. This is the rare bull that’s really a better fit for a taller rider.

Stetson Lawrence on Texas Comfort Air’s First Blood:

Juan Carlos Contreras rode this bull at the World Finals for 89 points, but that’s the only qualified ride First Blood has given up in five outs. He bucked Chase Outlaw off in Milwaukee late last season.

Rubens Barbosa on 23B Fearless:

Fearless is 19-0 and he’s unridden for good reason. He can cover a lot of ground with long leaps before he turns back suddenly. This is hard for any rider to get by, and as a result of this, Fearless has a lot of buckoffs in under three seconds.

Claudio Montanha Jr. on 35 Spotted Demon:

Spotted Demon was the 2018 PRCA bull of the year. He’s one of the oldest active bulls still competing, and he’s competing at a high level. He’s a better fit for a right-handed rider, and that’s good for Montanha. The bad news is he’s still really strong and hard to ride, and Montanha bucked off of him last season.

Jose Vitor Leme on 621 Wicked Dreams:

Leme may have a tough time here. Wicked Dreams has been ridden a couple of times in 13 career outs, but never by a left-handed rider. However, Leme will be by far the best lefty he’s faced.

Chase Outlaw on 323 Legit:

Legit was all but unknown when he arrived in Las Vegas for the World Finals, but by the time he left he was the talk of the town. He ended up tied for the highest marked bull of the finals in two outs. Outlaw has been on a hot streak, but he will be tested here. This bull is really spectacular.

Jess Lockwood on 106 Sosa’s Alley Cat:

This bull should go to the left, and that works in Lockwood’s favor. However, Alley Cat is way more difficult to ride than Rising Sun – the bull Lockwood won Chicago on. He is 31-3 in his career. He can change his speed and rhythm, and he causes big problems for most riders. Jose Vitor Leme rode him in Corpus Christi, Texas, in December for 91.5 points, and it was one of the best rides we are likely to see this season. In the big picture, it doesn’t matter that much if Lockwood bucks off a bull Leme rode, but he can’t let that happen on a regular basis. Leme may be the biggest threat to his World Title hopes this season.

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