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By the Numbers: 2023 World Finals Push Officially Heating Up

By: James Youness

PUEBLO, Colo. – Just over 50 days away from the 2023 PBR World Finals, set to invade Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, from May 12-21, the push to ensure a spot at this year’s finale is officially heating up.

“I felt really good coming in here and just had a good feeling about New Orleans,” Petri shared with Kate Harrison on CBS Sports Network.

After bucking off during his last 11 attempts, 25-year-old Jesse Petri officially put his name in the hat in contending for this year’s gold buckle after picking up a win last weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“That’s bull riding, though. There are ups and downs and I was glad to get it turned around here. Keeping my head clear and just trusting my stuff. We all know how to do this, and sometimes we just get in our heads, but it feels pretty easy right now.”

Now ranked No. 9 overall, and within 416 UTB points of No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, Petri will need to continue the favorable showing as the final third of the ever-intense UTB schedule unfolds.

As this year’s 2023 World Finals quickly approaches, PBR.com is taking a look at some of the numerical outliers as the best bull riders in the world prepare to make their push to the epic year-end event:

2-for-3 x 3: Jesse Petri captured his first event tile of the 2023 Unleash the Beast season this past weekend in New Orleans courtesy of his 2-for-3 showcase. While his opening round ride atop Dr. X (87.75 points) and Round 2 conversion aboard Soul Train (86.25 points) were enough to edge out runner-up Kyler Oliver by 1.5 points in the aggregate score, Petri’s win was just the second of his UTB career, yet the Dublin, Texas, native’s fourth Top 10 finish of the season. Taking the crown with 174 aggregate score points, it marked just the third time all season that a 2-for-3 effort was enough to get the job done, as Dalton Kasel did it most recently in Los Angeles, while Daniel Keeping also pulled it off earlier this season in Indianapolis.

No. 9: Earning 113.5 UTB points and an accompanying winner’s check for $41,790, Petri skyrocketed to No. 9 overall in the UTB standings, now 13-for-41 (31.71%) on the premier series tour this season. Having earned a total of $82,659 through the first two-thirds of the premier series season, nearly exactly half of that came from his first win of the season. With second-place (Manchester, New Hampshire), third-place (Indianapolis’ 15/15 Bucking Battle), fourth-place (New York City) and seventh-place (Sacramento, California) finishes logged prior to his victory in New Orleans, Petri hasn’t exactly shied away from the leaderboard, but had struggled to construct even a Top 10 finish since his seventh-place outing on Feb. 3. Now positioned within the Top 10, he’ll need to continue to keep pace with the likes of Kasel, Keeping and company as the 2023 PBR World Finals are just over 50 days away!

21 rides: Marking the lowest number of qualified rides during an Unleash The Beast event this season, the bovine athletes reigned supreme, surrendering just 21 rides through three rounds of competition. As noted, heading into the weekend’s slate, 10 of the Top 15-ranked bulls were in action at the PBR Union Home Mortgage Invitational, and they showed out. Matching the fewest rides allowed in a three-round event, last weekend’s championship round in New Orleans was also the first short go all season which didn’t produce a qualified ride, allowing Petri’s 2-for-3 effort to slide by for the win. While the rare feat was first achieved this past weekend, the pack has struggled against the short round talent overall lately and came close to being blanked in two events earlier this season, as Boudreaux Campbell’s 88-point ride atop July represented the only championship round ride in Los Angeles, while Casey Roberts’ 88-point conversion paired against Red Demon in Indianapolis marks the only other instance where one bull was ridden in the short go. In New Orleans, it was Cool Whip who earned a 46-point bull score en route to being crowned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event after bucking off Kasel in 4.36 seconds during the championship round.

Mr. 90 Points: Just as the previously mentioned Cool Whip stole Kasel’s shot at another event title and potential 90-point outing, it was Kasel who played spoiler earlier in the weekend, during the opening round of action. With 2022 PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz sitting in first place, courtesy of his UTB career-best 88-point ride challenged by Sonny B, with just three riders remaining, the Canadian sensation could almost taste his first-ever UTB event victory. Enter Mr. 90 Points, who immediately stepped into the lead via, yet another, 90-point effort. This time coming on the back of Raven, Kasel racked up his premier series-best sixth elite-marked ride of the season. While the 90s are traditionally earned during the short rounds, Kasel refuses to believe in that theory, now having recorded four of his six 90-point performances in Round 1. Attesting to the rider’s ability to take advantage of whoever he’s matched against, the field has combined for a total of five opening-round 90-pointers, with Boudreaux Campbell, Bob Mitchell, Joao Ricardo Vieira, Silvano Alves and rookie Tate Pollmeier each meeting the mark in Round 1 once each this season, respectively. Able to retake his No. 2 spot in the standings over now No. 3 Kaique Pacheco, Kasel has recorded a 90-point ride in three of his last four events.

72.5: While Tetz wasn’t able to secure his first-ever UTB event title, or another ride throughout the two-day event, his 88-point conversion was good enough to earn the Calgary, Alberta, native a fifth-place finish and corresponding 35 UTB points. After finishing sixth during the PBR Brew City Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the weekend prior, he’s now got a pair of Top 6 finishes to his name amidst his three career premier series appearances. The Canadian has proven his ability to compete with the best riders in the world though, after earning a berth to the championship round in both of his last two events. He may have been dispatched in 2.33 seconds by Chateau Montelena’s Montana Jacket in New Orleans, as well as a swift 2.16 seconds in Milwaukee atop Mike’s Motive, but as the No. 40-ranked rider continues to prove he belongs on the UTB, attempts in the short go means he’s found some success in the opening rounds. Collecting a combined 72.5 UTB points and $10,246 in winnings in the last two weeks, Tetz will hope to secure a spot heading into this weekend’s showdown in Albuquerque, New Mexico once the tour’s draw is announced Thursday afternoon.

107.5: Kasel may be a walking 90 points right now, but a path to the youngster’s first potential gold buckle still runs through two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme. Continuing to defend his No. 1 rank atop the UTB standings, he is set to bring his 107.5-point lead into this weekend’s showdown in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will look to extend the advantage after going 2-for-3 last weekend in New Orleans en route to earning 64 UTB points for this third-place finish.

With this weekend’s action inside The Pit set to welcome the best bull riders in the world to Albuquerque March 24-26, Round 1 is set to begin Friday, March 24 at 7:45 p.m. MST and can be viewed on RidePass on Pluto TV. With Round 2 set to start up Saturday, March 25 at 6:45 p.m. MST, also available on RidePass on Pluto TV, the weekend will conclude with the championship round on Sunday, March 26 at 1:45 p.m. MST. Fans will be able to catch the PBR Ty Murray Invitational, presented by Albuquerque Downs Racetrack & Casino 15/15 Bucking Battle on CBS Sunday, March 26 at 10 a.m. MST, while the weekend’s championship round will be aired on CBS Sports Network Sunday, March 26 at 6 p.m. MST.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the week for the latest news and notes as the UTB prepares to invade Albuquerque with three days of rank bull riding action!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media

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