The Morning Line: Sacramento, Day 1

Many of the bulls we saw last week in Anaheim, California, are here in Sacramento, California. Fewer bulls will be used overall this weekend, and for the most part that means the bottom of the pen in Anaheim won’t be here. A couple of riders are out with injury, but despite that, we should see plenty of qualified rides here in both long rounds. Quite a few riders are drawn up well in Round 1.

Matchups

Michael Lane on 91 Hair Trigger:

Lane is here as an injury replacement for Brady Sims, and like Luis Blanco, the other late replacement in Sacramento, he fell into a great situation. Hair Trigger is one of the most rider- friendly bulls here, especially for right-handed riders. He is a pattern bull that typically will take a look to the left before coming around to the right. He’s got excellent timing, and his fake to the left looks easy to track. Every rider here would be happy to have him, and Lane has a shot to pick up a first round score on a fun little bull.

Tanner Byrne on 226Z Wired Crazy:

We haven’t seen much of this bull at PBR events of any level. He threw Joao Ricardo Vieira off last week in Anaheim, and he’s one of only three bulls to do that this season. Wired Crazy was active on the pro rodeo circuit during the latter part of last year. He has only given up a couple of scores, and those went to the two best right-handed riders he’s faced. Byrne will be the third top-tier righty he’s gone against, and he may pick up the third ride on this bull as well. If he can succeed here he’s likely to get a good score, because this bull was among the highest marked bulls in Anaheim.

Lachlan Richardson on T05 El Capitan:

Richardson has earned 230 points on the season, and he picked up 120 of those last weekend. He has a knack for doing well just when it looks like he may be in line to get cut. He has a good bull here — one of the best long round draws at this event — and he could grab some insurance with a qualified ride here. Robson Palermo won second in a round on El Capitan last week, and while this bull’s career numbers are pretty normal, one thing does stand out. He’s been to the Built Ford Tough Series five times, and he’s been ridden all five times.

Luis Blanco on 807 Cowtown Slinger:

Blanco is here because J.W. Harris is out with an injury, and he lucked into a good situation. Cowtown Slinger is always among the better bulls to draw in any long round. He’s the kind of bull that riders of this era are most accustomed to. He spins, he’s pretty fast and he’s pretty predictable. Riders get on a lot of bulls that fit this description in today’s world, whereas 30 years ago they mostly dreamed of getting on bulls like this all the time. Slinger typically goes to the left which will be into Blanco’s hand, and he is as good a fit as Blanco could hope for.

Tyler Harr on 105Y Chantilly Lace:

Chantilly Lace is a bull that likes to go to the left, and he can back up under the rider a little while he’s bucking. He has a little more leap, a little more action, and less speed than Cowtown Slinger, but his even timing and the tendency to back up means he does get ridden fairly often. He threw Ryan Dirteater in Anaheim, but he was ridden in three straight outs before that at the Toruing Pro Division level. Harr needs to make some noise at this level, and he’s certainly capable of riding this bull.

Fabiano Vieira on 908 Americana:

This matchup heavily favors Vieira. Americana has been around for a while, and he’s been a good one to have his entire career. He fits in short rounds from time to time when needed, where he’s usually one of the nicer ones. He’s always a good long round draw, and while he can spin either way, lefties have had the most success on them.

Valdiron de Oliveira on 058 American Sniper:

Just over a year ago, Matt Triplett was 90 points on this bull in Oklahoma City to win a long round, and since then he’s been in the Morning Line just about every time he has been to an event, and there’s a good reason for that. Sniper is an honest bull, and he has just a little more points potential than most long round bulls. That makes him a very good draw. He isn’t a pushover, but a bull you can win on shouldn’t be. When he goes up against the best riders he does get ridden on occasion, and usually for a good score. He is a power-type bull with big jumps and he shows his strength, and this style plays into Oliveira’s strength as a rider.

Kaique Pacheco on 910 California Kid:

California Kid has some power, and he can mix his timing up a little. He’s only given up a couple of rides in 27 career outs, but from what we’ve seen of him Pacheco should be able to handle him. Many riders can stay on bulls that have even-timing. The riders that truly have a shot at a World Championship have to be able to stay on many bulls that give other riders trouble, and this is one of them.

Wallace de Oliveira on 28X Big Enough:

Cooper Davis won the second round in Anaheim on Big Enough last week. Oliveira has a great chance to pick up some points here, and he needs every point he can get. He’s sitting fourth in the standings right now, but eleven guys have a better riding percentage than he does on the season. The simple math is that if you make fewer rides than your competitors, you need every ride to produce points just to hold your ground. Not every bull Oliveira will get on this year will produce points for him, but this one does have that potential.

Derek Kolbaba on 673 Blowing Smoke:

Kolbaba has been getting a lot of attention and a lot of camera time since winning three Touring Pro Division events in a row last month. In Anaheim, he lived up to the hype, riding four out of the five bulls he faced there and winning the 15/15 Bucking Battle outright. He’s got a bull that will give him a little trouble here. Blowing Smoke doesn’t have quite enough kick to help the rider, and he can wander around in the spin a little. He is rideable, and he’s well within Kolbaba’s capability, but this is a bull that makes a rider work until the whistle blows and never really lets them get comfortable.

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