The Morning Line: San Jose, Day 1

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The bulls at this event, and especially in this round, seem to have a common theme. They are mostly looking for redemption. Quite a few bulls here have been away from the BFTS for a while after having a bad out the last time they were here. With the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Finals only a week away, PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert already has his World Finals list made, and a bull will need to be spectacular here to get on that list if he’s not already on it.

J.W. Harris on 13X Stand Up:

This bull hasn’t appeared on tour this season, but he did go to Chad Berger’s run of Touring Pro Division and Velocity Tour events over the summer. He’s been ridden 11 times in 16 career outs, which puts him in range of the easiest bulls that ever appear at the BFTS level. Harris should dominate here.

Kaique Pacheco on W57 Blackberry Smoke:

Blackberry Smoke may be the best draw in the round. Chase Outlaw won the opening round in Nampa on him two weeks ago. This will be something of a challenge for Pacheco because the bull is likely to spin away from his hand, but this could easily turn into a badly needed round win for a rider who is in the thick of the World Championship race.

Luciano de Castro on 157 Legacy:

This bull is similar to Blackberry Smoke in that he goes to the left. Legacy can move around in the spin quite a bit. He probably won’t stay in one spot and drill a hole in the ground. He’s been a great draw for left-handed riders, and Castro will probably get along with him. He doesn’t have the big, showy jumps that Blackberry Smoke has, so you probably won’t see a round-winning kind of score here, but Castro should start the event off with a solid 85- to 86-point ride.

Mike Lee on 922 Modified Clyde:

Lee is pretty familiar with this bull. He’s been on him seven times in the past. He’s won four of those matchups, but there’s a catch. The last time Lee came out on top was in 2015. They’ve met three times since then and Modified Clyde won all three of those. Although, Lee did stay on him for 7.94 seconds in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, earlier this year. This bull is similar to SweetPro’s Bruiser in that he is not going to surprise anyone, but he’s still hard to stay on. He has 82 career outs. Every rider here knows exactly what he’s going to do, but Modified Clyde still throws three out of every four challengers off.

Ryan Dirteater on 025 The Kraken:

In 14 career BFTS outs, The Kraken has managed to give up 10 qualified rides, which makes him one of the easier bulls at this event. One of those rides went to Dirteater, who was 85 points at the 2015 World Finals. The bull typically goes to the right, and he has exceptionally even timing, which is why most riders do well on him.

Guilherme Marchi on 078 Grandpa Joe:

This is the best draw Marchi has had recently. The only difficulty for Marchi is that this bull typically goes to the left, which isn’t Marchi’s favorite. Riders have won quite a bit of money on Grandpa Joe over the years, but we haven’t seen him at the BFTS level since April because his two trips in Billings were not as strong as we are used to seeing from him.

Chase Outlaw on -00 Moldy:

Outlaw has been drawing well lately, and he’s been riding well too. He’s one of three riders in the World Championship race who are riding above their career riding percentage over the past five events. They are peaking going into the World Finals. The problem for all the contenders is that Eduardo Aparecido – who is leading the race – is riding the best. Outlaw may be able to make up ground tonight. He should get along with this bull. Moldy is making his BFTS debut here, but he should spin to the left with some speed, and Outlaw will make him look good.

Jess Lockwood on 309 Devil in a Bottle:

Unlike Outlaw, Lockwood is riding well below his career average going in to the World Finals, and a lot of that has to do with injuries. He had two good chances last week, and he has another one here. This bull should spin into his hand and he has some backup, which means he will be trying to get Lockwood tipped forward. That’s better for the rider than a bull that is always moving forward. Regardless of what the bull does, this is Lockwood’s last chance to find his groove before the Finals.

Claudio Montanha Jr. on 3820 Mayhem:

Montanha is all but a lock to make the whistle here. Mayhem has been ridden in his last five outs going back to February of this year. Stormy Wing was 86.75 points on him in Nampa, Idaho, two weeks ago. On top of all that, he spins into Montanha’s hand. Look for the rider to win this one.

Dener Barbosa on Z293 Thunderstruck:

Barbosa won the event in Raleigh, North Carolina, last week, and he will start this event with a bull he can win the round on. Thunderstruck had a weak out in Albuquerque earlier this season, and we haven’t seen him on tour since. But, he’s usually a really good bull. The key factor here is that he goes pretty hard to the right, and Barbosa is left-handed. Thunderstruck has been ridden in his last two lower-level outs, and Barbosa will be the best rider he’s faced in a while.