Salgado Wins Round 1 of Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Lexington Invitational

By: Kacie Albert

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Competing at his career-first PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event, and appearing in his fourth-ever competition with the league on American soil, surging Brazilian Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) was dominant on the opening night of the expansion series’ stop in Lexington, Kentucky, winning Round 1 of the Lexington Invitational at Rupp Arena.

The 22-year-old sensation captured the opening-round victory courtesy of a head-turning 88-point score aboard Lil Willard (Richardson Land & Cattle Co.).

The career-best score earned Salgado a critical 7 world points and allowed him to jump more than 20 positions in the PBR world standings, climbing from No. 68 to No. 47.

Eli Byler (Nashville, Ohio) and Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) tied for second after recording matching 87.5-point scores. They made the 8 aboard Blame It On The Whiskey (3J Ranch) and The Beast (Young Bucking Bulls, LLC), respectively, to each net 3.5 world points.

Both gaining ground in the early 2021 PBR World Championship race, Byler rose from No. 58 to No. 51 in the world standings, while Mast climbed from No. 82 to No. 64.

Fresh off his victory at the Touring Pro Division event in Texarkana, Arkansas, Chase Dougherty (Canby, Oregon) delivered a fourth-place effort in Round 1 of the Velocity Tour’s Lexington Invitational.

The 22-year-old Oregon native went the distance atop White Squirrel (Sho-Me Rodeo/Rafter J) for 87 points to earn 2 world points.

Ahead of Round 2 at the home of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, Dougherty is now ranked No. 34 in the world, gaining two positions after beginning the event ranked No. 36. Seeking a berth to the elite Unleash The Beast, Dougherty now trails the Top 30 by a slim 9 world points.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Hayden Harris (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) and three-time PBR World Finals qualifier Michael Lane (Tazewell, Virginia), who tied for fifth, earning 1 world point.

Both logged scores of 86 points. Harris rode Keep ‘em Guessin (3J Ranch), while Lane covered Simple Man (UTC/Sellers Bucking Bulls).

The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Lexington Invitational was also a stop on the 2021 Million Dollar Bull Team Challenge.

Sellers Bucking Bulls/UTC won the performance with 279.16 points courtesy of the trips notched by How Bout It, Simple Man and Mic Drop.

Second place was Sho-Me Rodeo/Rafter J with 277.87 points, while Richardson Land & Cattle Company was third with 277.71 points. Sho-Me Rodeo/Rafter J’s team included TikTok, White Squirrel and Last Chance, while the bronze-effort from Richardson Land & Cattle Company was earned courtesy of outs recorded by Flea Flicker, Go Blue and Lil Willard.

Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 of the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Lexington Invitational Saturday, February 20 at 8:00 a.m. EST on RidePass, at RidePass.com or via the RidePass app available on iOS, Android and Roku.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour action from Lexington, Kentucky and Rupp Arena continues on Saturday, February 20 with Round 2 and the championship round. Action gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ESTT.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour – Lexington Invitational
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Thiago Salgado, 88-0-0-88.00-7 Points.
2. Eli Byler, 87.5-0-0-87.50-3.5 Points.
(tie). Marcus Mast, 87.5-0-0-87.50-3.5 Points.
4. Chase Dougherty, 87-0-0-87.00-2 Points.
5. Hayden Harris, 86-0-0-86.00-1 Points.
(tie). Michael Lane, 86-0-0-86.00-1 Points.
7. Jesse Petri, 85.5-0-0-85.50-1 Points.
8. Wyatt Rogers, 84.5-0-0-84.50
9. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 84-0-0-84.00
(tie). Jake Davis, 84-0-0-84.00
11. Hunter Ball, 83.5-0-0-83.50
(tie). Caleb Christian, 83.5-0-0-83.50
13. Eli Vastbinder, 82-0-0-82.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Rodrigo Melgar, 0-0-0-0.00
Leonardo Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Thor Hoefer II, 0-0-0-0.00
Valdiron de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Keith Hall, 0-0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Logan Biever, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Fideles Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00
Francisco Morales, 0-0-0-0.00
Triston Dean, 0-0-0-0.00
Laramie Craigen, 0-0-0-0.00
Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0.00
Bradley Brittain, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Santana, 0-0-0-0.00
Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0.00
Romildo Rodrigues, 0-0-0-0.00
Carlos Gomes Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Allen Burkholder, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Phipps, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Miller, 0-0-0-0.00
Jake Gowdy, 0-0-0-0.00
Tyler Brinkley, 0-0-0-0.00
Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0-0.00

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