The Morning Line: Sacramento, Day 1

SACREMENTO, Calif. – Round 1 in Sacramento, California, will hold few surprises. At a normal Built Ford Tough Series event the opening long round is usually a little weaker than the second round, and that should be true here. There aren’t many matchups tonight that look good for the riders, but the riders do sometimes prevail when this is the case.

Chad Berger and D&H Cattle Co. both have a load of bulls in Sacramento, and most of the bulls in the second round belong to one or the other. They are both noticeably absent from tonight’s draw. Round 1 features a hodgepodge of animals from California, Montana and Texas.

Round 1 Matchups:

Cooper Davis on T05 El Capitan:

This should be an easy day at the office for Davis. El Capitan is one of the most rider friendly bulls going at this level. He’s a good bull that can deliver a mid-80’s score, but he doesn’t do anything that would give good riders trouble. He goes to the right after a couple of jumps, and he puts on his turn signal before he does. He has no timing issues, no tricks and he’s not very intimidating. These characteristics are why he’s been ridden eight times in nine BFTS outs.

Kaique Pacheco on 967 Mi Vida Loca:

Like Davis, Pacheco should be able to easily get a score in the opening round. This bull is a little trickier than El Capitan, but not by much. He may make a round one way and reverse it, but once he settles into a steady spin he will not be a problem for Pacheco.

Luciano de Castro on 1991 Big Naughty:

This is the BFTS debut for Castro, and he has a good bull for his first one. Big Naughty is a nice draw and should spin into Castro’s hand. This is a guy to keep an eye on. Since he came to the United States last fall he’s ridden 11 of 20 bulls at lower level events, and few guys do that well. He rarely bucked off in Brazil.

Dener Barbosa on 201 Uncle Fester:

This bull may not have a long rap sheet, but he has some of the best numbers in this round. Just about every time he’s been out he’s been marked 22 or more on at least one side. He hasn’t given up a qualified ride, but Barbosa needs to step up and take one. Barbosa has a lot of talent, but he’s appeared to be on cruise control at times, and that won’t work at this level. He needs more consistent effort.

J.B. Mauney on 011 Make You Famous:

Mauney is coming back from injury here, and you can bet he’s not 100%. This is a good bull for him to get back on track with. Make You Famous goes to the left, and he’s not the easiest bull in here, but the best chance he has of beating Mauney is to hope that his injuries bother him a lot.

Tyler Harr on -915 Hammer Down:

This is one of the better bulls to draw in this round. He does usually go to the right, which will be away from Harr’s hand, but he has solid timing and gives a rider every chance to succeed. He’s been ridden in his last three outs, including an 88.5-point ride by Cooper Davis at the World Finals.

Rubens Barbosa on 909 Bank Robber:

This is the BFTS debut for Bank Robber, but he’s got some experience at lower level events. A quick look at video on him will explain why he’s not named after a good guy. He has big horns and he likes to wave them around and hit people with them. He’s not the kind of bull that riders dream of, he’s more the kind of bull that gives them nightmares. He has a heavy style. He bucks with his head high, which does make most bulls easier to ride, but in this case the fact that he has big horns waving around makes him more intimidating. He won’t be a day off for Barbosa, he will require a lot of hard work.

Shane Proctor on 029 Back Jackin’

Right-handed riders pretty much have their way with this bull, including Proctor. They met at the Iron Cowboy in Arlington, Texas, last season and Proctor won the day with an 87.25-point score.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 232 Sic ‘Em On A Chicken:

We saw this bull at the Velocity Tour Finals in October, and Zane Cook scored 86 points on him there. If he has the same trip here, he will be easy for Vieira. He is way too rider rider-friendly, and he went to the left with Cook, and Vieira will eat that up.