Morning Line – World Finals Round 1
Wednesday night’s round features the Top 40 ABBI Classic bulls. They will go tonight, and the best will come back Saturday to determine the Classic Champion. The frontrunner in this group is H.D. Page’s Bruiser. He has been the class of this age group all year, and he’s in the World Champion bull race as well. He’s not the rankest bull in that group, but he has a good rider tonight that will let him show his stuff.
Round 1 Matchups:
Chase Outlaw on 124 Spin Machine:
I’m sure I’ve said this before about this bull, but any bull named Spin Machine is almost guaranteed to be rider-friendly. This holds true here, as this Spin Machine has given up seven rides in 11 career outs. He likes to go to the left, which will be into Outlaw’s hand. This is one of the nicest-to-ride bulls out tonight. He can bring scores in the 86-87-point range, but this being the Finals, Outlaw may need more than that to place in the round.
Fabiano Vieira on Y1 Crazy Days:
Back in May, Vieira was 88 points on this bull at a Hico, Texas, Touring Pro event. Crazy Days isn’t ridden very often, but he’s a great draw for a left-handed rider, and he can have enough gas to get Vieira a round win here.
J.B. Mauney on 2125 Wicked Stick:
This bull has almost no history, but he gave up a qualified ride to Joao Ricardo Vieira in Thackerville, Oklahoma, just last month. Mauney, on the other hand, has ridden 11-of-12 bulls he’s faced at the last two World Finals, and while he’s got a healthy lead in the World Standings race, it’s not an insurmountable one. Because Mauney is under pressure and in this arena, he’s got to be a huge favorite here. There’s no better rider in this situation.
Neil Holmes on 567 Lester Gillis:
This is one of the bulls to watch in this round, and in the PBR in general. He’s competing in the ABBI Classic here, but he has a promising future beyond that. When Lester Gillis started his career, he didn’t have a lot of kick, and in his earliest trips he looked like he might be an ordinary flat spinning bull. Now he’s a little more filled out, and in his most recent outs he has looked a lot like Palm Springs and War Dance — two solid PBR performers. He will spin to the left as soon as the gate opens, and any lefty has a shot at riding him, but this bull can really turn the crank, and he is far from a day off. Holmes will have his hands full here.
Silvano Alves on 1217 Red Moon:
Red Moon hasn’t given up a score to a right-handed rider yet, but he might tonight. Alves really hasn’t been himself lately. He has struggled with minor injuries down the stretch, and injuries seem to affect him more than they do other riders. He has had some time to rest up for this, and that could change things for him. Like Mauney, you cannot count him out at this particular event. He has been here five times and ridden 25 of the 30 bulls he faced, and that includes four out of five in the short round. He has never had a bad finals.
Stormy Wing on 107 Come On Baby:
This bull gives up a lot of rides, and when you see him go you’ll understand why. He gets into a spin pretty early and has great timing. Wing has a great chance to get a score on the board in Round 1 here.
Kasey Hayes on Y16 Brutus:
This bull is always worth watching. Brutus has given up three rides this season for an average score of 90 points, so he is a bull that can deliver a round win. He’s no lightweight, though. He has a lot of power and a lot of up and down. If bulls were football players Brutus would be an offensive lineman. Hayes has a history of knocking off stout bulls that nobody seems to really get along with, and he may do well here.
Eduardo Aparecido on 32Y Bruiser:
Bruiser is just a 4-year-old, but he has already logged 32 outs in his career, and he’s the third highest-marked bull going in the PBR right now. If Brutus is an offensive lineman, Bruiser is the All-American quarterback. He’s the golden boy of this group. He has the talent, the effort, and in his time off he helps little old ladies cross the street. You’ll never hear any rider complain about him. Because he goes to the left he isn’t the best fit for right-handed riders. Kaique Pacheco is the only righty who has ridden him in 11 attempts. With an average score of 91.5 points, the payoff is huge, but Aparecido will have to beat the odds to get it.
Tanner Byrne on 157 Legacy:
Byrne has tried this bull before without success, but I think that was a fluke. This bull has pretty good timing, and there’s not much about him that riders wouldn’t like. He’s not a particularly big bull, and Byrne is a big guy, but that should not be a deciding factor here. Byrne is one of the more capable riders going today, and he should have the edge here.
Derek Kolbaba on Y2 Stone Cold Crazy:
Kolbaba is here because he made a good showing at the Blue Def Velocity Tour Finals in Louisville. He has really ridden well lately, and he’s got a good draw here. This bull is more rideable than most in this round. He has been taken for three scores in just five BFTS outs. This is a big opportunity for Kolbaba to get things started off right.
Cooper Davis on 2103 Buck Autism:
This is one of the best matchups in this round. Buck Autism is one of the better bulls in this group, and he can be ridden. He’s not easy, but he goes to the right and he has pretty good timing. He’s a good bull for an aggressive rider, and Davis is not afraid to go for it. Davis spent a couple of seasons on the pro rodeo trail, and he had a lot of success there. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 2013, finishing sixth in the PRCA that year with around $140,000 won. Moving up to the Built Ford Tough Series level bulls can be humbling for guys who are already winning elsewhere, but Davis has proven tough enough to make it work for him. He’s likely to surpass his 2013 earnings here this week, and he could do very well here. He’s drawn well in the first two rounds.
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