The Morning Line: Oklahoma City Round 1

OKLAHOMA CITY – Saturday night’s Round 1 will feature 3- and 4-year-old ABBI Classic bulls competing at The 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast for the first time this season. We will see them numerous times during the year, but a lot of these bulls are relatively unknown for now. Over the past few seasons, these young competition bulls have made the riders look silly at times. In New York and Chicago, the riders did very well – riding 45 percent of the bulls they’ve faced. Expect that number to go down at this event, and probably in this round as well, because the bull power in Oklahoma City will be at premium levels.

Round 1 Matchups

Cooper Davis on 444 Big Black:

Davis has drawn very well through the first two events of the season, and he’s ridden his way to the top of the standings. His luck continues here. In a round full of unknown bulls, he’s drawn one of the strongest ones we do know. He was one of the most impressive bulls during World Finals week in Las Vegas, winning second in the ABBI Classic Finals and delivering a 90.5-point ride to Luciano de Castro in the Velocity Finals. He’s a better fit for a left-handed rider, but Davis is good on bulls that go away from his hand and could put up a big score here.

Kaique Pacheco on 3314 Mr. Majestic:

This is a rematch from the World Finals where Pacheco was 87.5 points on Mr. Majestic in the fourth round. Pacheco is just 2-for-6 on the season so far, but this is a chance for him to get things going in the right direction. He didn’t have the easiest time with this bull in Vegas because this just isn’t an easy bull to ride by any measure. Pacheco will have to reach deep to get the job done.

Fabiano Vieira on 1448 Last Chance:

We don’t know much about this bull, but he was ridden for 88.5 points by a left-handed rider in his only career out – last August in Amarillo, Texas. That should give the edge to Vieira, who is one of the most talented riders in the world.

Nathan Burtenshaw on 4441 Wileywood Blue:

The ABBI Classic season starts each year in Fort Worth where a just a few weeks ago this bull won the first big event of the year with an 89.5-point overall bull score. He also gave up a qualified ride to Jose Leme at the Velocity Finals in Vegas. Burtenshaw hasn’t made the headlines in a while, but having one of the better bulls in the round is a plus for any rider

Mason Lowe on B433 Night Sweats:

This is a bull we haven’t seen that much of on tour. Jess Lockwood was 91 points on him during the Velocity Finals in Las Vegas last fall. From what we saw of him there, he’s a faster version of Mr. Majestic – the bull that Kaique Pacheco has in this round. Both bulls can have a lot of movement during the spin, and can scoot forward at times, which is the main difficulty with them. Night Sweats likes to go to the left, and that will be away from Lowe’s hand.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 202 Capone:

Capone only has two outs on record, but one of them was a big one. He won the ABBI’s Lifetime Derby in Las Vegas with an 89-point overall score. That was his first out on a big stage as a 3-year-old, so this will be his first real season of competition. Vieira missed some opportunities through the first two events, but over the past five events he’s riding right at his normal levels.

Skeeter Kingsolver on 423 War Cloud:

War Cloud was the 2016 ABBI Futurity Champion as a 2-year-old. He handled himself well during his 3-year-old campaign and is unridden in five outs with a rider. He’s a solid talent, and he’s the kind of bull every rider would want to draw every time. He edged out Capone to win the ABBI’s Lifetime Derby last fall in Las Vegas.