NAMPA, Idaho ― Last week in Fresno, Calif., we saw five bulls ridden in the 15/15 Bucking Battle. We could see more than that on Friday night. Many of these riders match up well with their bulls, which is a big thing. Most bulls at this level, especially short-round caliber bulls, are very capable of throwing any of these guys off. Therefore, the guy they draw is a big factor. Some riders match up with a given bull better than others.
Robson Palermo on 841 Wicked:
Wicked is 27-0 in his career. He’s spent most of his time on the pro rodeo circuit, so he hasn’t been tested like he would have been had he been at Built Ford Tough Series events for the same length of time. That said, both Shane Proctor and J.W. Harris are among Wicked’s victims, and he’s faced a number of pretty competent guys. Palermo will have to break this bull’s streak to get a score.
Stormy Wing on 701 Shepherd Hills Stockman:
This is definitely one of the nicest bulls to have at any time. Shepherd Hills Stockman has been a lot better to right-handed riders because he goes to the right, but Joao Ricardo Vieira earned 90.75 points on him to win the 15/15 round in Anaheim, Calif., this year. Matt Triplett won a round in Phoenix on him as well. If Wing can get it done going away from his hand he will get a high 80s to low 90s score.
Joao Ricardo Vieira puts up 90.75 points on Shepherd Hills Stockman in the 2014 BFTS 15/15 Bucking Battle in Anaheim, Calif.
Sean Willingham on 903 Rock River Red:
This is a relatively new bull. He’s been ridden twice in nine career outs, both times by right-handed riders. Rock River Red does spin to the right and he’s a very nice draw in a round of ranker bulls. Willingham has an excellent shot at putting a score on the board here.
Gage Gay on 84U Buck Dynasty:
If this were a draft round, Buck Dynasty would be the last bull picked. He’s pretty hard on riders. He doesn’t have steady timing; he has a lot of action and can wave his head around a lot. He was ridden by Shane Proctor and Nathan Schaper last August, but none of the other 51 guys who have tried him got a score.
Silvano Alves on 922 Modified Clyde:
This could be a pretty interesting matchup. Alves won the 15/15 Bucking Battle in Fresno last week and this bull could carry him to another win in Nampa. Modified Clyde was one of the best bulls in Albuquerque, N.M., and he can go to the right. he has pretty good timing once he gets into a spin as well. If Alves can get it done here, he should get a big score.
L.J. Jenkins on K55 Smackdown:
Jenkins has been on Smackdown just once – way back in 2011. Smackdown goes to the left and while he’s been ridden 21 times in his career, Alves is the only man who has ridden him going away from his hand – doing so twice. One other right-handed rider has ridden him, but Smackdown went to the right that day. He’s a tough bull for anyone to ride and Jenkins will attempt to keep his body weight toward the front. Any rider on Smackdown is better off sitting as close to the top of his shoulders as they can get because that is his pivot point. Once a rider leans back or gets off his rope it’s hard to recover on this bull.
Silvano Alves wins with 92.50 points on Smackdown in Round 4 of the 2013 PBR Last Cowboy Standing in Las Vegas.
Matt Triplett on 656 New Holland Power Star:
New Holland Power Star has been ridden five times in the past year or so and three of those came at the hands of Cody Nance. Right-handed riders really haven’t done well on him. Power Star is 29-2 against righties in his career. He normally spins to the left, but he did spin to the right the last time a right-hander rode him. This bull can be a little flaky at times and can go a long ways out there before he turns back. When he’s good, he’s very good. Triplett has a tough chore ahead of him.
Emilio Resende on JC6 Southpaw:
They met back in 2012 and Resende didn’t make the whistle. Guilherme Marchi rode Southpaw at the 2012 Built Ford Tough World Finals and no one has since. This is an unpredictable bull. No one really knows if he will settle into a spin and stay there because guys just don’t usually stay on him long enough to find out. He can take some long jumps, has plenty of kick and is fast and athletic. Being one of the more difficult bulls in this round, he should be considered the favorite in this matchup.
Marco Eguchi on 917 Pound the Alarm:
Pound the Alarm is supposed to be a good fit for right-handed riders, but he got the best of Alves in St. Louis this season. Shane Proctor scored 90 points on him in the short round at the 2013 Built Ford Tough World Finals, and L.J. Jenkins earned 86.25 points on him at THE AMERICAN rodeo in Arlington, Texas, just a month ago. He consistently spins to the right out of a right-hand delivery chute. Eguchi should be happy with that.
Shane Proctor puts up 90 points on Pound The Alarm in the championship round of the 2013 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas.
Valdiron de Oliveira on 706 Percolator:
Oliveira drew a pretty nice bull in Round 1, and he’s got another one here. This is one of the nicest to ride bulls out in this round. Built Ford Tough Series riders are 5-for-9 on him, and at times his status as a short rounder has been in question. Oliveira should have the advantage here, even though Percolator is likely to spin away from his hand.
Mike Lee on 654 Stanley FatMax:
Of the guys who are riding in this round, I don’t think any drew two tougher bulls than Mike Lee did for Friday night. His Round 1 bull (Hang Time) could be a handful and Stanley FatMax will most definitely be hard to ride. He has been ridden just four times in 81 career outs and only once by a lefty. For a bull that has been a journeyman short rounder his entire career, Stanley FatMax ranks among the Top 20 PBR bulls of all time in terms of difficulty.
Fabiano Vieira on 807 Cowtown Slinger:
Here’s a bull that has posted 44 points or more in his last four outs, and bulls that can consistently put up 44 points are rare. Cowtown Slinger has also been ridden by close to half of the left-handed riders who have been on him. This makes him a great fit and draw for Vieira.
With a 90.5-point effort on Cowtown Slinger in the final round, J.B. Mauney wins THE AMERICAN in Arlington, Texas.
Guilherme Marchi on 5 Chocolate Thunder:
Marchi certainly could have drawn worse here. Chocolate Thunder is honest and has pretty good timing, but he will probably go to the left away from Marchi’s hand. He also has a lot of speed and likes to back up in the spin and try to force riders down onto his head. This is a tough, but rideable bull. Marchi has a great shot at winning this round on him.
Joao Ricardo Vieira on 13/6 Bushwacker:
Vieira has faced Bushwacker once before – at the Dr Pepper Iron Cowboy V in Arlington just last month. Bushwacker certainly has the upper hand here and the outcome is entirely up to him. Bushwacker occasionally has a trip where he falls into a pretty nice spin to the left. Vieira has a shot if Bushwacker does that. Otherwise, no dice.
Follow Slade Long on Twitter @ProBullStats
© 2014 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.