The Morning Line: Nashville, Day 2

Morning Line – Nashville Day 2

ROUND 3

Fabiano Vieira on 104 Moto Moto vs. Marco Eguchi on 66-1 Midnight Train:

These two bulls have different styles, but they have one thing in common, they are both likely to spin away from their rider’s hand. That may not be the biggest factor here though since both of these riders are competent going either way. Moto Moto has a lot of up and down, and he’s likely to throw a big fake to the left before coming around to the right. While most bulls don’t put a lot of pressure on the riding hand shoulder, this one can. Midnight Train doesn’t have the vertical game that Moto Moto does, but he puts a lot of effort into spinning to the left and can create a lot of whip. Both bulls are rideable, but like most of tonight’s matchups, they are tougher than the bulls these riders faced last night.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 035 Sheep Creek vs. Lachlan Richardson on 084 The Don

This pair of bulls is less rider friendly than the first pair. Sheep Creek is known for going to the right, but he is coming out of a left-handed delivery chute here. When he first arrived at the Built Ford Tough Series level he was consistently out of a right delivery. The Don is 22-1 in his career, making him the harder bull to ride of these two. This match could come down to buck off time, giving Vieira the slight edge.

J.B. Mauney on Alligator Arms vs. Jess Lockwood on 850 I’m a Gangster Too

This is the toughest matchup to call out of this group. Both riders are exceptionally talented, and there’s a good chance that their scores will be very similar. Alligator Arms is the more difficult bull of the two by a slim margin, but his difficulty isn’t enough to bet on him throwing Mauney off. I’m a Gangster Too can occasionally be the rankest bull in the building, but on a normal day Lockwood can handle him easily.

Paulo Lima on 978 Little Red Jacket vs. Cooper Davis on 1217 Red Moon

Both these bulls are probably going to spin away from their rider’s hands. Lima bucked off Little Red Jacket earlier this season in under 2 seconds, and that’s not an uncommon outcome on this bull. He has a lot of backup, particularly when he first goes into a spin, and most riders in this era don’t handle that as well as they should. They’ve been drilled on the necessity of staying out over the bull’s front end, and it’s not that critical on bulls that back up. It causes a lot of guys to go right over the front end. Davis will have a tough task with Red Moon, but he’s got the edge in this match.

Kaique Pacheco on 0208 Hornet’s Nest vs. Tanner Byrne on 0X50 Hot Spot

Both of these bulls have relatively short histories, and neither of them have really been tested against top-tier riders. Hornet’s Nest has given up one ride in ten outs, and Hot Spot is unridden in five outs. Both riders are coming off qualified rides last night and will be confident here. These are two of the toughest guys for a bull to get on the ground, and this will come down to which bull has the better day.

Eduardo Aparecido on 700 Fire Bender vs. Nathan Schaper on 1X10 Bad Apple

This is a very well-known bull paired with a not so well known one. Bad Apple only has three outs on record, but he was ridden in Hampton, Virginia, earlier this season. Fire Bender has been around the BFTS for a couple of years now, and most of the riders are well familiar with him. He goes to the left as soon as he sees daylight, and he’s rideable, but not easy. Aparecido had him earlier this season in RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN, but he didn’t get out of the chute, giving him a re-ride. Aparecido got a score last night, while Schaper advanced twice on time, including coming down on one bull he should have ridden. Aparecido will have a confidence advantage here, but this will still be close.

ROUND 4

Fabiano Vieira or Eguchi on 911 Hy Test: vs. J.R. Vieira or Richardson on 626 Hard Times

If we end up with two Vieiras in this match, we’re likely to see two qualified rides. Otherwise, all bets are off. Both of these bulls are good to ride, but Hy Test can be tough on right-handed riders. Eguchi has been bucked off by him before.

Mauney or Lockwood on 27 Gentleman Jim vs. Lima or Davis on 960 Big Sky:

Gentleman Jim is too gentlemanly to get either Mauney or Lockwood on the ground, and Mauney has ridden him before. This match will depend on whether Lima or Davis can get a score on Big Sky and whether it will be high enough. There’s a chance both could happen.

Pacheco or Byrne on 058 American Sniper vs. Aparecido or Schaper on 3028-0 Stuntin Like My Daddy

Pacheco and Byrne have both been on American Sniper. Pacheco came down at 7.14 seconds in their last meeting, while Byrne is 2-for-2 on him. Schaper has been on Stuntin Like My Daddy, and came down quickly. The top half of this match has a definite advantage because of rider experience, but also because Stuntin Like my Daddy is a better fit for a right-handed rider. He’s never let a lefty make the whistle, giving Aparecido a better chance to make this close.

SECOND CHANCE BRACKET

This bracket is a gauntlet. The rankest bulls at this event, aside from Pearl Harbor and Jared Allen’s Air Time, are here. The last two bulls in this bracket are Stanley FatMax and Boot Jack. Also on hand are Asteroid,Cochise, Smooth Operator, and Beaver Creek Beau representing a majority of the heavy hitters. Look for most of the matches in this bracket to come down to buck off times.

FINAL FOUR

The final two bulls here, Pearl Harbor and Air Time, are two of the most difficult bulls in the world right now, but the four bulls leading up to them are not. After Party, Cooper Tires Brown Sugar, Hammer it Again, and Who Dey are all rideable and are the kind of bulls that deliver round wins when ridden. After Party, Hammer it Again and Who Dey are all better matches for right-handed riders, while Brown Sugar can go either way.