Davis Remains in the Hunt for the 2021 PBR World Championship With Round 1 Win in Newark

NEWARK, N.J. – As action got underway for the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event in Newark, New Jersey, 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) kept his hopes of a second gold buckle alive. Davis notched his eighth round victory of the season when he dominated Round 1 of the PBR ZipRecruiter Invitational inside the Prudential Center.

Davis was one of 17 riders to record a score on the electric night of competition, with all of the world’s Top 5 competing reaching the requisite 8 in the Garden State.

“Right now’s the time to put your foot on the gas pedal,” Davis said atop the Can-Am Cage, adding that he registered the second-best ride score of his career in New Jersey aboard now two-time YETI PBR World Champion Bull Smooth Operator (Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 93.75 points in Atlantic City in 2018. “There’s something about the northeast that I like.”

Paired with Patillo Ridge (5S Bucking Bulls/Tex Brothers Ranch) inside the home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Davis matched the powerful bovine athlete jump-for-jump en route to an evening-best 89.5-point score.

The ride marked Davis’s eighth round win of the year, the second-most of any rider on the premier series.

For his efforts, the stoic Texan earned 28 world points. He remains No. 3 in the world, climbing within 816.5 points of the No. 1 position. Should Davis earn his second World Championship in 2021, he would become just the seventh rider in league history to win the prestigious honor multiple times.

Davis will look to retain his position atop the leaderboard when he attempts Buffalo Scott (Blake Sharp/TBR Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 of the PBR ZipRecruiter Invitational.

Looking down the leaderboard, reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) continued his momentum in Newark. Fresh off his league-leading sixth Unleash The Beast victory last weekend in Anaheim, Leme covered his fourth consecutive bull when he rode A-Team (Universal Rodeo) for 88.5 points.

Thus far in 2021, Leme has shattered numerous league records, including the all-time high-marked ride score and season record for most 90-point rides. In Newark, Leme is within striking distance of two additional league records for most round and event wins in a season.

The season record for most round wins is held by two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina), who won a league-best 19 rounds in 2013. Leme, who has earned a league-leading 17 round victories to date in 2021, has won at least one round in 11 of the 17 elite tour events he has competed at in 2021, including two at the most recent event in Anaheim. The current record for most event wins in one season is held by two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Oklahoma), who won eight events en route to his second world title in 2007.

Leme’s score in New Jersey earned him 16.5 world points, furthering his lead atop the world standings. He is now a season-best 738 points ahead of No. 2 contender Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) and will face Home Wrecker (Blake Sharp/Kanngiesser Cattle Co.) as Championship Sunday gets underway.

Davis and Leme were joined by fellow Top 5-ranked riders No. 2 Pacheco and No. 5 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) in delivering qualified rides in Round 1 of the PBR ZipRecruiter Invitational.

Vieira tied with Leme for third, riding La Grande (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Speers) for 88.5 points, while Pacheco was 16th courtesy of his 83.5-point score aboard Smoke On The Water (K-C Bucking Bulls/Daniels Cattle Co.). They left the Prudential Center having earned 16.5 and 8 world points, respectively.

In Round 2, Vieira will look to secure his second qualified ride of the event aboard Texas Blood (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson), while Pacheco will go head-to-head against Pneu-Dart’s Big Time (Miller/Halpain).

Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) was second on Saturday evening, collecting 18 world points.

The 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year earned the silver finish after capitalizing on his re-ride, making the 8 atop Apper’s Mind Freak (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C Bucking Bulls/Spark-Lin Acres) for 88.75 points.

Kasel maintained his world No. 15 rank, now within 64.25 points of the Top 10.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Mauricio Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil), who rode Freakin Wicked (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Ed & Cindy Fogle) for 88.25 points.

The 22-year-old left the Prudential Center having collected 15 world points.

PBR Unleash The Beast action from Newark, New Jersey, and Prudential Center will conclude on Sunday, September 19, starting at 1:45 p.m. EDT with Round 2 and the championship round for the PBR ZipRecruiter Invitational.

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 ZipRecruiter Invitational
Prudential Center – Newark, New Jersey
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Cooper Davis, 89.5-0-0-89.50-28 Points.
2. Dalton Kasel, 88.75-0-0-88.75-18 Points.
3. Jose Vitor Leme, 88.5-0-0-88.50-16.5 Points.
(tie). João Ricardo Vieira, 88.5-0-0-88.50-16.5 Points.
5. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 88.25-0-0-88.25-15 Points.
6. Cody Jesus, 87.75-0-0-87.75-13.5 Points.
(tie). Ramon de Lima, 87.75-0-0-87.75-13.5 Points.
8. Eli Vastbinder, 87-0-0-87.00-12 Points.
9. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 86.75-0-0-86.75-11 Points.
10. Thiago Salgado, 86.25-0-0-86.25-10 Points.
11. Derek Kolbaba, 86-0-0-86.00-8.5 Points.
(tie). Fernando Henrique Novais, 86-0-0-86.00-8.5 Points.
13. João Henrique Lucas, 85.75-0-0-85.75-8 Points.
14. Ezekiel Mitchell, 84.75-0-0-84.75-8 Points.
15. Junior Patrik Souza, 84.5-0-0-84.50-8 Points.
16. Kaique Pacheco, 83.5-0-0-83.50-8 Points.
17. Jesse Petri, 81.75-0-0-81.75-8 Points.
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Leonardo Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Adriano Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Jones, 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Fideles Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Joe Hostetler, 0-0-0-0.00

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