The Morning Line: Jacksonville, Day 1

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tonight’s opening round is full of bulls that we don’t see that often, and a number of bulls we’ve never seen at all. Several key riders drew relatively unknown bulls, including J.B. Mauney, Claudio Montanha Jr. and Cooper Davis.

Chase Outlaw on 05 Johnny America:

This is a snappy little bull with a lot of action, and Outlaw should show him off well. Johnny America has been ridden a few times even at the Touring Pro level. He can turn back both ways, but he has a style that benefits every rider. So far this year, Outlaw hasn’t let many bulls like this off the hook. He’s missed against some of the tougher bulls he’s had, but when he’s been matched against bulls that he’s supposed to be able to ride he has made them count.

Kaique Pacheco on 15 Trick Shot:

These two met in New York, and Pacheco bucked off, but I would give Pacheco the edge here. He’s operating at a talent level where no long round caliber bull ought to buck him off twice in a row, and he took this one past seven seconds the first time.

Reese Cates on L31 Droopy:

This is Droopy’s Built Ford Tough Series debut, but he has been pretty active at the Velocity Tour and TPD levels where he’s given up eight scores in 13 outs and comes in here with a 38.46% buckoff percentage. He’s a very predictable bull with good timing, and moderate speed and very little power. With those kind of numbers he should get ridden nearly every time at this level. Stepping up to the BFTS level makes it harder for bulls to win just like it does for riders, and Cates (or anyone else here) should be able to get a score on this one.

Koal Livingston on S2H Who Knows:

This bull was out twice in St. Louis last week, and his first trip with Jake Gowdy was an eye opener. If he has that same kind of showing here, he’s more than good enough to win the round on. He went to the right with Gowdy, and that would be into Livingston’s hand, so this is a big opportunity for a rookie rider.

Derek Kolbaba on 213T Iron Spirit:

Iron Spirit only has one out on record, but it was a good one. Claudio Montanha Jr. rode him for 87 points in Roanoke, Virginia, just a month ago. He went to the right with Montanha, and he had some speed, so he will be something of a challenge for the left-handed Kolbaba, but this is a bull that could help Kolbaba earn some points in the round.

Matt Triplett on 805 Ace:

Ace has a similar style to the bull Reese Cates has, in that he has predictable timing, a predictable pattern, no tricks and no real up and down power. He’s the kind of bull most good riders can easily handle, and what they would prefer to get on every time. Look for Triplett to have an easy time here, and if the bull has a good day, he could place in the round.

Ryan Dirteater on T08 Slappy:

This bull has been sporadically active in his career. He went to the World Finals in 2014 where Stormy Wing scored 88.5 points on him, but since then he’s had one out in January of 2015, and one out in January of 2017. He missed almost two full years. From what we’ve seen of him, he’s a good draw. Cody Teel scored 85.5 points on him in Roanoke just over a month ago. He had a little forward movement with Teel, but Dirteater should be able to handle him.

Guilherme Marchi on 211 Red Fury:

This will almost certainly be another qualified ride for Marchi. We’ve seen Red Fury three times, and he’s given up three qualified rides, most recently to Shane Proctor in Kansas City. He’s the kind of bull that Marchi could ride in his sleep. Marchi could retire from bull riding and take this bull with him to ride around on the ranch doing chores.

Fabiano Vieira on 268 Crippler:

Crippler has been around for a few years, and although he doesn’t often appear at the BFTS level, he’s thrown off his share of good riders when he has. He wants to run the rider back off his rope, and that makes him hard for anyone to deal with. Vieira may be the most tenacious rider Crippler has yet faced, and he’s a hard guy to get on the ground.