Montanha Jr. Eclipses 90 Points, Takes Round 1 Win in Little Rock
By: Easton Colvin
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – As PBR (Professional Bull Riders) bucked into Simmons Bank Arena for the sixth-straight season, a raucous crowd witnessed Brazilian Claudio Montanha Jr. (Pacaembu, Brazil) eclipse the 90-point mark for the first time in premier series competition since April 2018 on his way to the Round 1 win at the 2021 Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown.
The 32-year-old Brazilian was tasked with Bad Bet (Martinez/Rockin T) in Round 1 on Saturday night, besting the bovine athlete at each turn on the way to a 90.5-point ride.
“Claudio set his jaw and decided he was going to do whatever it took to make the whistle on a really tough bull,” said PBR on CBS Color and two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride. “This guy has a lot of ability when he wants to show it off.”
Montanha’s round win earned him 29 world points and $3,149.82, and the world points moved him up four spots to No. 27 in the world rankings.
Montanha goes for the event win on championship Sunday with a slim 0.75-point lead, matching up with Big Mac (Shuler Bucking Bulls) in Round 2.
World No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) entered the night tied for the all-time record for 90-point rides in a single season, poised to etch his name in the record books once again.
Leme drew the unridden Jersey Tuff (McClellan/Lidgard/Hart) for the chance to break the record. Jersey Tuff, with his signature high rise back foot kick, turned to the left with Leme in full command but appeared to tire after six seconds of being conquered by Leme before reaching the whistle. The reigning PBR World Champion’s 89.75-point ride narrowly missed the record-setting mark to the dismay of the energetic crowd, which made its disappointment apparent.
Leme did his job, controlling what he could. He smiled and accepted the score.
“I will keep trying and doing my job,” Leme told PBR on CBS sideline reporter Kate Harrison. “I feel like that one on him, that’s going to be a 90. I’m not the judge. I’m just a rider. I just want to ride my bulls. If I broke the record or not, only God knows.”
The ride was enough to earn Leme second in the round and 18 world points, increasing his lead over world No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) to 466 points.
Current Rookie of the Year leader Chase Dougherty (Decatur, Texas) finished the opening round in third. Mounting Liston (D&H Cattle Company), Dougherty spurred his way to an 89.5-point ride and thunderous applause.
Third place in the round gave the young Texan 17 world points, propelling him to the No. 8 spot in the world rankings.
Another young gun Texan, Austin Richardson (Stephenville, Texas), rode himself into fourth in Round 1, hearing the 8-second whistle aboard CopperPoint Swagger (Hart Cattle Co/Hale) after bucking off the same bull two weeks ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Richardson was marked 88.75 points in his victorious rematch, earning 16 world points. The 21-year-old is now tied for No. 25 world standings.
Rounding out the Top 5 on the night was 2018 Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah). Whitehorse earned a re-ride after a scary hang-up on his original Round 1 opponent, Knee Deep (Stockyards/444/Winston/Gallagher/Melton). Bleeding from a gash on his forehead that required stitches, Whitehorse was given a second chance aboard Uncle Gangster (Ogden Ranch/Hart Cattle Co.), who is known to be a challenge in either direction. The black bull lunged to the right before veering to the left, throwing the kitchen sink at Whitehorse, who battled courageously to the 8-second mark and 88.75 points.
“You need to keep your mind in the right headspace, positive, making sure you allow yourself not to get down,” Whitehorse told Harrison on the live CBS Sports Network broadcast with a large bandage affixed to his forehead to quell the bleeding from the previous wreck. “Just have a clear mind, a full heart, and keep going at it.”
The surging Navajo man added 15 world points to his year’s tally, holding inside the Top 10 and the No. 9 world ranking spot.
This evening’s performance also included the ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) Classic Round that bucked 32 of the top 3- and 4-year-old up-and-coming bulls for a piece of the $31,000 pot. An ABBI Classic competition is the next step in a young bovine’s competitive career that involves bucking with a rider.
792 Bulldaggar (Joe & Nina Webb/BS Cattle Co.) notched 89.2 points to win the Little Rock Classic Championship title and earn more than $8,200.
7135 Gangster Bones (Rickey West/Steve Freeman/2R Bucking Bulls) and 71W (Stockyards/Winston/Melton Bull Co.) tied for second with 88 points each and $4,736 apiece.
7/24 Bad Bet (Martinez Bucking Bulls), who propelled Claudio Montanha Jr. to the Round 1 win, landed in fourth place with 88.8 points to take home $3,256. 714 Body Count (Bob & Jeri Adams/BS Cattle Co) rounded out the top 5 with 88.4 points for a $2,516 check.
The top bull riders on Earth return to Simmons Bank Arena for Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, August 15 at 1:45 p.m. CBS Sports Network will carry the action at 8 p.m. ET.
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.
Professional Bull Riders
PBR BAD BOY MOWERS MOWDOWN
Little Rock, AR, 2021
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Claudio Montanha Jr., 90.5-0-0-90.50-29 Points.
2. Jose Vitor Leme, 89.75-0-0-89.75-18 Points.
3. Chase Dougherty, 89.5-0-0-89.50-17 Points.
4. Austin Richardson, 88.75-0-0-88.75-16 Points.
5. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 88.25-0-0-88.25-15 Points.
6. João Henrique Lucas, 87.75-0-0-87.75-14 Points.
7. Kaique Pacheco, 87-0-0-87.00-12.5 Points.
(tie). Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 87-0-0-87.00-12.5 Points.
9. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 83.75-0-0-83.75-11 Points.
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0.00
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