Pacheco Wins Premier Series Event in Glendale to Surge to World No. 2 Rank

By: Kacie Albert

GLENDALE, Ariz. – In Glendale, Arizona, Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) won at the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite level for the second time in 2021, surging from No. 5 to No. 2 in the world standings and inching within 48.5 points of current No. 1 Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas).

The 2018 PBR World Champion, who also won in January in Arcadia, Florida, was unstoppable in Arizona, going a flawless 3-for-3 to win the Unleash The Beast’s PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, at Gila River Arena, significantly tightening the 2021 championship race.

“I’m so glad to always try to do my job and do my best for all the fans, the sponsors and for the PBR – they do everything for us bull riders,” Pacheco said moments after the victory. “I just try to give my best, ride my bulls, and keep my dream for a second world title.”’

Becoming the first rider this season to win multiple premier series events, Pacheco’s march to the top of the leaderboard began in Round 1 when he teamed with Cali’s Dream (Diamond Bar Cattle/Premier Ag) for an 86-point score.

Pacheco’s momentum continued Sunday afternoon, advancing to the championship round second in the overall event when he made the 8 aboard Stinger (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Stinger/Bruner) for 84.5 points in Round 2.

With the second pick in the bull draft, the “Ice Man” architected a rematch, selecting Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher (Paradigm Bull Co./Marquis Metal Works) for the duo’s fourth meeting. Pacheco had covered the striking black-and-white bovine athlete in their two most recent meetings, including an 89.75-point score in Arcadia to win his first elite tour event of 2021.

Poised and centered, Pacheco once again matched Bill The Butcher jump-for-jump, leading the socially distanced crowd to erupt in cheer. As Pacheco celebrated on the dirt, he was awarded an 85.5-point score and surged to the top of the event leaderboard for this first time across the two days of action.

Seeking his second PBR World Championship, a feat that has only been accomplished by six other riders in league history, the stoic Brazilian earned a critical 119.5 world points along with $21,178.92. Pacheco is now ranked No. 2 in the world, 48.5 points behind current No. 1 Davis.

Davis remained atop the world rankings courtesy of his seventh-place finish, which netted him 35 world points.

While the 2016 PBR World Champion won Round 1 of the tour stop, covering Mr. Winston (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) for 90 points, he was unable to make the 8 on Championship Sunday, bested by Space Force (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) and I’m Legit Too (Hart Cattle Co./Hale).

Competing at just his third event since returning from jaw surgery, two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) rode to his best finish to date in the new season, finishing second.

As one of the headlining matchups in Round 1, Lockwood got off to a hot start in The Grand Canyon State, covering Rising Sun (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) for 88.25 points.

The score marked the fourth time in as many meetings Lockwood has made the 8 aboard Rising Sun.

 
Before their showdown inside Gila River Arena, Lockwood had most recently attempted the Chad Berger bovine in Round 5 of the 2019 PBR World Finals. Lockwood covered the bovine athlete for a monstrous 91.25 points, his fourth consecutive 90-point ride at the season-culminating event. The score was critical in Lockwood’s march to winning the PBR World Finals event title and his historic second PBR World Championship.

In Round 2 on Sunday afternoon, Lockwood was unable to replicate his success from the evening prior, bested by Lil Loco (Paradigm Bull Co./Flying High Rodeo Co.) in 1.1 seconds.

Determined to capture his first event win of 2021, Lockwood selected a familiar opponent for the championship round, drafting Canadian Mist (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.), a bull that he rode for 91.5 points in August 2018 to win the year’s 15/15 Bucking Battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Lockwood once again made magic aboard the Canadian-raised bovine, this time marked 88.75 points.

Courtesy of his 2-for-3 showing, Lockwood earned 94 world points and $17,044.02. He surged from No. 33 to No. 18 in the world standings, now within 242 points of No. 1 Davis.

Young gun Kyler Oliver (Roy, Utah) was third, earning a paycheck for $12,507.05 and 74 world points.

The 21-year-old sensation led the event after the opening two rounds, riding Skeeter Peter (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) for 87.75 points in Round 1, before tying for the Round 2 win compliments of an 88.75-point score on Concealed Carry (Gene Owen/Jerry Rush).

 
With the first pick in the championship round bull draft, Oliver selected CopperPoint Swagger (Hart Cattle Co./Hale), preparing to attempt the bull for the second time in three days. Oliver first squared off against the bull during Friday night’s continuation of the previously halted Del Rio event, bested in a close 6.79 seconds.

Oliver’s event, however, once again ended in heartbreak, brought down by CopperPoint Swagger in 7.31 seconds.

The Utah-native surged eight positions in the world standings, climbing from No. 20 to No. 12. He now trails the Top 10 by 6.5 points and world No. 1 Davis by 215.5 points.

Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) parlayed a 2-for-3 effort into a fourth-place finish, collecting 56 world points.

After Aparecido began the event with a qualified ride, covering Trail of Tears (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/MAGA Cattle/Roper Angus) for 89.25 points in Round 1, he was bested in the second round, brought down by Cali’s Chrome (Diamond Bar Cattle/Premier Ag) in 4 seconds.

 
The 30-year-old, however, ended the event with momentum at his back, riding War Fury (Diamond G Rodeos, Inc.) for 87 points in the championship round.

His first Top-5 finish of the season elevated him from No. 19 to No. 16 in the world standings. Ahead of next weekend’s Unleash The Beast event in Missouri, Aparecido is 27 points outside the Top 10 and 236 points back of the world No. 1 rank.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was sophomore rider Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil).

Tying for Lucas’ career-best finish on the premier series, the 30-year-old recorded scores in both Round 1 and the championship round, riding Lights Out (Diamond Bar Cattle/Premier Ag) for 86.5 points and Struttin Stuff (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) for 88.5 points, respectively.

In the bull pen, Marquis Metal Works Coriolis Effect (Paradigm Bull Co./Marquis Metal Works) was dominant, registering a 45.5-point bull score to capture his first YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title. The Paradigm Bull Co. bovine earned the monstrous marks when he bucked off Mauricio Gulla Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) in 5.46 seconds in the championship round.

Fans can relive all the action from the PBR Unleash The Beast’s Built Ford Tough Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, March 15, on RidePass, at RidePass.com or via the mobile app.

The PBR Unleash the Beast will next travel to Kansas City, Missouri, and T-Mobile Center for the PBR Caterpillar Classic. The event will be on Saturday, March 20 at 6:45 p.m. CDT and Sunday, March 21 at 1:45 p.m. CDT.

PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires
Gila River Arena – Glendale, Arizona
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Kaique Pacheco, 86-84.5-85.5-256.00-119.5 Points.
2. Jess Lockwood, 88.25-0-88.75-177.00-94 Points.
3. Kyler Oliver, 87.75-88.75-0-176.50-74 Points.
4. Eduardo Aparecido, 89.25-0-87-176.25-56 Points.
5. João Henrique Lucas, 86.5-0-88.5-175.00-46 Points.
6. Jesse Petri, 87-63.25-0-150.25-28 Points.
7. Cooper Davis, 90-0-0-90.00-35 Points.
8. Ezekiel Mitchell, 89-0-0-89.00-22 Points.
9. João Ricardo Vieira, 0-88.75-0-88.75-27 Points.
10. Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-87.75-0-87.75-19 Points.
11. Colten Fritzlan, 87.5-0-0-87.50-14.5 Points.
(tie). Mason Taylor, 0-87.5-0-87.50-16.5 Points.
13. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 86.75-0-0-86.75-12 Points.
14. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-86-0-86.00-15 Points.
15. Eli Vastbinder, 0-84.5-0-84.50-13.5 Points.
16. Junior Patrik Souza, 83.25-0-0-83.25-9 Points.
17. Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 83-0-0-83.00-8 Points.
(tie). Cody Jesus, 83-0-0-83.00-8 Points.
19. Silvano Alves, 0-81-0-81.00-12 Points.
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
J.T. Moore, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Jones, 0-0-0-0.00
Rodrigo Melgar, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0.00
J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0.00

2021 PBR World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)

1. Cooper Davis, 8, 1, 4, 361.50, $45,462.27
2. Kaique Pacheco, 8, 2, 3, 313.00, $55,779.64
3. Cole Melancon, 8, 0, 3, 247.00, $34,677.78
4. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 8, 1, 3, 238.50, $37,891.61
5. Junior Patrik Souza, 9, 0, 3, 191.00, $18,968.43
6. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 9, 1, 2, 174.00, $28,415.52
7. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 7, 0, 2, 167.50, $26,110.07
8. João Ricardo Vieira, 9, 0, 2, 156.00, $17,916.61
9. Silvano Alves, 8, 0, 2, 152.50, $16,472.65
10. Dener Barbosa, 9, 0, 2, 151.50, $16,770.93
11. Kyler Oliver, 5, 0, 1, 146.00, $21,402.14
12. Taylor Toves, 7, 0, 2, 142.00, $25,310.26
13. Colten Fritzlan, 5, 1, 1, 139.50, $25,731.69
14. Jose Vitor Leme, 2, 1, 1, 138.00, $27,511.78
15. Marco Eguchi, 6, 1, 2, 134.50, $16,797.23
16. Eduardo Aparecido, 5, 0, 1, 125.50, $18,474.05
17. Derek Kolbaba, 8, 0, 1, 120.00, $21,190.32
18. Jess Lockwood, 4, 0, 1, 119.50, $21,219.20
18. Alex Cerqueira, 7, 0, 1, 119.50, $17,721.85
20. Mason Taylor, 6, 0, 1, 84.50, $14,589.49
21. Cody Teel, 8, 0, 1, 83.50, $13,576.79
22. Dalton Kasel, 7, 0, 0, 82.00, $9,928.01
23. Lucas Divino, 5, 0, 1, 81.00, $15,474.00
24. João Henrique Lucas, 7, 0, 1, 75.00, $12,388.97
25. Brennon Eldred, 7, 0, 1, 70.50, $11,058.93
26. Ezekiel Mitchell, 7, 1, 1, 66.00, $7,146.15
27. Claudio Montanha Jr., 7, 0, 0, 52.50, $7,624.83
28. Jesse Petri, 1, 0, 0, 28.00, $2,394.60
29. Kyle Jones, 2, 0, 0, 21.00, $2,889.89
29. Rodrigo Melgar, 4, 0, 0, 21.00, $2,889.89
31. Dakota Louis, 6, 0, 0, 19.00, $1,650.00
32. Ramon de Lima, 2, 0, 0, 16.50, $2,196.94
33. Eli Vastbinder, 1, 0, 0, 13.50, $367.48
34. Luciano De Castro, 2, 0, 0, 12.00, $1,000.00
35. Boudreaux Campbell, 2, 0, 0, 11.00, $0.00
36. J.T. Moore, 6, 0, 0, 10.00, $0.00
37. Cody Jesus, 3, 0, 0, 8.00, $0.00
37. Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 1, 0, 0, 8.00, $0.00
39. Marcus Mast, 1, 0, 0, 1.00, $0.00
40. J.B. Mauney, 5, 0, 0, 0.00, $400.00
40. Matt Triplett, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Tye Chandler, 3, 0, 0, 0.00, $400.00
40. Cannon Cravens, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $400.00
40. Cody Casper, 3, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Bradley Brittain, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $400.00
40. Cody Nance, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Alex Cardozo, 4, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Chase Dougherty, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 5, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Thiago Salgado, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
40. Aaron Pass, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00

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