The Morning Line: World Finals, Day 1

Morning Line – PBR World Finals Round 1

The opening round at the Built Ford Tough World Finals will feature the ABBI’s Classic division finalists. This great group of young bulls doesn’t really have a standout superstar like SweetPro’s Bruiser or Bushwacker this season, but there is talent from top to bottom, and we’ll see some outstanding three and four year old bulls tonight.

Eduardo Aparecido on Z7 Sketchy Bob:

Sketchy Bob is the always the first bull that jumps out at me when I see him on the draw sheet because he’s such a good bull to have. He’s got high, showy jumps and plenty of action. He comes up pretty hard in the front end, but instead of breaking over and dropping he has a split second of hang time. He stays in the air a little longer than most bulls, and that is good for the rider. Any rider here would be happy to have him, and he’s especially good for Aparecido because he goes to the right.

Gage Gay on 2125 Wicked Stick:

Gay is something of an underdog in this matchup. He’s been on this bull before and didn’t get it done. J.B. Mauney won the opening round of the World Finals on this bull last year. Wicked Stick hasn’t been ridden since, but if Gay can get it done, he could be a lot of points here. Mauney scored 91 points on him a year ago and he’s a better bull now.

Ty Pozzobon on 13-2 Glory Days:

This is a wild and wooly bull that is pretty similar to Rebel Yell II – the bull that Nevada Newman has in this round. He’s showy, and he may have a little more of a wild streak than Rebel Yell does. He should be a good fit for Pozzobon, who is pretty good at improvising and feeling his way around a bull. He doesn’t need a bull that has perfect timing and bucks in a perfect pattern because he can adapt quickly to what the bull does. It’s not hard to see this turning into a good night for the Canadian champion.

Kaique Pacheco on 255 Organized Crime:

Pacheco is leading the world standings, and Organized Crime is the number one ABBI Classic bull coming in here. This bull can be almost as rank as the bulls competing for a World Championship, and he’s likely to show that for at least a jump or two every time he’s out. Pacheco will have to weather that storm in order to win this match, and all things considered this is a very even match. This is the kind of matchup that the PBR founders had in mind from the beginning.

Lachlan Richardson on Z32 Cracker Breaker:

We saw Juliano da Silva ride this bull for 89.5 points and an opening round win Saturday at the BlueDEF finals. Richardson and da Silva have a similar riding style, and they are both right-handed. Cracker Breaker had great timing, and while that’s the only out he has on record, if he bucks like that consistently he’ll be one of the more rider-friendly bulls for his level of performance.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 01Z Rocco:

This bull is kind of the opposite of Sketchy Bob. He doesn’t spend much time hanging in the air and looking cool. He keeps the wheels churning and doesn’t give a rider much of a chance to correct any mistakes. Rocco can spin either way, and whichever way he goes he’s likely to reverse it at some point. Vieira will be tested here. This bull has a greater technical difficulty than many of the others in the round. He’s been ridden three times this year, and it took Guilherme Marchi, Jess Lockwood and J.B. Mauney to get that done. 23 other riders have come up short.

J.B. Mauney on 26 Valedictorian:

Valedictorian has been ridden once in 11 outs, but often a bull’s previous numbers don’t mean much against Mauney, who in recent years is as reliable as he is healthy. Mauney has ridden 55% of the bulls he’s been on in his career, and 56.5% of the bulls he’s been on this year, but even those numbers have less meaning when you are talking about the Finals. Mauney is 41-for-63 in his career at the PBR World Finals. He essentially turns into a different guy out here, and if it weren’t for injury he might have ridden the other 22. Silvano Alves is the only guy who has better career numbers at the World Finals, and he’s been on half the bulls Mauney has. Until further notice, expect to see the same Mauney we see here every year.

Chase Outlaw on T71 Air Marshall:

This happens to be a match between the rider that won the BlueDEF Finals and the bull that won the ABBI Classic held in conjunction with BlueDEF Finals. Outlaw rode very well over the weekend, and picked up some momentum coming in here. Air Marshall was really good on Saturday night, turning in a 45-point bull score, but more importantly he had great timing. Outlaw should be pretty happy with this draw, and he could win the round here.

Cooper Davis on 231Z Show Kitty:

Kaique Pacheco is the only man who has ridden this bull in nine career outs. Davis is in the business of chasing Pacheco down to regain the world lead at the moment, and he needs every ride he can get. Pacheco didn’t have an easy time with this bull, but there is no easy time when you are trying to win a World Championship. These guys are six bulls away from the end of the season, and neither of them will win it by waiting for the other guy to lose it. They aren’t the only guys in the race. Mauney is right there with them, and betting on him to do poorly here is a terrible idea.

Nevada Newman on 36Z Rebel Yell II:

Unlike Outlaw, Newman didn’t do himself any favors over the weekend. He bucked off all three of his bulls at the South Point, and looked frustrated with himself. That’s not a good state to be in on opening day of your first World Finals. If he can get past that, he’s drawn a bull here that plays to his strengths. Rebel Yell likes to go to the left, he’s showy, and he’s one of the more rideable bulls in tonight’s draw for a lefty rider.

Tanner Byrne on B60 Handsome Jeff:

Handsome Jeff is in second place in the ABBI Classic standings, so he’s one of the top-scoring bulls here, and he’s also a good fit every rider. He can spin either way, but he will usually stay hooked and he’s got great timing. Stetson Lawrence rode him is Springfield, Missouri in September and Ben Jones rode him here at the Finals last year for 89.5 points. Byrne could get off to a good start with one of the better draws in this round.

Jess Lockwood on Z26 Acting Crazy:

Acting Crazy is unridden in ten career outs, and he will be a test for Lockwood. This is not one of the easier bulls in the round. He’s very intense, and likes to go to the right – away from Lockwood’s hand. That said, this bull’s style is very similar to Chad Berger’s Crossfire. You could call him Crossfire light. Considering Lockwood was able to handle Crossfire heavy just fine this season, he could do well on this bull.