By the Numbers: Alves Moves into Sole Possession of Fourth-Most Qualified Rides in PBR History

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves added another achievement to his illustrious career this weekend at the PBR Lucas Oil Invitational, passing Valdiron de Oliveira for the fourth-most qualified rides in PBR history.

Alves went 3-for-4 inside the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He now has 431 qualified rides on the premier series since making his debut on April 9, 2010, in Nampa, Idaho.

Alves’s 86.25 points on Short Night was career ride No. 431. He will next attempt to pass 2004 World Champion Mike Lee for third-most rides in PBR history, but that will be a tall task. Alves is 94 rides behind Lee, and he is likely at least two seasons away from that milestone.

Most qualified rides in PBR history

Guilherme Marchi (635)
J.B. Mauney (538)
Mike Lee (525)
Silvano Alves (431)

However, a fourth world title may once again be on the table for Alves if he catches fire this year. The 33-year-old finished in fifth place in the overall event in Louisville, as well as in fifth place in the 15/15 Bucking Battle (87 points on Speed Demon), to move to No. 8 in the world standings. Alves is 9-for-23 (39.13%) this season and trails world leader Kaique Pacheco by 344.5 points.

After a weekend off, the Unleash The Beast next heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the PBR First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard Invitational on April 9-11 (RidePass on April 9 at 8:45 p.m. ET, April 10 at 7:45 p.m. ET and April 11 at 2:45 p.m. ET).

Here is a look at some additional stats from Louisville:

19: Joao Ricardo Vieira became the 19th rider in history to record 300 or more qualified rides on the premier series. The 36-year-old could potentially move as high as 12th in the all-time rankings by the end of the season. Vieira rode Slingin Tears for 89.5 points and career ride No. 301 to win the championship round Sunday and finish second overall in Louisville.

 
91.75: Rafael Henrique dos Santos won the first 15/15 Bucking Battle of his career with 91.75 points on Blue Crush. The career-high ride helped Santos move up to No. 7 in the world rankings. Santos had been flirting with a big-time ride or win a few times this season; he first bucked off Smooth Operator in 6.67 seconds with a chance at the Del Rio, Texas, event victory, and then he would have likely won the Cowtown Classic in Fort Worth with a major ride on 2019 ABBI Classic champion Chiseled if not for a slap at 2.52 seconds.

281: Eduardo Aparecido rode Rump Thumper for 84 points in Round 1 Saturday for the 281st ride of his career. Aparecido is on pace to become the 20th rider in PBR history with 300 qualified rides.

3: World leader Kaique Pacheco is the lone rider this season with three wins, and no other man on tour has multiple victories. Pacheco’s 2-for-3 victory in Louisville helped him jump into the world No. 1 ranking for the first time since the second week of the 2020 season. Pacheco has a 55-point lead on No. 2 Cooper Davis heading into the UTB off-week.

 
5: Jose Vitor Leme notched his league-leading fifth 90-point ride of the season by riding Apper’s Mind Freak for 90.5 points. Leme began the 2021 season with his first four qualified rides, and five of his first six, scoring 90 points or higher. The 24-year-old finished Louisville in third place with a 2-for-3 showing and is sitting No. 3 in the world standings despite competing in only four events.

13: Marquis Metal Works Red Clark was the top bovine athlete in Louisville with a career-high 46.25 points, bucking off Andrew Alvidrez in 2.07 seconds in the championship round. Red Clark is unridden in his career and sits 13-0 on the premier series. He sits in seventh place in the YETI World Champion Bull standings with a 45.06 average bull score.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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