Pendleton Winning Ride: Leme Wins WCRA Royal City Roundup to Extend PBR World Lead

By: Justin Felisko

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jose Vitor Leme brushed off his cowboy boots and took a seat in the empty locker room in the Sprint Center.

Eighty of the other rodeo contestants at the WCRA Royal City Roundup had already packed up their belongings and were heading home.

Meanwhile, Leme let out a sigh and shrugged.

It was a good night for the No. 1 bull rider in the world, but not nearly the kind he would have liked.

Leme won the bull riding portion of the WCRA $1 million rodeo, but his 2.23-second buckoff in the championship round aboard I’m Legit Too meant that he was unable to leave the Sprint Center with a $50,000 paycheck.

“I hoped he’d go more to the front to turn back, but…I don’t know what happened,” Leme, who won $15,963.28 said.

The 23-year-old, though, was not thinking about just dollars on Friday night.

There was more to gain than just $50,000 or a shot at the WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR) bonus.

“It’s not the $50,000, but the points are more important for me, because I’m in the race for the world title, and the points are very important,” Leme said. “All the points are very important, because this year it’s more hard to make points. I’m very happy for this. To make more points for the world standings. And I just keep focused on the next bull.”

Leme earned 37 points toward the PBR world standings Friday night to extend his lead over No. 2 Jess Lockwood to 128 points ahead of the Unleash The Beast Caterpillar Classic on Saturday and Sunday at the Sprint Center.

The No. 1 bull rider in the world earned the WCRA victory courtesy of his Round 1 winning ride of 90.75 points on Outlaw seeing as he, Lockwood (1.83 seconds on Milk Man) and Joao Ricardo Vieira (3.34 seconds on Blue Crush) all bucked off in the Showdown Round (championship round).

Fans can watch the full Showdown Round on Saturday on CBS national television at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Outlaw almost got Leme tipped over the front end in Round 1 before Leme was able to readjust and finish the ride for his fifth 90-point ride at all levels in 2020.

“Yeah, I prepared for that, because that bull, all the time, makes it difficult for the cowboys inside the chute. And outside, he’s a bucker,” Leme said. “It’s just the third time a cowboy ride this bull. He’s hard.”

Leme would have had to ride I’m Legit Too in the Showdown Round to be eligible for the $50,000 event prize per the WCRA’s ground rules.

Lockwood and Vieira joined Leme in the three-man Showdown Round, and the trio were the only riders in the nine-man bull-riding field to put forth qualified rides in Round 1.

Lockwood rode Crazy Time for 89 points, and Vieira conquered Medicine Man for 88.75 points in Round 1. Lockwood left the WCRA event with 24 world points, and Vieira – the No. 3 ranked rider in the world standings – picked up 13.

Vieira is 160.25 points behind Leme in the world standings heading into Saturday night’s Unleash The Beast contest.

 
Friday was the first night of a challenging weekend for the Top 3 riders in the world.

Saturday features Round 1 of the Caterpillar Classic, which is an ABBI Classic round, as well as a 15/15 Bucking Battle.

“It’s a hard weekend, because we have hard bulls,” Leme said. “We have the 15/15, and today the WCRA has great bulls, too.

“I’m just happy about this (win) because I keep (working hard). I keep continuing to focus on my bulls, and I keep making great rides. I’m very grateful for this.”

Leme has drawn Little Hott (1-0, UTB) for Round 1 and The Right Stuff (7-1, UTB) for the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

Round 1 airs on RidePass at 7:45 p.m. ET and the 15/15 Bucking Battle airs Sunday on CBS national television at 12:30 p.m. ET.

The Right Stuff bucked Leme off in 6.87 seconds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the February 2019 Unleash The Beast event.

“I bucked off him last time, but not tomorrow,” Leme said. “When I ride him before, he bucked really, really hard. I don’t know how to explain, but he (floated toward) the shark cage. He come toward the shark cage, and he bucks really good. But I hope tomorrow, maybe I am 90 (points) on him.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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