Campbell Remains Red Hot to Win Round 1 of PBR Unleash The Beast Action in Tulsa

By: Kacie Albert

TULSA, Okla. – On the spurs of an electric, runner-up finish at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Last Cowboy Standing in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to begin the week, reigning Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) remained red hot as the elite Unleash The Beast returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma and BOK Center for the 17th consecutive season Saturday evening.

Matching up against Cuttin Torch (D&H Cattle/Flinn), Campbell became the first rider to cover the fierce bull in eight outs across all levels of competition when he made the requisite 8 for an impressive 89 points to win Round 1.

 
The round win was Campbell’s fourth of the season. He is now tied alongside Cole Melancon (Paris, Texas) for fifth most round wins registered by one rider to date in 2021 on the elite tour.

Campbell’s ride, which led the raucous crowd inside the BOK Center to erupt in deafening cheer, earned the Texan a crucial 28 world points. While he began the evening ranked No. 7, Campbell exited the Sooner State venue No. 6 in the world standings, 959.5 points behind No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio, Pardo).

Unlike Campbell, Last Cowboy Standing Champion Leme was unable to replicate his success in Round 1.

Attempting to become the league’s second back-to-back World Champion, Leme was dispatched in a hard-fought 5.63 seconds by Body Count (Bob & Jeri Adams/BS Cattle Co.) as his five-out ride streak came to an end.

Capitalizing on Leme’s uncharacteristic stumble, 2018 PBR World Champion and current world No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) finished 10th in Round 1, earning 10 world points to close within 361.5 points of his countryman.

Pacheco rode Poker Chip (Jeb Fredericks/M Rafter E Bucking Bulls/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 83.5 points.

Riding at just his second Unleash The Beast event since sustaining a punctured lung in early June, Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) returned to his championship-contending form in Tulsa, finishing second in Round 1 and collecting 18 world points.

Kolbaba’s silver-finish in the opening round was earned courtesy of an 88.5-point ride atop G-Moves (MJ Bucking Bulls).

The Washingtonian maintained his No. 10 rank ahead of Round 2, now within 1,052.5 points of No. 1 Leme.

Third was Rookie of the Year contender Jesse Petri (Palestine, Texas).

Drawing then top-ranked ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) No. 1 Classic bovine Juju (Tommy Julian/D&H Cattle), Petri became the first rider to reach the whistle atop the powerful animal athlete, putting an end to his eight-out buckoff streak.

Petri’s picture-perfect form netted him an important 17 world points. Remaining No. 18 in the world, the qualified ride allowed Petri to gain ground on No. 1 rookie Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado). Ranked No. 3 in the race amongst first year Unleash The Beast contenders, Petri now within 90.92 points of Fritzlan.

In the heated battle for Rookie of the Year, Chase Dougherty (Decatur, Texas) tied for eighth in Round 1, covering Knee Deep (Stockyards/444/Winston/Gallagher/Melton) for 85 points and collecting 11.5 world points.

The qualified ride propelled No. 2-ranked rookie Dougherty, who remained the No. 15-ranked rider in the world, within 56.5 points of Fritzlan.

Riding Bread Basket (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) for 87.75 points, Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) was fourth in Round 1 of the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Pit Boss. Lucas collected 16 world points and maintained his No. 19 ranking in the world standings.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil).

Salgado reached the 8 aboard Fiji (Less Than 8 Cattle Co.) for 87.5 points and earned 15 points towards the 2021 PBR World Championship race.

Gaining seven positions in the standings, Salgado surged from No. 54 to No. 47. He now trails the Top 30 and a more permanent position on the elite Unleash The Beast by 92.5 points.

Round 1 of the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Pit Boss, also included the ABBI Classic Round, featuring 33 of the top 3- and 4-year-old up-and-coming bulls bucking for a $32,000 prize purse. An ABBI Classic competition is the next step in a young bovine’s competitive career that involves bucking with a rider.

2019 ABBI Futurity World Champion Manaba (Julian/Webb/D&H Cattle) dispatched 2016 PBR World Champion and current No. 3 Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) in 7.26 seconds en route to earning a head-turning 91.2-point score. Manaba’s golden out earned him $9,009.

Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/Koe Wetzel/High Voltage/American Spirits) earned 90.2 points for a second-place finish for $6,113.25, while Bulldaggar (Joe & Nina Webb/BS Cattle Co) notched 89.8 points for third place and $4,182.75 in winnings.

DJ Long John (Blake Sharp/High Voltage/American Spirits) landed fourth place with 89 points to take home $3,539.25 and Butterfly Kisses (Copenhaver/Rockin T/Hilton Bull Co) rounded out the Top 5 with 88.4 points for fifth and a $2,734.88 check.

PBR Unleash The Beast action from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and BOK Center will conclude on Sunday, August 1, starting at 1:45 p.m. CDT, with Round 2 and the championship round.

PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Tune to channel 720 for the latest programming schedule.

PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Pit Boss
BOK Center – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Boudreaux Campbell, 89-0-0-89.00-28 Points.
2. Derek Kolbaba, 88.5-0-0-88.50-18 Points.
3. Jesse Petri, 88.25-0-0-88.25-17 Points.
4. João Henrique Lucas, 87.75-0-0-87.75-16 Points.
5. Thiago Salgado, 87.5-0-0-87.50-15 Points.
6. Lucas Divino, 86.75-0-0-86.75-14 Points.
7. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 85.5-0-0-85.50-13 Points.
8. Dener Barbosa, 85-0-0-85.00-11.5 Points.
(tie). Chase Dougherty, 85-0-0-85.00-11.5 Points.
10. Kaique Pacheco, 83.5-0-0-83.50-10 Points.
11. Paulo Ferreira Lima, 81.5-0-0-81.50-1 Points.
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Jesus, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0.00

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