By the Numbers: Pacheco Joins Elite Group With 200th Ride; a Look at Leme’s Winning Streak

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco may have come up short of a victory this past weekend at the PBR Ariat Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Billings, Montana, but he did join elite company.

Pacheco became the 31st rider in PBR history to reach 200 qualified rides on the premier series following his 85-point effort on Game Changer in Round 1. Pacheco then notched ride 201 with a third-place finish in the 15/15 Bucking Battle with his 90-point ride on Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher.

The 25-year-old is the 11th youngest rider in PBR history to hit the 200 threshold.

Two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney is the youngest all-time, doing so as a 22-year-old. There are five riders who reached 200 rides at 24 years old – two-time World Champion Justin McBride, 2004 World Champion Mike Lee, 2009 World Champion Kody Lostroh, 2006 World Finals event winner L.J. Jenkins and eight-time World Finals qualifier Austin Meier. Pacheco joins an illustrious group of 25-year-olds to pull off the feat; 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi, three-time World Champion Silvano Alves, two-time World Champion Chris Shivers and Ring of Honor inductee Ross Coleman.

Here is a by-the-numbers look at the PBR Ariat Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires.

424: Outs it took Pacheco to reach 200 rides, which ranks 18th all time. Marchi made it to 200 in the fewest number of outs (319) as he began his career with a 62.7% riding percentage. Marchi owns the PBR record for most qualified rides on the premier series at 635.

10: Pacheco has 10 90-point rides in his career since winning Rookie of the Year in 2015, and he has remained a continuous World Champion contender by riding 47.07% percent of his bulls.

 
99.5: Andrew Alvidrez is hoping to join Pacheco as a PBR Rookie of the Year, and his second-place finish in Billings has made the 2020 rookie race that much more of a three-man race now. Alvidrez cut his deficit behind current ROY leader Cole Melancon in half this past weekend by picking up 99.5 world points. Alvidrez is now only 88.34 points behind Melancon. Meanwhile, No. 2 rookie Mauricio Moreira is 80.67 points behind Melancon.

91.25: New career high Alvidrez set by riding Medicine Man in the championship round on Sunday afternoon. It was one of three rides Alvidrez made, all of which rank as the top three rides of his young career. Alvidrez began the weekend with 88.5 points on Big City Nights before riding Losing My Religion for 87.5 points in Round 2.

 
7: Jose Vitor Leme has seven event wins, and is now only two event wins away from breaking two-time World Champion Justin McBride’s all-time record of event wins in one season after winning his third consecutive event. McBride won eight events in 2007. Leme now has five regular-season evens and the 2020 World Finals left to attempt to set the new standard.

3: Leme is just the third rider in PBR history to win three consecutive premier series events, joining Mauney, who owns the record with five in a row after he ended 2013 with four consecutive wins before tying for the 2014 season-opening win with Fabiano Vieira, and Shivers (three wins in 2000).

19: Mauney’s all-time record for most round wins on the premier series is 19. Mauney set that record in 2013, and Leme may be able to smash that record as well after winning his 15th round on Sunday. Surprisingly, Leme only has eight 90-point rides this season.

 
45.83: Average bull score of 2019 World Champion Smooth Operator’s last three outs. The defending champ would have a higher average if not for his 44.25-point outing in Salt Lake City with Ezekiel Mitchell. Smooth Operator was marked 46.5 points during Leme’s 94.25-point ride in Billings, and he was 46.75 points in Bismarck, North Dakota, for bucking off Marco Eguchi (5.87 seconds). World No. 1 Chiseled has averaged 45.25 points in his last three outs, which includes a 43.75-point score in Fort Worth, Texas, with Mitchell. The two bovines appear to be setting themselves up for quite the showdown at the World Finals.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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