The Morning Line: Tulsa, Day 1

Morning Line – Tulsa Day 1

Round 1:

Cooper Davis on 13-2 Glory Days:

Really have to like this particular matchup in the first round. This bull goes to the right, is very rideable, and Davis is one of the harder guys to get on the ground lately. He’s having a good year, and he looks as solid right now as anyone in contention for a World Title.

J.B. Mauney on 01Z Rocco:

Jess Lockwood rode Rocco in Nashville last week for 90 points, and he’s the only guy to get any kind of score on this bull in 23 career outs. You can count on this bull being a pretty good fit for Mauney as well. Rocco has a lot of speed as well as a lot of action, and he tested Lockwood. Mauney will have to be on his game here, and can’t afford any mistakes.

Cody Nance on Z7 Sketchy Bob:

Sketchy Bob is one of the better bulls in this group to draw. He’s given up several big scores this season. He likes the right, and he fits right-handed riders better, but Nance was 86.25 points on him back in January.

Nathan Schaper on 2125 Wicked Stick:

Schaper has one of the best bulls in this round, and a good draw for a lefty. Wicked Stick has been pretty solid throughout his young career, and he hasn’t given up a qualified ride since Mauney was 91 points on him at the World Finals last year. He hasn’t faced many left-handed riders since then either.

Stetson Lawrence on 242 Dirt Road:

Lawrence has been on this bull twice this season already. He was bucked off in Kansas City, but rode him rather easily for 86 points in Oklahoma City in January. He’s probably happy to have him here.

Aaron Roy on Z3 Swamp Wreck:

Roy’s original bull was drawn out of the ABBI competition here, and he ended up in a better situation with this bull as a re-ride. Swamp Wreck likes to go to the right, and he’s got quite a bit if up and down, which is the key factor here. Roy is a taller rider, and this is not a very big bull, but smaller bulls are easier to handle for big guys when they have a lot of drop and kick.

Paulo Lima on 204 Deep Water:

I don’t know if Lima has a great chance here. Deep Water is unridden in 14 career outs, and he’s had good riders trying him. This is a bull that has been under the radar for the most part, but he looks to have a bright future. He’s been very good every time I’ve seen him.

15/15 Bucking Battle:

Lachlan Richardson on 944 Red Rover:

Red Rover isn’t a good fit for anyone, and he’s an especially bad fit for Richardson. They’ve met twice and Richardson has come down in under 4 seconds each time. This is a strong bull that doesn’t have good timing, and it’s easy for him to get a rider in a position where he can overpower them. Richardson tends to ride loose, and can end up getting yanked on more often than he wants.

Jess Lockwood on 978 Little Red Jacket:

Little Red Jacket is typically a better draw for a right-handed rider, but Lockwood proved himself on bulls going away from his hand when he rode Crossfire earlier this year. Little Red Jacket is a lot easier than that, so he has a real shot here. If the better bulls get ridden, he may not win the round, but he can place high, and any score in a 15/15 round is a good result.

Robson Palermo on 045 Seven Dust:

These two met in Kansas City and it didn’t go well for Palermo. Seven Dust has been ridden a couple of times, but he’s not an easy bull. He’s a little unpredictable, and he doesn’t have the best timing. He can have a lot of power one jump and then just scoot forward the next. Getting to the whistle on him will be a fight no matter who’s trying to do it.

Tanner Byrne on 901 Sam:

Sam is one of the more rideable bulls in this bunch. He’s given up four scores in seven BFTS outs. We haven’t seen him in a short round or 15/15 round before, but he had a great trip in Nashville, and Cody Lambert moved him up this week. Look for him to fit Byrne pretty well, and look for this matchup to result in an 87-89 point score.

Derek Kolbaba on 80 Jeremiah:

Jeremiah has been ridden just once in 38 career outs. Guilherme Marchi got by him earlier this season in what was a very off day for the bull. For the most part, though, riders have had no answer for this bull for a long time. He’s a quick bull that really has a big corner, but won’t stay locked into a regular pattern. He’s similar to another bull in this round – Wicked – in that even when he spins there’s no guarantee that the next jump will be anything like the last. Kolbaba has a tough task here.

Ryan Dirteater on 1149 Pearl Harbor:

Pearl Harbor has matured into a true contender for World Champion Bull. It’s fitting that he’s in the same round with Bruiser here, because both were born in the same month, were ABBI Classic competitors at the same time, and Bruiser won the ABBI Classic Championship while Pearl Harbor came up short. Since then, Pearl Harbor has made up the difference, and may have an edge on Bruiser in the World Champion Bull race this year. Dirteater has a chance here, but this bull has a lot of power, and won’t allow any mistakes.

Mike Lee on 841 Wicked:

Wicked is a famously tricky bull. He can have pretty normal trips or he can mix things up and be unpredictable. He’s the kind of bull you can never get completely comfortable on because he’s liable to throw something weird at you. He’s given up a couple of rides this year, but only to the best two riders he’s faced.

Wallace de Oliveira on 32Y Sweet Pro’s Bruiser:

Bruiser is on the level of competing for World Champion Bull, but he’s also a bull that every rider relishes the chance to get on. He’s got perfect timing, and he’s as good as a bull can be without having any dirty tricks. Oliveira is a little bit of a longshot in this matchup, but any rider has a chance on Bruiser if they do everything right.

Shane Proctor on L704 David’s Dream:

David’s Dream is coming out of retirement here, and Proctor, along with every other bull rider, probably wishes he would have stayed in the pasture. This bull is a longtime nemesis for riders in the PBR, having only given up five rides in his 63 out career. The last time he was ridden for a score was in May of 2014.

Paulo Ferreira Lima on RK101 Slinger Jr.

These two met in Phoenix earlier this year, and it went the bull’s way. Stetson Lawrence rode Slinger Jr in Springfield, Missouri, last fall, but aside from that, 41 other guys have tried and failed. The two bulls Lima has tonight in Round 1 and here are a combined 55-1 against a lot of really good riders.

Eduardo Aparecido on Y10 Buckle Up:

Kasey Hayes made an outstanding ride on this bull in Billings, Montana, back in April. Buckle Up is a strong bull, but he can be ridden, and if Aparecido can get it done he’ll get a big score here.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 60X No Regrets:

No Regrets is a really intense bull who can go either way, but the first thing he’s going to do is go to the right with a vengeance. Vieira will have to deal with that immediately, because by the time one second has gone by this bull will be well into a right-hand spin. He can stall and go back the other way, but not often. This is a challenging bull to ride. He’s not going to overpower anyone, but he’s quick and he throws a lot at a rider in a hurry.

Cooper Davis on 44W Stone Sober:

As good as Davis has been this year, he’s not the favorite in this matchup. No one would be. Stone Sober has been ridden twice in 69 career outs, and one of those was on a day where he just didn’t buck. The only time anyone has bested him when he really bucked was way back in January of 2013. Since then he’s taken care of many of the best riders in the world in just a jump or two. This is one of the most difficult bulls in PBR history.

J.B. Mauney on -147 Big Cat:

This is a rematch from the Last Cowboy Standing in Las Vegas where Big Cat shrugged Mauney off in under two seconds. Big Cat is unridden in his career, but Mauney is certainly capable of changing that. It won’t be easy, though.

Kaique Pacheco on X22 Hammer it Again:

This is the most intriguing matchup in this round. Hammer it Again is a handsome young bull who makes up for his lack of experience with a lot of athleticism and flash. He spins to the left, which will be away from Pacheco’s hand, but he is more rideable than many of the other bulls in this round, and he turned in a 46 point bull score in Nashville, outscoring Pearl Harbor by a quarter of a point. If Pacheco puts it together here, and the bull has the same kind of trip he had last week you’re looking at a potential 95+ point ride.