The Morning Line: Thackerville, Day 1

Morning Line – Thackerville, Day 1

Round 1:

Nathan Schaper on 2125 Wicked Stick:

Schaper and Wicked Stick met up in the opening round a week ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Wicked Stick won easily. However, he’s still a good draw for Schaper, and it could go the rider’s way this time. This is one of the more seasoned ABBI Classic bulls.

Cody Nance on B60 Handsome Jeff:

This is a solid bull and a good draw. He likes to go to the right, which doesn’t favor left-handed riders. That said, Nance is good on bulls away from his hand, and this one has good timing and isn’t really tricky. A good effort from Nance should get the job done.

Mike Lee on Z7 Sketchy Bob:

Sketchy Bob goes to the right, and he’s a far better draw for a right-handed rider, but he is a little like Bruiser in that he’s a good draw for anyone. This is a classy bull that really gets in the air and shows off and the last two times he was ridden it was for 88-plus points.

Wallace de Oliveira on 1202 Mr. Deeds Jr.

Jess Lockwood rode this bull in the opening round in Tulsa last week, and Oliveira has a chance to do the same here. He needs scores of any kind after turning in just one qualified ride in his last five Built Ford Tough Series events.

Marco Eguchi on 13-2 Glory Days:

Eguchi has struggled at times since the 2013 season, but he looks like he could be turning a corner this year and he’s got a good bull here. Cooper Davis won the opening round in Tulsa on Glory Days last week, and this is a good bull for a right-handed rider to have.

15/15 Bucking Battle:

Robson Palermo on 66-1 Midnight Train:

Palermo didn’t have a lot of luck last week, but he didn’t have bulls that fit him very well either. Midnight Train is unridden in his 14 out career, but he looks like the kind of bull that Palermo should get along with. He goes to the left, and he’s more of a spinner than an up-and-down bucker. Most of Palermo’s best rides in his career were on this type of bull. He earned 89 points on Swashbuckler back in May, a bull that has a very similar style.

Tanner Byrne on 80 Jeremiah:

Jeremiah has only been ridden once in 39 career outs, and the thing that makes him hard to ride goes double for taller riders. He’s got quick turns and he just does a lot to mess with a rider’s balance in general. The physics of being tall versus being short make a shifty bull like this harder for tall riders to deal with. Byrne will be an underdog here, but frankly, so would anyone else against this bull.

Ryan Dirteater on 222 Mystical:

This bull made his BFTS debut just last week, throwing Jess Lockwood off in Round 2 in Tulsa. He looked good enough for PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert to use him in this round, but he’s far less proven than most of the bulls in here.

Derek Kolbaba on 32Y SweetPro’s Bruiser:

Bruiser is the classiest bull in this group. He’s everything a rider could want in a bull, and fits just about everyone who owns a bull rope. He’s just good enough to win 85% of the time, but everyone has a fair chance on Bruiser. That said, he hasn’t given up a qualified ride at the BFTS level since January.

Jess Lockwood on 08 Margy Time:

Margy Time has been out of action since last year’s PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals. He spent the first half of the season recovering from an injury but he’s back here. He’s one of the strongest bulls on tour, and he focuses on his strength more than most bulls. His style is reminiscent of Mick E. Mouse, who we lost last season. Lockwood has proven he can deal with bulls that have real power, but this will still be a challenge. Margy Time has only been ridden twice in 46 career outs.

Mike Lee on -147 Big Cat:

Big Cat is still unridden (24-0) and he’s shrugged off a lot of good riders this year. He likes the right, and Lee being left-handed won’t help him any. Big Cat has a shot at competing for World Champion Bull title this year, and the only thing holding him back is that he doesn’t get a lot of 45-point outs. He’s currently ninth in the qualifier standings right now, and Jared Allen’s Air Time and SweetPro’s Long John are certain to bump him once they reach eight outs. He needs to earn some high bull scores to knock some of his lower ones off the total.

Wallace de Oliveira on 135 Hey Jack:

Hey Jack is a Canadian bull originally owned by Wild Hoggs in Alberta. This is only his third BFTS out, but he’s moved up to the 15/15 Bucking Battle here after a strong showing in Round 2 in Tulsa last week. He hasn’t been ridden in over a year, and Oliveira was tossed by him earlier this season in Billings, Montana. This bull can spin either way, and he’s shifty. He doesn’t have a rock solid pattern, and he doesn’t stick to a tight spin.

Shane Proctor on 626 Oscar P:

We don’t see this bull all that often, but since 2014 he’s 14-0 at the BFTS level, and 30-1 in his career. He’s not an easy bull to ride, and Proctor isn’t having his best year. That said, there’s not really any other bulls in this round that would truly be a better fit for Proctor, so he’ll have to make this one work.

Paulo Lima on W37 Cochise:

Cochise is sitting fourth in the World Champion Bull race at the moment, but when Lima rode him for 90 points in New York City back in January, he wasn’t even in the conversation. Lima handled him well, but this bull is far from easy. Lima will have to be perfect here to get a score on him again.

Eduardo Aparecido on 44W Stone Sober:

This will be the third straight right-handed rider for Stone Sober. He’s harder for a right-handed rider, though he doesn’t need help throwing people off. He’s 68-2 in his career, and one of those rides came on a squirrely trip for him where he didn’t buck at all. He’s not the most reliable bull going, and he’s had some weird days that have put him in Cody Lambert’s doghouse, but he can be as rank as any bull here.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 913 Big Benny:

This may be the best draw in this round. Big Benny is, as his name implies, a big bull and he has good timing. He likes the left, which is good for Vieira. He threw off Derek Kolbaba in the short round in Tulsa last week, and he was originally held out as a re-ride in the short round pen.

Fabiano Vieira on 944 Red Rover:

These two met here last year, but in the short round instead of the 15/15 Bucking Battle where Red Rover shrugged Vieira off in under two seconds. Red Rover is unridden in ten BFTS outs, and he is a rough bull for anyone to stay with. He may be the least suitable bull at this event for a guy with shoulder problems, because riding him dead in the middle probably won’t happen. Vieira will have to make a lot of adjustments, and his riding arm will get yanked on.

Lachlan Richardson on 045 Seven Dust:

Seven Dust was outstanding in Tulsa, and he tied Pearl Harbor for the highest marked bull of the event. He’s unridden on the BFTS, although Stetson Lawrence rode him at the Calgary Stampede in 2015. Richardson is replacing J.B. Mauney here, and this bull is likely to go into his hand, but it’s not really an advantage. Seven Dust is a full blown powerhouse no matter which way he spins and his strength is the difficult thing to get by.

Cooper Davis on 841 Wicked:

Davis should be reasonably familiar with this bull since he’s been on him five times. They first met in 2013 at a Springdale, Arkansas, rodeo when Wicked was 5 years old and Davis was 19. Since both of them arrived at the BFTS level, they met twice in 2015 and twice more this year. Wicked is 5-0 in the series. This would seem to indicate Davis doesn’t have a decent chance at a score here, but Wicked can have days where no one can ride him and other days when lots of guys can. If he has one of his smoother trips, Davis definitely has a shot.

Kaique Pacheco on X22 Hammer it Again:

This is the same matchup as we saw last week, and Hammer It Again came out on top. There is still the potential for a huge score here. A savvy young rider and an extremely athletic and showy young bull will be a great matchup, and if Pacheco can get the job done this time he could put up a lot of points here.