By the Numbers: Wingson Henrique Da Silva Secures UTB Win No. 1 in H-Town
By: James Youness
PUEBLO, Colo. – It’s been quite the whirlwind of an experience over the past two years for Wingson Henrique da Silva.
But after securing his career-first Unleash The Beast event buckle last weekend in Houston, Texas, it’s fair to say his grind is paying off!
Initially storming onto the PBR Teams scene as part of the inaugural Carolina Cowboys squad during the summer of 2022, the Brazilian benefitted from sharing a locker room with Cooper Davis, Daylon Swearingen, Head Coach Jerome Davis and beyond during his first year competing within PBR-sanctioned events.
Occasionally able to showcase his abilities while continuing to refine his skillset, the talented rider showed some flashes, but was ultimately unable to piece the entire puzzle together in his first go, turning in just a 3-for-20 (15%) record in year one.
Coming into his rookie campaign on the premier series just a few weeks after seeing his team suffer an early exit at the 2022 PBR Teams Championship inside Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, he was as motivated as ever.
And it showed.
In his vibe. On tape. And all over the tour’s leaderboards.
Finding the ride column at least once in each of his first six Unleash The Beast appearances, it wasn’t necessarily his 21st-place finish (1-for-2) during the tour’s season-opener in Tucson, Arizona, that garnered him some hard-earned respect.
That came following event No. two, as Silva went on to produce an epic 3-for-3 performance, highlighted by a quality 87.25-point conversion atop The Right Stuff during his first short round attempt. Finishing third overall, he proved that he had the skills to pay the bills.
And continued to do so, later producing 8th, 17th and 18th-place results during his next three events en route to keeping his event ride streak alive.
Showing some additional signs of greatness as the winter transitioned to spring, with another third-place showing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and later a runner-up effort in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it wasn’t much of a surprise he had earned a berth to his first PBR World Finals.
It was a bit of a shock, however, when Silva finished second overall in the event aggregate, courtesy of his 4-for-8 showcase. North of 88 points in three of the four outs, including 88, 88.25 and 89.5-point strikes inside Dickies Arena, the first-year competitor nearly made a dramatic run for the 2023 PBR Rookie of the Year title.
But with fellow rookie Rafeal Jose de Brito sweeping the season with each of the World Finals event title, Rookie of the Year feat and 2023 World Champion bragging rights, Silva was forced to settle for a No. 4 overall ranking while serving as the Rookie of the Year runner-up during his first season on the world’s biggest stage.
A season’s worth of consistent success, yet the now 24-year-old hadn’t earned himself one of those shiny event buckles.
As the summer dawned and he began training for the PBR Teams season, Silva was traded to the Kansas City Outlaws, where coaches J.W. Hart and Guilherme Marchi awaited, eager to help the skilled cowboy take the next step.
While the Outlaws and six other teams watched on as the Texas Rattlers won it all in 2023, the season was still very much considered a win in getting more out of Silva, who produced a welcomed 12-for-21 (57.14%) slate just one year removed from recording just three conversions in 2022.
All of that to say … it hasn’t been an easy path for Silva, by any means.
(Sure, he picked up a Touring Pro Division win in April during a nice showing at a PBR Stockyards Showcase in April of 2023, later securing his first Challenger Series win at PBR Buckin’ on the Rez in September. However, the elusive premier series win remained an unchecked box.)
But when he raised that prized UTB buckle inside Toyota Center Saturday night, the accompanying smile wasn’t just a reflection of his 3-for-3 effort that weekend. Rather, a testament to the grind he’s endured.
Willing himself to the No. 9 rank nine events in the 2024 campaign, he became the lone rider in Houston to stay perfect after punctuating his successful stint with a rank 90-point dance with I’m Legit Too.
Already 10-for-18 (55.56%) on the year, there’s no doubt that he’ll look to improve on his fourth-place finish from last season. And the math checks out, as he’s on pace to surpass his 20-for-53 (37.74%) record from 2023!
With the premier series tour set to travel west to Sacramento, California, as the best bull riders in the world prepare to gather inside Golden 1 Center Feb. 2-4 during the second PBR Major of the 2024 slate, we’re taking a quick look back at some of the numerical takeaways from last weekend’s action in Houston, Texas, during this week’s By the Numbers!
253.5: Throughout a weekend of tough bull matchups and the tour coming back down to earth after seeing one of the greatest bull riding spectacles in PBR history the previous weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it was Wingson Henrique da Silva who exited the Kubota PBR Houston, presented by Michelob ULTRA with the only flawless 3-for-3 effort. Which is perfect timing for a cowboy who accepted a 78.25-point score as the result of his opening round dance with Bison. Keeping things rolling on Saturday when he returned to Toyota Center, he improved to two-straight on the weekend after besting Mighty Mike for an improved 85.25 points on his way to securing a berth in his fourth short go in his seventh UTB appearance. Determined to secure his career-first UTB win in Round 3, he solidified his historic performance with a rank 90-point journey aboard I’m Legit Too to seal the deal while advancing his premier series ride streak to a streaky six (after also going a flawless 3-for-3 in Tulsa). Representing his third Top 5 finish on the season, the Brazilian netted a key 112 UTB points and a check for $47,276 en route to climbing up to the No. 9 rank, now inside the tour’s Top 10 for the first time in 2024.
5-for-6: If it seems like a youngster by the name of Clay Guiton has been in the headlines a lot lately … well, that’s because he has, as the 18-year-old turned heads once again in Houston. Producing a career-best third-place finish while competing in just his third-ever premier series event, the red-headed menace initially exited matchups with Washita Red (86.5 points) and later Renegade (82.5 points) before entering the championship round with the first selection in the bull draft. Opting into a head-to-head matchup with UTZ BesTex Smokestack, he nearly willed himself to what would’ve been premier series win No. 1, if not for flying off the animal athlete at the 7.44-second mark. Visibly upset for quite some time in the locker room following the close call, he’s still managed to produce a pair of Top 5 finishes (third in Houston and fifth in Tulsa) while ensuring himself he’ll remain on the tour for the time being, courtesy of his No. 26 rank. While his dramatic, late-night buckoff broke a spicy five-out ride streak, which began in Oklahoma with a rank pair of 90s, he’s now 5-for-6 throughout his last two UTB appearances and will look to build on that this weekend in Sacramento as the tour’s youngest rider continues to show his stuff.
91.25: After seeing an insane seven 90-point efforts in Tulsa, fans in Houston witnessed just two total short-round conversions Saturday night, as the bulls shifted momentum back in their favor, winning 10-of-12 attempts. With Silva’s 90 atop I’m Legit Too marking the second and final out to meet the revered mark, it was Cody Jesus who turned in the event’s rankest score. Earning a 91.25-point score after matching Chateau Montelena’s Montana Jacket in the very out before Silva, the score not only went down as the fourth-best in the Window Rock, Arizona, native’s career, but was enough to secure Jesus his second runner-up finish of the season as he continues to chase his first UTB win. Edged out by Silva this time around, who collected a first of his own, it was Jesus’s Texas Rattlers teammate Joao Ricardo Vieira who forced him to settle for a second-place finish in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Set to defend his No. 3 rank this weekend in sunny California, he’ll look to secure yet another favorable finish, now with three Top 5 efforts to his name in his first seven UTB appearances this season.
24: As the animal athletes marked this one as a win, allowing just 24 combined qualified rides throughout nearly 100 outs, the event went down as the least successful for the UTB pack of cowboys, who covered in less than 25 percent of opportunities during the three-round showdown. Officially marking the fewest rides in a UTB event all season, it was just the third total to sink into the 20s throughout the 2024 slate, with 27 being recorded in Manchester, New Hampshire, and 28 attempts going the distance in St. Louis, Missouri. Sure, the short round brings the best chances for big points, but the championship go also brings out the best talent in the world. Just 2-for-12 Saturday during the finale, the riders will almost certainly double that mark this weekend in Sacramento, as the second PBR Major of the season is primed to welcome back stars from both sides of the equation.
47: Tying his career-best out while claiming the weekend’s YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title, Red Demon gave it his all in Round 3. Advancing to the No. 6 rank with the big score, his 47-point effort forced JRV into a slap just 2.3 seconds into the short round showdown while boosting his 2024 UTB record to a perfect 2-0. Now defending a 14-out buckoff streak since allowing Casey Roberts to earn an 88-point conversion in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the 2023 premier series campaign, the prized bovine is now 18-for-19 (84.7%) across all formats of PBR competition. With Dark Thoughts (45.5 points) representing the only other bull to go north of 45 in Houston, the 47-point effort easily stood out as the flashiest of the bunch. For the record, no, No. 1 Man Hater was not in last weekend’s draw. But with just two of his five marks this season scored above the 47-point mark (47.25 points in Albany; 47.75 points in New York City), it speaks volumes for just how rank Red Demon’s out Saturday truly was.
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media
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