The Morning Line – Glendale Round 2

By: Slade Long
January 20, 2019

Colten Jesse on 22 Buckle Up:

Jesse looked as sharp as a rider can look last night, picking up 87 points and second place in the round. He has an inexperienced bull here. Buckle Up is 1-1 in his career. He was here last year, but fell. Matt Triplett rode him for 86 points at the Last Cowboy Standing in Las Vegas in May of last year.

Ramon de Lima on D23 War Party:

Lima rode his bull last night, and he’ll probably ride this one as well. War Party doesn’t cover a lot of ground. He tends to stay in a small area and buck up under himself, and that style fits every rider. This is usually an intense bull with a lot of try, but Lima has been a consistent rider and should be able to handle him.

Rubens Barbosa on 2194 Gangster Can Do:

Gangster Can Do is one of the better draws in this round. He’s a little unpredictable, but like War Party he tends to stay in one spot and as long as the rider has some try the bull will usually come back up under him. Barbosa doesn’t have perfect mechanics, but he has amazing balance and great second effort. He’ll probably pick up a second straight qualified ride here.

J.B. Mauney on 412 Red Bull Rising:

We’ve seen this bull occasionally over the past couple of seasons at ABBI competitions. He’s been a consistent performer, but he wasn’t a big winner at the ABBI Classic level. What’s most notable about him is that he has faced a number of top riders and remains unridden. He’s 12-0 in his career. Mauney looked strong last night, but to get a second score he will have to break this bull’s egg.

Claudio Montanha on 550C Roulette:

This is another relatively new bull. He has just four outs on record and gave up qualified rides in two of those. Montanha should have the edge here. He’s been solid so far this season and he rarely fails to ride the bulls he’s supposed to.

Koal Livingston on 36B Stage Fright:

Stage Fright is one of the nicest draws in the round, and he should be a good fit for Livingston. He likes to go to the left, he’s fairly predictable and has great timing. This combination has resulted in him being ridden in 4 of 6 career outs, although he did throw J.B. Mauney off here in Glendale last year.

Jess Lockwood on 204 Deep Water:

This is a rematch from the Last Cowboy Standing in May of last year. Lockwood bucked off in under four seconds. Lockwood is riding as well as possible so far. He has yet to buck off at the UTB level, and he got by not one but two very difficult bulls last night. This one will be a big test, though. Deep Water is 15-0 against lefties in his career. If Lockwood maintains his current pace for the rest of the season, 2019 will be remembered for the most boring World Title race ever.

Cody Nance on 110 Suspicious Minds:

Nance got a score in the first round, and he has an advantage here. Suspicious Minds is 1-4 against left-handed riders in his career, and he’s been ridden in four of his last five outs.

Keyshawn Whitehorse on 304 Scotty’s Crossroads:

Whitehorse has a decent chance at getting a second score here. This bull is 11-4 in his career, but three of the four rides on him have been by right-handed riders. Scotty’s Crossroads was out twice in Denver and was one of the top five bulls there with two outs.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 803 Red Sails in the Sunset:

Vieira rode his bull last night for 85.5 points, but that’s not the whole story. Vieira has struggled in his career against bulls that go away from his hand. He’s long been fragile and easily shaken on bulls that go to the right, and it’s mostly a mental issue that he’s spent time working on. Last night he got in trouble going away from his hand and worked his way out of it. The reward for that is more than just 85.5 points – today he has a bull that fits lefties very well, and a chance to go 2-for-2 and on to an event win. Vieira doesn’t need to be just as good away from his hand as he is into it. He just needs to win those matchups some of the time to double or triple his event win opportunities.

Cooper Davis on 41B- Cool Customer:

Davis had the lowest score of 18 qualified rides last night with 81.5 points, but any score is way better than a zero. Things are likely to improve for Davis today. He was 89 points on this bull last season, and Cool Customer is 1-2 against right handed riders overall.

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