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

By: Slade Long

Round 1 of the PBR Union Home Mortgage Invitational, presented by Bass Pro Shops, airs live on RidePass on Pluto TV at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Round 1:

Junior Patrik Souza on 1305 Mickey Mouse:

This is a really nice bull we only see once in a while at the UTB level. Mickey Mouse is one of the more rideable bulls here, and there’s a reason for that. He looks good and has a lot of action, but he likes to keep his head low when he’s bucking. This takes away from his vertical jump and makes him a lot easier. Older folks who remember bull riding in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s often look down on today’s riders, but the guys who were so dominant back then were dominant because they didn’t get on 5-tool bulls a lot. Take one weapon away from a bull and the riders of today will ride him consistently. This bull is a fair example of that.

Kaique Pacheco on +609 Diamond Show:

On paper, this doesn’t look like a great matchup for Pacheco, but it could be a round winner. This bull doesn’t have a lot of experience, but we saw him go strong to the right with Derek Kolbaba earlier this year. If he tries that Saturday night, it could be a big score for Pacheco.

Daylon Swearingen on 43 Roulette:

Swearingen drew really well here. Roulette is 3-8 when he’s faced the top riders, and Swearingen rode him for 90.5 points at a Cody, Wyoming, rodeo two years ago.

Chase Dougherty on 626 Experiment:

The last time we saw this bull, Cooper Davis was 88.25 points on him in Jacksonville back in May. Experiment has been ridden twice, by the two highest-rated riders he has face. Dougherty has a good chance here. This bull may go away from his hand, but he should be able to handle it.

Boudreaux Campbell on 507 Caddyshack:

Campbell has been on a lot of bulls this year – way more than his two most prominent east Texas neighbors Cody Teel and Cooper Davis. Teel and Davis have both been on around 75 bulls in 2021, and Campbell is closer to twice that many. He’s been on more bulls than just about any pro level rider in North America, and he’s managed to stay reasonably healthy. He has a decent draw here. Caddyshack has been ridden when he’s faced the higher-level riders, and he has much less experience than Campbell.

Cole Melancon on 22D King Brute:

The last time Melancon got a score at a UTB event was back in March, but he may break out of that slump here. Melancon has drawn a lot of difficult bulls this year, but this one should fit him. King Brute is 2-3 against right-handed riders, and he’s a nice bull to have in this round.

Silvano Alves on 6X3 Hammered Down:

Alves rode Hammered Down for 84.5 points in January. Hammered down is 0-3 when he’s faced high-level riders. Alves is not riding anywhere near a world title level, but he’s opportunistic when he has a good draw, and this is a great one.

15/15 Round

Joao Henrique Lucas on 507C Bentley:

This isn’t the ideal draw for a right-handed rider, although Cooper Davis rode him in San Antonio last week. Lucas is coming off a good showing in San Antonio himself. He was 2-for-3 and finished fourth in the event.

Jesse Petri on 6X4 Walking Tall:

Walking Tall is 13-2 in his career, and 6-1 at the UTB level. That is a respectable record, but while he is a difficult bull to ride, most riders on tour would be glad to have him anytime. He’s a little unpredictable – not a pattern bull, but he’s honest and has good timing. The thing riders will really like about him is that he spends a lot of time in the air. He jumps high and stays up there, giving riders plenty of chances to adjust or recover. He’s going to get about 10 jumps in during an 8-second ride where many bulls will get 12 or even 13 jumps.

Silvano Alves on 603 Detroit Lean:

Alves has been on this bull twice with no success. Detroit Lean doesn’t look fun to ride. Chase Dougherty rode him for 91.25 points on him in Oklahoma City this year. Even though I know it happened it’s still hard to imagine anyone staying on this bull when he has his day. He’s big, strong, and ugly.

Cody Teel on 60 Midnight Rock:

At one time, it looked like Midnight Rock was going to be the go-to money bull for right-handed riders, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Riders didn’t get the memo. He’s 16- 0 this year, he faced a lot of good riders, and few of them warmed him up.

Marco Eguchi on 751 Jersey Tuff:

You’ll see this young bull at the World Finals in the ABBI Classic competition. He’s been ridden once in seven career outs, but that was by Jose Vitor Leme, so it is still unclear whether mere mortals can stay on him.

Chase Dougherty on 77B Medicine Man:

This is the single most rideable bull in the round…for right-handed guys. He’s 17-2 against lefties. However, he loves to go to the right and has good timing. Medicine MAn looks like the one you would want to have, but lefties just struggle with him and right-handers dominate him.

Junior Patrik Souza on 905 Mule Train:

This is one of the least-experienced bulls in the round, along with Jersey Tuff. Mule Train is 6-0, but he hasn’t faced a lot of the better riders yet. We don’t know much about him. Souza is coming off a second place finish in San Antonio last week.

Keyshawn Whitehorse on 676 Slingin Lead:

Whitehorse has been on this bull twice in the past 12 months, and he didn’t make it to 4 seconds either time. Slingin Lead is 16-0 in his career. He likes the right, but he’s tricky. He can move around in the spin and get out from under a rider in a hurry.

Derek Kolbaba on 711 Dixieland Delight:

This bull is 8-0, but is somewhat untested. Claudio Montanha and Silvano Alves are the only two top tier riders who have been on him, and Alves took him to nearly six seconds. Dixieland Delight hasn’t faced any notable lefties yet. Kolbaba will be the first, and he’s been riding well recently.

Dalton Kasel on 612 Ridin’ Solo:

This will be an exciting matchup to watch. Kasel is coming off an event win and the second-highest score in PBR history on Woopaa last week. This bull is a lot like Woopaa, and, in fact, they went head-to-head for the ABBI Classic title last year. After Ridin Solo went for 46.25 points in Round 3 of the Finals, not many thought Woopaa would be able to beat him. Kasel got on Solo three times earlier this season, was fouled once, and bucked off the other two. However, he’s on a roll right now and has a chance to get a huge score here.

Mauricio Gulla Moreira on 500 I’m Legit Too:

This will be the third matchup between these two, and I’m Legit Too won both of the first two. Moreira is left-handed, which is better than being right-handed against this bull, but I’m Legit Too has thrown off eight riders in a row since Leme rode him in May of this year. He’s 17-3 overall this season.

Boudreaux Campbell on 57 Diddy Wa Diddy:

Campbell bucked off this bull at the Austin, Texas, pro rodeo two years ago. But, this is probably the best bull Campbell could have drawn here. Diddy Wa Diddy is 7-7 against left-handed riders, and he’s given up five 90+ point scores this year. Campbell really likes bulls that go into his hand, so this should be the odds-on favorite.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 723 Mike’s Motive:

Like Medicine Man, this bull is really rideable for right-handed guys. No lefty has ridden him yet. He’s almost certain to go away from Vieira’s hand.

Cooper Davis on 08B Hostage:

With several really sweet draws for right-handers in this round, Davis managed to draw around them and end up with one of the best bulls in the business against right-handed guys. Hostage is 20-0 against them. He also hasn’t been ridden by anyone all year.

Kaique Pacheco on 442 Blue Crush:

Pacheco and Davis are the two guys with the most to gain by Leme being out, and they both drew tough in this round. Blue Crush is one of the harder to ride bulls in the round. He can go either way, but whichever way he goes, he always looks really hard to ride. He’s 40-9 in his career, and two of the rides made on him were by Leme.

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