PBR Pick ‘Em Morning Line – Billings Round 1 & 15/15 Bucking Battle

By: Slade Long

Boudreaux Campbell on 609 Cold Shot:

This bull only has three outs on record, but Derek Kolbaba was 88 points on him to place second in a round in Louisville back in March. He went to the left with Kolbaba, and that is a big factor. Campbell is much better against bulls that go into his hand, and he’s overdue to get a win. He doesn’t have a qualified ride since March, but he’s capable of getting on a roll, and this draw may help him get started.

Jess Lockwood on 21 Jaynette’s Pet 2:

This bull threw Lockwood off in Glendale, Arizona, back in March, and he’s a much better fit for right-handed riders. You cannot count Lockwood out on any bull, though; he’s one of the best riders in the world. He’s had a rotten season so far, and he’s probably ready to remedy that. This bull should have good timing and, even if he goes right, Lockwood should be able to handle him.

Junior Patrik Souza on 584 Foghorn Leghorn:

Foghorn Leghorn is a top-shelf draw in any long round. He’s been ridden eight times in his career, four of those for round wins. He’s especially good to left-handed riders. This bull tends to be showier than he is difficult, and riders at this level do well against bulls like this.

Taylor Toves on -915 Solid Iron’s Hammer Down:

Toves has tried this bull twice before and didn’t get the job done. Hammer Down is a veteran bull who has been to the World Finals three times and has a respectable buckoff record against even the best riders. Though he is not easy, he is rideable, and he’s always a solid long-round draw, especially for a right-handed rider.

Luciano de Castro on 138 M.A.G.A.:

Castro ended up with the best draw in the round, and he will be the first rider to go in Round 1 as well. M.A.G.A. is the quintessential PBR long-round bull. He rarely has a bad day, he has great timing, riders get along with him, and they tend to get good scores on him. He prefers to go to the right, but left-handed riders have had an equal amount of success on him.

Marco Eguchi on -1X Tarabull:

Tarabull really likes to go to the right, and he’s as rider-friendly as it gets at this level. He’s 0-3 against right-handed guys, and Eguchi should be able to handle him easily. This bull is a milder version of M.A.G.A. and should be easier. Eguchi should get a score but not a round win.

Ezekiel Mitchell on 573 Buck Wild:

Cooper Davis and Marco Eguchi both got a score on this bull last season. Buck Wild only has nine outs on record, and we don’t know too much about him, but we do know that he’s been decent to right-handed riders.

Hunter Ball on 627 Midnight Flyer:

Here’s a bull we haven’t seen on tour and a rider we’ve only seen once. This matchup should be a good one for Ball. He’s left-handed, and this bull likes the left. He has two outs on record, and he gave up a qualified ride in both of them.

15/15 Bucking Battle:

Chase Dougherty on 604 Marquis Metal Works Coriolis Effect:

Coriolis Effect is 17-1 in his career, and it’s starting to look like the one must have been a fluke. This bull has real power and can get really steep going up and coming down. He can put a lot of stress on the riding hand. Dougherty does have a shot because he’s left-handed, but this is one of the toughest bulls going right now. There is no room for error.

Taylor Toves on 628 Drago:

Drago looks a lot like Coriolis Effect on paper; he’s 16-1 overall. Marco Eguchi rode him at the World Finals on what was something of an off day for this bull. He’s thrown off a lot of good riders this season, including Derek Kolbaba, Cody Teel, and Joao Ricardo Vieira.

Cody Teel on 612 Ridin’ Solo:

Solo hasn’t been ridden since January when Cooper Davis was 91.25 points on him. This bull is going to be tough on any rider because of his off-the-charts athleticism. Solo does a lot, and he does it fast. Teel will have to be perfect because this bull doesn’t give riders much of a chance to recover from any mistake.

Alex Cerqueira on 624 Homegrown:

For a 15/15 round, this is a really good draw. Every qualified ride in these bonus rounds counts for more because they usually don’t ride many. Homegrown is 3-4 on the season, and he likes to go to the left, which exactly what Cerqueira needs. Cerqueira is still a slight underdog in this matchup, but having a bull that is rideable and a good fit for you is a leg up in these 15/15 rounds.

Boudreaux Campbell on 162 The Right Stuff:

Jose Vitor Leme posted an 89.5-point ride on this bull just last month, but that was only the second qualified ride on The Right Stuff in 40 career outs. This bull is tricky, and although Jess Lockwood and Leme did get the job done on him, neither of them made it look easy.

Mauricio Moreira on 500 I’m Legit Too:

I’m Legit Too is certainly a great draw in this round for a lefty. Moreira bucked off of him about a year ago in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in one of Legit’s two highest-scored outs ever. In his time in the states, Moreira has made most of his money on bulls that are almost ideal for him, and this bull may be a little stronger than that. He has given up seven 90-plus-point scores to some of the top left-handed riders, but he also has an impressive number of buckoffs against multiple former world champs.

Silvano Alves on 449 WSM’s Jive Turkey:

Jose Vitor Leme rode this bull twice in February of 2020, but since then, Jive Turkey has thrown off 16 straight riders, including Leme in August of last year. He’s 18-0 against right-handed riders, and Alves is a big underdog here. Jive Turkey is a little like Spotted Demon in his prime. They are both west coast bulls with roots stretching back to Oklahoma and Texas, and both bulls get harder to ride the longer someone stays on them.

Rafael Henrique dos Santos on 524C Mezcal:

There’s a short video of Marcus Mast attempting this bull in Fort Worth, Texas, back in February, and watching it won’t give you much confidence that any rider will be able to get the job done. Mezcal is a relatively new bull, and he is 8-0 so far. He’s a son of Stone Sober, and he looks every bit as hard to ride as his father was.

Marco Eguchi on 94 First Down:

We don’t know too much about this bull. He is 2-1 this season. Eduardo Aparecido rode him for 87 points in Nampa last month. For Eguchi, having a lesser-known or inexperienced bull in a 15/15 round is definitely a plus. There are many very difficult bulls in the round, and having a new bull who has been ridden recently is good news.

Junior Patrik Souza on W600 Marquis Metal Works Red Clark:

Dener Barbosa was 91.25 points on this bull a couple of weeks ago, and he did not make it look easy. Red Clark is 16-1 overall and has bucked off a who’s-who of the best riders of the past year. He usually goes to the left, which is good for Souza, but the bull has a big edge in this matchup.

Derek Kolbaba on 679 I’m Busted:

Kolbaba has bucked off this bull twice in the past year, including just two weeks ago in Omaha. Busted would be 23-0 rather than 21-2 if Joao Ricardo Vieira had not ridden him twice back in January in South Florida.

Colten Fritzlan on 622 High Brow Cat:

This is a good matchup, especially for Fritzlan. High Brow Cat is more rideable than most bulls in his class, and Fritzlan rode him for 87 points at a rodeo in Guymon, Oklahoma, last August.

Dener Barbosa on 001 Smooth Operator:

Barbosa is coming off an impressive showing at Omaha two weeks ago, but he may be about to run into a brick wall here. Smooth Operator has one of the best records against left-handed riders in bull riding history. He is 39-2 against them, and the two rides were both by Jose Vitor Leme on days when Smooth Operator uncharacteristically went to the left. He almost never does that, but in 123 career outs, it was bound to happen sooner or later. So, Barbosa has about a 1-in-62 chance of this bull going into his hand, and if he gets that, he still has to stay on.

Kaique Pacheco on 28A Smooth Wreck:

Pacheco drew well here. He was 88.75 points on this bull at the 2018 World Finals. Smooth Wreck is indeed a little smoother than most of the bulls on his level. He is a solid veteran who has been around since 2016 and gives most riders an honest chance. He will probably go away from Pacheco’s hand, and like most riders, Pacheco is about half as efficient on bulls that go away from his hand.

Jose Vitor Leme on 513 Boogie Bomb:

Look for the Leme victory-lap season to continue here. Leme is 2-for-2 against this bull, and Boogie Bomb is 3-8 against left-handed riders. He’s the single easiest bull in the round for a lefty. If you think Leme had a landmark season in 2020, he is doing better this year by every measure and is currently on pace to have the best overall season stats in PBR history. For the guys chasing him, this is not great news. Pacheco is trailing by 27.5 points right now, but Leme is averaging 43 points per qualified ride and 29 points per bull for just showing up so far in 2021.

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