PBR Pick ‘Em Morning Line – Little Rock Round 1 & 15/15 Bucking Battle
By: Slade Long
Joao Ricardo Viera on E13 Skull Crusher:
Viera rode this bull in Des Moines, Iowa, last fall. He scored just 79.25 points and took a re-ride. Skull Crusher is a young bull, and he’s improved since then. He hasn’t improved that much at throwing off left-handed riders; he’s 2-5 against them. Jess Lockwood was 87 points on him in Del Rio, Texas, back in February. Vieira has the advantage in this matchup.
Chase Dougherty on 6E Liston:
In April, Dougherty was 89.25 points on this bull in Nampa, Idaho, to win the opening round. He has a chance to do it again. Liston is not the easiest bull here. He threw off Joao Ricardo Vieira and Boudreaux Campbell just last month.
Jesse Petri on 723 Mike’s Motive:
Mike’s Motive is a really solid bull. Cooper Davis was 91.75 points on him in Jacksonville, Florida, back in May. The problem for Petri is that this bull is 4-0 against left-handed riders, but Petri is coming off a big ride against a bull a lot like this one in the 15/15 Bucking Battle in Sacramento last weekend. He was 87.25 points going away from his hand.
Boudreaux Campbell on 792 Bulldaggar:
Campbell thrives on bulls that go to the left, and this bull will do just that. In only seven career outs, Bulldaggar is already 1-2 against left-handed riders. Campbell has the best odds in the round of getting a qualified ride, and it could be a good one.
Mauricio Moreira on E18 Cuttin’ Torch:
Just like Bulldaggar, this bull has seven career outs and is 1-2 against lefties. Boudreaux Campbell was 89 points on him in Tulsa, and Alex Cerqueira was 88 points on him in Fort Worth back in February. Moreira started the season off hot but has cooled down considerably over the last few months. He had a big ride in the 15/15 round last week and could use another one here.
Lucas Divino on 22E DJ Long John:
In his short career, DJ Long John is 6-0 and has buckoffs against Cody Teel and Kaique Pacheco. He likes to go to the right, and that makes this an interesting matchup. The bull has a lot of gas and is the favorite here, but if Divino can get by him, it will be for a huge score.
Cody Teel on 15E Red Mosquito:
Teel has the odds on his side; Red Mosquito is 0-2 against right-handed riders. Teel probably won’t win the round on this bull, but he’s likely to get on the board.
Thiago Salgado on 705E Manaba:
This is almost certainly going to go the bull’s way, but this is a bull worth watching. Manaba is a former ABBI Futurity champion who has a legitimate shot at becoming the ABBI Classic champion for 2021. To my knowledge, no bull has won both titles before, but Ridin’ Solo came very close last year.
15/15 Round
Rafael Henrique dos Santos on 623 Born to Sin:
Cooper Davis has two 90-plus-point rides on this bull this year, and Marco Eguchi was 87.75 points on him as well. For a short-round-caliber bull, he’s been pretty good to right-handed riders lately. Santos is right-handed, but he’s still an underdog here.
Dalton Kasel on 500 I’m Legit Too:
Kasel is coming off an event win in Sacramento, and he’s ridden 10 of his last 15 bulls. He has a good draw. I’m Legit Too is a challenge for any rider, but lefties have a better shot at getting him ridden. Kasel could continue to climb up the standings with a big score here, but it won’t be easy.
Silvano Alves on 94 First Down:
Alves is an underdog, and he hasn’t exactly been beating the odds this year. This bull is 9-1 in his career. Despite hanging onto a Top 15 spot for most of the season, Alves is putting up the worst overall numbers of his career in 2021.
Mauricio Moriera on 43C- Chiseled:
Moreira has bucked off this bull twice in the past 12 months. Right-handed guys have a much better shot against Chiseled, but he was ridden pretty handily by a lefty Wednesday night at a Lawton, Oklahoma rodeo for 92 points.
Junior Patrik Souza on 22 Night Hawk:
Night Hawk is 20-0 overall, and he goes away from Souza’s hand. This bull is constantly moving away from the rider, and he’s pretty tough to ride. Souza has bucked off his last seven bulls in a row, and the odds are way against him here.
Chase Dougherty on 791 Sweatlodge Testified:
This is the least experienced bull in this round. He had a big out against Derek Kolbaba in Tulsa a couple of weeks ago. He’s 3-0 overall and averaging 44-plus points per out. Dougherty finished second in Sacramento last week, and he has a great draw in Round 1 here. This bull is more of an unknown, but Dougherty is capable of riding anything.
Keyshawn Whitehorse on D27 HomeBru:
Whitehorse bucked off this bull in Tulsa. HomeBru has been ridden three times in 15 career outs, all by left-handed guys. He’s faced high-quality riders his entire career, and he’s done well against them.
Derek Kolbaba on 621 Wicked Dreams:
This is a seriously difficult bull. Kolbaba bucked off of him in Cheyenne, but the same can be said for every rider Wicked Dreams has faced in the past two years; he was last ridden in August 2019. He can be really fast, or he can have some messed-up timing, or both. He typically likes the right, but he can go either way.
Cody Teel on 57 Diddy Wa Diddy:
This is one of the best draws in the round. He has good timing and is rideable. One thing he has going for him, and the main reason the numbers are on his side, is that he’s never allowed a right-handed rider to make the whistle. Teel definitely has a chance to break that streak here. This bull has great timing, and Teel will be one of the best righties he’s ever faced.
Boudreaux Campbell on 124 Woopaa:
This is the highest-performance bull going right now, but he’s a long way from the most difficult to ride. He is every lefty’s dream bull right now. He’s 2-5 against lefties, and the lowest score earned on him is 94.75. Campbell is 2-for-2 against him this season, and you can bet he’s thrilled to have him again. Woopaa may be a little underrated in difficulty because he keeps drawing Jose Vitor Leme and Campbell, and they both seem to have his number. They account for all five rides made on him.
Joao Ricardo Vieira on -400 Oz:
Oz doesn’t get ridden that often, but when he does, it’s by left-handed riders. Vieira rode him for 87.75 points two years ago, but Oz has given up only one score in 12 outs this season.
Dener Barbosa on 08B Hostage:
Hostage is unridden in 11 outs this year. He’s only been ridden by left-handed guys, and Barbosa will be one of the best he’s faced in a while. This bull is pretty effective against every kind of rider and is one of the most difficult bulls in the round. Barbosa is sitting fourth in the world standings, but he’s only ridden two of his last 10 bulls.
Cooper Davis on 603 Detroit Lean:
This is a pretty rough draw, even though he’s likely to go into Davis’s hand. Detroit Lean can have some forward movement, and he has a lot of power. Chase Dougherty rode him in Oklahoma City for 91.25 points, but he’s the only guy who has done it so far.
Kaique Pacheco on 262 Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather:
Yellow Feather was outstanding in Cheyenne, but less so in Tulsa, where he turned in the lowest bull score of his career. This is a very strong bull who typically goes to the left – away from Pacheco’s hand. Pacheco is still sitting second in the world, but he’s lost a lot of ground to Leme over the past month
Jose Vitor Leme on 442 Blue Crush:
At 38-9 in his career, this is one of the toughest bulls in the round. But, not so much for Leme, who is 2-1 against him over the past three years, most recently in May of this year. Blue Crush is a little wild and unpredictable, and it got him to 14-0 in 2020. He’s used to being the tough guy in every matchup, but he’s not in this one.
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