Ticketsmarter Morning Line – Duluth Round 1

By: Slade Long

There’s a lot of variables in play this weekend. Without a crowd in attendance for the first time ever, this event will feel like a big practice session, and it will undoubtedly play a part in every rider’s mental game. To any professional level rider, the toughest crowd are his peers, the stock contractors, and the arena crew. Don’t be surprised if many riders experience more pressure when the only audience is composed of people who know this sport inside and out.

Fans can watch Round 1 LIVE on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET and on RidePass at 6:55 p.m. ET.

The bulls here will be on the lighter or easier side for UTB-level events. The overall bull power does vary from one UTB event to the next. Venues like Oklahoma City and Albuquerque tend to feature harder-to-ride bulls overall, other events have closer to the UTB average bull power, and some, like this one, lean to the easier end. There are a number of very nice-to-ride (by UTB standards) bulls in the first round especially, but the way they drew up is interesting. Two of the Top 10 riders are out, and six of the remaining riders did not exactly draw peaches in the first round here. All of these factors combined, the environmental change, a softer pen of bulls, and the draw tilted in favor of lower-ranked riders create perfect conditions for a guy with the right tools to make a big jump up in the world standings.

Andrew Alvidrez on 514 Bottoms Up:

This guy was 2-for-3 in Little Rock, rode both his long round bulls, and he has a pretty good draw to start this event with. Bottoms Up has been good to right-handed riders. The difficulty with him is that toward the end of the 8 seconds he can move forward, open up his spin and just get less predictable. Alvidrez will have to finish strong, but he has a good chance here.

Claudio Montanha Jr. on 3X1 Zacchaeus:

This is a very predictable bull who tends to go to the left, but his buckoff numbers are weak against every kind of rider. He’s 10-7 against right-handed riders, and he’s been ridden in in his last five outs going back to September. Montanha has the edge.

Daylon Swearingen on 407 Buffalo Scott:

Swearingen is one of the two Top-10 riders who drew a well-known, pretty nice bull in this round. Buffalo Scott is well within Swearingen’s comfort zone. He can go both ways, but the top riders are 5-3 against him. Swearingen has had dry spells lately, and could use a win.

Brady Sims on CM387 Call the Law:

Sims rode this bull in Manchester for 86.25 points earlier this year. Call the Law is one of the easier bulls in the draw for lefties. He’s 4-7 against them.

Fabiano Vieira on 4596 Dang It:

Jose Vitor Leme was 89 on this bull in Arlington. Dang It is a bull most lefties should love. He has great timing, and usually stays hooked to the left. He’s 33.3% against left-handers, and Vieira should get along with him.

Brennon Eldred on 1305 Mickey Mouse:

By the numbers, Mickey Mouse is the easiest bull in this round. He’s 1-6 in UTB level competition, and 3-7 in his career. He may not be enough bull to win the round on, but Eldred should be able to pick up a solid first-round score.

Eduardo Aparecido on M5 Soy El Fuego:

This bull hasn’t seen too much action at UTB events, but he goes to a lot of rodeos. Ky Hamilton was 89 on him this year at the Fort Worth Rodeo, and Boudreaux Campbell was 90.5 on him last spring. He hasn’t faced that many high-level riders, but he’s under .500 against them. Aparecido is eighth in the standings, and he’s the other Top-10 rider who has a pretty nice draw in this round.

Taylor Toves on 411 Freddy:

Toves is 6-for-25 this season, and he needs every ride he can get. Freddy has been ridden in his last three outs, and he’s 0-4 in his career against righties. He can be pretty strong for the first couple of jumps, but if Toves can weather that he should get an 86-87-point score here.

The other Top 10 riders here are Colten Jesse, Cole Melancon, Joao Ricardo Vieira, Kaique Pacheco, Ramon de Lima, and Dener Barbosa. They all drew bulls that are either unridden or relatively unknown, so the odds are more or less against all of them, but there’s also a great chance that one of these riders will beat those odds and win this round.

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