KANSAS CITY, Mo. ― The final day of the Caterpillar Classic will feature plenty of veteran riders trying to record their first rides of the weekend. Here is a look at some matchups:
Chase Outlaw on 93 Plummer Butt:
Any bull that is ridden roughly half the time at the Built Ford Tough Series level is a good draw. Outlaw should be favored in this match; but since he didn’t get a score last night, there’s a question of whether Plummer Butt can deliver a big enough score to help him here.
Kasey Hayes on 59 Whiskey’s Rebel:
Whiskey’s Rebel is always one of the best draws in any long round he appears in. He starts out very strong, but tends to even out into a nice spin with good timing. He is ridden fairly often, even more often by left- handed riders and is capable of producing big scores.
Lachlan Richardson on 28W Nefarious:
Nefarious has been ridden three times in five Built Ford Tough Series outs and five times in nine career outs. He has faced three right-handed riders and all three made it home on him. Richardson already has one score and should get another here.
L.J. Jenkins on 982 Celling Bioscience’s Jukebox Hero:
This is not a done deal for a right-handed rider, but Jenkins has ridden this bull before – as have the majority of riders who have been on him at every level. Hero should spin to the left, and he’s a great draw. He’s got some speed and can move around in the spin a little, but he doesn’t move out from under many guys.
J.B. Mauney on 8T Play Harder:
We do not see this bull very often – only three times last season. The last time he was ridden was in March 2012 by Renato Nunes (86.5). In February 2012, Mauney earned 90 points on him to win Round 1 in Baltimore. This bull should fit Mauney perfectly; and if Mauney’s riding hand is strong enough to get on, he should do well here.
Mike Lee on -969 Little Bighorn:
Left-handed riders have ridden Little Bighorn four times in nine outs, and he’s been ridden three times in his last five outs. Brady Sims rode him in Round 3 last weekend in St. Louis, and he’s not likely to get Lee on the ground here.
Markus Mariluch on 64 Cheerio:
This is a very good bull, and Cheerio is very good at throwing guys off outside the Built Ford Tough Series. At the highest level, not so much. He’s been ridden in just over half his outs on tour – more often by right-handed riders. Mariluch has a good chance at a score here. Cheerio has produced lackluster scores in his past two outs, but prior to that he regularly carried riders to round wins.
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Marco Eguchi on 525 Die Hard:
Though Die Hard has been ridden just six times in 34 career outs, he’s very rideable. Reese Cates turned down a re-ride in Chicago on Die Hard after making the whistle for 8 seconds, while in Round 1 of the Chicago Invitational Brant Atwood lasted to the 7.71-second mark. Die Hard has steady timing and quite a few riders make it nearly to the whistle on him.
Guilherme Marchi on 847 Western Hauler:
They’ve met twice before and each has one win. Marchi rode Western Hauler for 86.25 points in Duluth, Ga., last month. However, this bull is not that easy to conquer. He will keep pounding out quick jumps on a rider until he loosens them up. Marchi should be the favorite here, but he’ll have to put in a full day’s work.
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