The Morning Line: Last Cowboy Standing, Day 2

Morning Line – Last Cowboy Standing Round 2

Cooper Davis on B36 JJ’s Pride:

Davis has to be pretty happy with this draw. JJ’s Pride was ridden in his last two outs, and he’s been ridden four times in seven outs this year.  He can spin either way, but they have him in a left hand delivery here, so left may be the more likely outcome tonight. He’s a pattern type bull, he does the same thing almost every trip, and each jump he makes is a lot like the last. He’s one of the more rideable bulls in this round, and the way Davis is riding lately, he doesn’t need a lot of help from the bull.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 29 The Hulk:

This is a lesser known bull with only three outs on tour meaning he doesn’t have a lot of stats to go by. Cooper Davis was 86.75 points on him in Billings, and in that trip he was a dream. He spun to the left, and reversed it near the end, but he gave Davis a clear signal before doing it. Vieira didn’t look great last night, but he had a bull with a long history of making good riders look bad. This one should fit him a lot better, and he’s likely to bounce back tonight.

Robson Palermo on 1217 Red Moon:

Red Moon is one of the higher profile bulls out in this round. Fabiano Vieira was 89.25 on him in Oklahoma City, and he gave up two big scores in the latter part of last season including a 90.5 to J.B. Mauney in Thackerville, Oklahoma, in September. He’s 2-4 against left-handed riders in his career, and he’s a great fit for Palermo.

Derek Kolbaba on 100 Milky Jones:

Kolbaba has another bull here that he should be able to handle easily. This is a stronger bull than the one he had last night, and one that will be much less tolerant of mistakes. He should go to the left and fit Kolbaba’s style perfectly. Ryan Dirteater rode him for 88 points in Des Moines, and Dirteater is the only lefty who has tried him.

Kaique Pacheco on 00 Gravedigger:

Gravedigger has only four outs on his record, and he’s given up just one ride, but that one ride was to Pacheco just a few weeks ago in Des Moines. This one should go Pacheco’s way as well. Pacheco was the low score last night with 79.5 points, and two guys that outscored him got re-ride options because of the way the bull score threshold works. Pacheco’s bull got 19.5 points from each of the four judges, where Guilherme Marchi and Juliano da Silva’s bulls each got a 19 from one judge.

Mason Lowe on 11 Banjo:

We’ve only seen this bull a handful of times, but he’s been memorable. He’s a big, stout looking bull with no horns that really leaves the chute with a lot of energy. He’s unridden in four outs this season, but he’s mostly faced left-handed riders, and he spins to the right.

Jess Lockwood on 906 Bronstad’s Pistol Pete:

Lockwood looked right at home last night despite not having the highest score. His score didn’t convey how he rode his bull with such ease he almost looked bored. Justin McBride was the same kind of rider. In the context of a BFTS long round, many riders look like they are riding at the edge of their talent level, and McBride often looked like he was just rehearsing for a better bull. That’s exactly what Lockwood looked like last night.

Fabiano Vieira on 706 Percolator:

Vieira came down early last night, but I can’t see that happening tonight. Percolator has been a high profile bull in the PBR, carrying J.B. Mauney to a 94 point score at the 2014 World Finals. He has lost a step since then, but he’s still a good one to have, and he’s always been vulnerable to left-handed riders, going 13-12 against them in his career.

J.B. Mauney on 104 Moto Moto:

We’ve all seen the scenario where Mauney looks awful in round one, but comes back and steals the show the next day, and we are likely to see it happen again tonight. This bull has a wild and wooly style with high, showy leaps, and he’s a little unpredictable, but Mauney has made a career of converting this type of bull into big scores and World Championships. The catch here is that Moto Moto likes to go to the right and he’s never been ridden by a left-handed rider, but his style suits Mauney so well I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to go the left here and give Mauney a shot at an 88-90 point score.

Jorge Valdiviezo on Y10 Buckle Up:

Valdiviezo is another guy who looked comfortable enough last night to make you think he was just waiting on the better bulls to show up. He’s a relative newcomer on tour, and doesn’t have a long track record, but when you watch him ride he has an old school style that really works. He reacts well to what the bull does, he looks classy on bulls, and he doesn’t seem to be in over his head mentally. If he pulled his hat down low he could be a stunt double in a movie about Denny Flynn – one of the best riders in the history of the sport.

He’s definitely got a stronger bull tonight, though. Buckle Up is 10-1 against right-handed riders, and he’s going to be a step up from almost everything in last night’s round. If Valdiviezo handles him well, you better expect to see this guy on tour to stay.