The Morning Line: Sioux Falls, Day 3

Morning Line – Sioux Falls Round 3

It has been a tale of very two different rounds so far in Sioux Falls. After just eight qualified rides in round one, round two began with three straight rides and went on to put fourteen scores on the board. Round three could go either way, but there are a lot of favorable matchups for the riders today.

Cooper Davis on 125 Catfish John:

This is the bull Fabiano Vieira won Round 1 on. He went to the right with Vieira, which should fit Davis better, even though Catfish John can be a little shifty. He can move around in the spin and he looks to be a little welly at times. He’s not a straight and honest bull, and getting him ridden won’t be a straightforward affair either. On an honest bull, the rider can take a chance here and there if he gets out of position or a little behind. He can guess where the bull is going because each jump is a lot like the last one. On a bull like this, Davis will have to stay close to the middle, use small moves, and avoid mistakes because he can’t know when the bull is going to shift away from him or speed up. Vieira’s round winning ride on Friday night was a perfect example of this.

Valdiron de Oliveira on 104 Tequila Sunrise:

Oliveira looked like the Oliveira of old last night, and if he can summon that again he may get a second score here. This bull has been ridden just once when Tanner Byrne rode him in Anaheim for only 81.5 points. Byrne is the best right-handed rider to try him so far, and Oliveira is every bit as capable.

Gage Gay on 213 Handlebars:

Gay is 2-for-2 and is leading the event going into Round 3. This bull is a big question mark, he was out twice at a Touring Pro event in Toledo, Ohio, early in January where he wasn’t ridden. Otherwise, we know nothing about this bull. Gay has had the advantage of a couple of good draws so far, but it’s impossible to tell whether this one will fit him at all.

J.B. Mauney on 626 Hard Times:

This bull should be a day off for Mauney, though, a sprained elbow makes every bull harder. There’s probably not another bull in this round with as low a difficulty factor. He doesn’t have a long history, but he has been ridden just about every time he’s ventured into an arena. He certainly hasn’t had to face the likes of Mauney. Compared to Pearl Harbor, this is a practice bull, but bear in mind, it’s not too hard to fall off a practice bull.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 55Y Shake It Up:

This is the pretty spotted bull that threw Silvano Alves off last night, but he’s probably not going to get the best of Vieira. He went to the left with Alves, and he was good enough to win the round on or at least place high. Vieira did get a score last night, and he’s likely to end up with a very good second score here if he can keep up with this fast little bull.

Mike Lee on 206 Hillbilly Music:

Hillbilly Music made his debut just last night with Kaique Pacheco, who rode him for 82 points. The bull didn’t score well, and Pacheco didn’t look that sharp on him. The one notable thing about it was that Hillbilly Music was difficult to stay on. He started with a fake to the right and a solid spin to the left, but jumped out of it, scattered forward and came the other way. He’s quick and he doesn’t kick enough to help the rider, and that will all combine to make this a chore for Lee. One little mistake and this bull can get out from under him.

Fabiano Vieira on 250 War Tank:

Cooper Davis rode this bull in Phoenix, and he’s the only one to do it in War Tank’s eight career outs. Alexandre Cardozo had him in round one here, and came down in 3.04 seconds. Vieira will be the best rider this bull has faced to date, and as a rider, Vieira doesn’t really have a weakness. He’s good on every kind of bull.

Eduardo Aparecido on 2-316H Rolls Royce:

This bull doesn’t have a long history, but he’s a grandson of Panhandle Slim. Cody Nance rode him in Oklahoma City for 85.75 points, and he threw Stormy Wing off in St. Louis. Aparecido is quietly among the top four riders in terms of riding percentage this year, and a close look at his ride last night shows why. Soldier’s pride tried to shake him several different times, and Aparecido really had to work, but he was never in trouble. Whatever this bull tries to do to him, he knows how to handle it.

Mason Lowe on 976 Slick Rick:

Lowe doesn’t have a qualified ride in the event yet, but he did well in the 15/15 Bucking Battle last night, and he’s drawn well here. This bull was really good with Matt Triplett in round one, and he’s a bull that right-handed riders have had some success on. Lowe made a simple mistake that cost him a score in Round 2, but he came right back and knocked off Little Red Jacket in the bonus round. A little consistency is all Lowe’s lacking right now, but he’s got the ability to ride the best bulls here.

Robson Palermo on 104 Moto Moto:

Palermo does have one good score in the books here, and this bull could give him a bigger one, but it will be hard to get. Moto Moto threw Shane Proctor off last night. He typically goes to the right, and he typically explodes out of the chute with some violent jumps before he turns back. Most of the guys who try him look like they have trouble getting in time with him through his first three jumps. If Palermo can hang with him, he could win the round here, but Moto Moto has yet to let a left-handed rider get a score on him.

Kaique Pacheco on 229 Heat Seeker:

Shane Proctor had this bull in Round 1 and got a re-ride on him. Heat Seeker is a straightforward easy draw for right-handed riders for about 5-6 seconds, and then he will get a little tricky. He won’t stay with the same pattern if the rider is still on him. He will usually start to move forward and open his spin up, but with Proctor he fell instead. Pacheco should handle him easily provided the bull can stay on his feet.