Perfect Wingson Henrique da Silva Wins Debut PBR Unleash The Beast Event Inside Toyota Center
By: Kacie Albert
HOUSTON, Texas – As the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, wound to a close Saturday night, Wingson Henrique da Silva (Navirai, Brazil) rode supreme, delivering a perfect 3-for-3 performance to win the Kubota PBR Houston, presented by Michelob ULTRA, cracking the Top 10 in the race for the 2024 World Championship.
Rookie sensation Clay Guiton (Cherryville, North Carolina) had led the event going into the championship round, but the 18-year-old was bucked off his final bull in a heart-breaking 7.44 seconds, paving the way for Silva’s win.
Silva, who rides for the Kansas City Outlaws in the separate PBR Teams league, was quick to strike in Round 1, riding Bison (JD Nix Rodeo Co.) for 78.25 points. As Championship Saturday got underway, Silva rose from tenth to third on the event leaderboard courtesy of his 85.25-point effort aboard Mighty Mike (Braun Bucking Bulls) in Round 2.
With the third pick in the championship round bull draft, Silva architected a rubber match with I’m Legit Too (Hart Cattle Co./Hale). Taking on the bull twice during the 2023 PBR Teams season, Silva rode the bull for 88.25 points in their first meeting in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in July, but was bucked off in a hard-fought 7.32 seconds in their most recent showdown in September in Oklahoma City.
Bursting from the chutes, Silva remained in perfect time with the swift moving bovine athlete, reaching the requisite 8 with ease as the electric Space City crowd erupted in raucous cheer. Marked a monstrous 90 points, the mammoth ride proved enough to earn Silva his first Unleash The Beast win of 2024.
Along with a check for $47,276, Silva earned a crucial 112 Unleash The Beast points. He rose from No. 19 to No. 9 in the race for the 2024 PBR World Championship, closing within 426.5 points of No. 1 Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil), who was shut out inside the home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona) was second, netting 102 Unleash The Beast points.
Jesus was sensational as competition got underway, tying for the Round 1 win courtesy of his 88.5-point ride on Flatliner (Blake Sharp). However, his momentum came to a quick end in Round 2 when he was tossed by The Show (Young Cattle Co./S Bar 5, LLC) in 5.28 seconds.
The stalwart member of the 2023 PBR Teams Champion Texas Rattlers was quick to rebound in the championship round, delivering the high-marked ride of the event when he dominated Chateau Montelena’s Montana Jacket (Vella/Coleman/Ogden/Hart) for an unrivaled 91.25 points.
Chasing his first gold buckle this May, Jesus climbed from No. 9 to No. 3 in the Unleash The Beast standings. He now trails No. 1 Dias by 345.5 points.
Guiton finished third in just the third Unleash The Beast event of his young career.
Guiton began the championship round atop the event standings after he rode Washita Red (Eldred Cattle) for 86.5 points in Round 1 and Renegade (Hale/Vella/Ogden/Hart) for 82.5 points in Round 2.
With the first selection in the championship round bull draft, Guiton selected YETI PBR World Champion Bull contender UTZ BesTex Smokestack (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers).
Guiton initially appeared centered, however, the burly bovine outlasted him, in a close 7.44 seconds.
Earning 51 Unleash The Beast points, Guiton rose from No. 36 to No. 26 in the standings.
Ednelio Almeida (Cacoal, Brazil) went 2-for-3 to finish fourth.
The Nashville Stampede rider earned 44 Unleash The Beast points for his 85.25-point ride aboard Hoka Hey (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers) in Round 1, and 83.5-point trip atop Skippy (Skippy & Linda Johnson/Hookin’ W Ranch) in Round 2.
While Almeida travelled to Houston ranked No. 30, he is now No. 25 in the Unleash The Beast standings.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveria, Brazil).
After the Missouri Thunder rider tied for the Round 1 win, riding Joker’s Alibi (Eldred Cattle) for 88.5 points, he was shut out on Championship Saturday, tossed by Sauced Up (Flying S Bucking Bulls) in 2.63 seconds in Round 2, and by Bandito Bug (Blake Sharp/Utz/Carey/Chaney) in 6.24 seconds in the championship round.
In the bull pen, Red Demon (Universal Pro Rodeo/Rachel & Dustin Powell/Delmas/Williams) was unrivaled, anointed the YETI “Built for the Wild’ Bull of the Event. Bucking in the championship round, Red Demo was awarded a commanding 47-point bull score for his 2.3-second buckoff of veteran contender Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil).
Dana White’s Twisted Steel (Dana White/DD Bucking Bulls) returned to the Unleash The Beast lineup for the fourth time this season. In Round 2, the powerful animal athlete bucked off Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, North Carolina) in 3.2 seconds to earn a 42.75-point bull score. Dana White’s Twisted Steel has now bucked off 33 of the 36 riders to have attempted him.
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, for the PBR Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic, the second Major of the 2024 season. The event is on Friday, February 2, at 7:45 p.m. PST, Saturday, February 3, at 6:45 p.m. PST and Sunday, February 4, at 1:45 p.m. PST.
Elsewhere in the PBR, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour held events in both Greenville, South Carolina, and Laredo, Texas.
In South Carolina, Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to win the Velocity Tour’s PBR Greenville.
When action got underway Friday night, the Austin Gamblers’ Mitchell dominated Round 1, delivering the top score when he covered Bossed Up (Blake Sharp) for 87 points. The charismatic Texan then solidified his position atop the event leaderboard when he delivered the second-best score of Round 2 on Championship Saturday, riding Walk It Out (Davis Rodeo Ranch) for 85 points.
As the last man to leave the chutes Saturday night inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Mitchell then went head-to-head with Pocket Change (J Bar W) in the championship round. Nodding with confidence, Mitchell burst from the chutes, reaching the requisite 8 with ease as the sold-out crowd erupted in raucous cheer.
Marked 84 points, Mitchell’s third qualified ride in as many attempts clinched him the event win. Mitchell left the Palmetto State having earned a crucial 144 Velocity Global points.
In Laredo, Ederson Santos (Ilha Solteira, Brazil) reached a crucial career milestone, going a perfect 3-for-3 to win his first PBR event.
The 36-year-old first put points on the board in Round 1 when he covered Lefty (Dana White/DD Bucking Bulls) for 81 points.
While he began Round 2 eleventh on the event leaderboard, he surged fourth ahead of the championship round after topping Not Yet (Obernagel/Sho-Me Rodeo) for 86 points.
Santos then overtook the event lead when he delivered what proved to be the event-winning ride in the championship round, teaming with Cooter Brown (Cash Money Bucking Bulls) for a tour stop best 88 points.
Santos left the Lone Star State having earned 133 Velocity Global points.
The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour next travels to North Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 2-3, and Bakersfield, California, on Feb. 3.
CURT PBR North Charleston at North Charleston Coliseum gets underway on Friday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. EST and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. EST. PBR Bakersfield at Mechanics Bank Arena begins on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. PST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
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