The Morning Line – Nampa Round 2

By: Slade Long

Cody Teel on 706 Hard Shot:

Teel got a score in the first round, and there’s a high probability he gets another one in Round 2. Hard Shot has been ridden four times in seven career outs. He is exactly what every rider wants in a practice bull, but slightly stronger. He has a lot of up and down, steady, even spin that isn’t too fast, and he’s good enough to score in the high 80’s on. He’s a walking, talking bucking machine, and Teel will probably get along with him just fine.

Jose Vitor Leme on 436 Midnight Rain:

Don’t look now, but the best rider in the game is 24 points out of the lead in the world standings, won Round 1 yesterday, and has one of the best draws available in this round. There is one catch: Midnight Rain is almost certainly going away from Leme’s hand, and he is 15-1 against left-handed guys.

Chase Dougherty on 34 Soup in a Group:

Around the end of last season, Soup in a Group gave up four straight rides of 88 points or more. Since then, he’s blanked four guys in a row, including Kaique Pacheco and Boudreaux Campbell. He always strikes a balance between being rideable and being challenging. He’s a good draw for this reason, too. Dougherty split the Round 1 win with Leme, and this is a good matchup for him.

Alex Cerqueira on 247 Red Dawn:

Red Dawn is like Soup in a Group, but more challenging. He gives every rider a chance but still gets around a 70% buckoff percentage against the best riders over a long career. Cerqueira did get the whistle in Round 1, and he has a good, but not easy, draw in Round 2.

Eduardo Aparecido on 204 Money:

Aparecido was 88.25 points on this bull a little over a year ago in Los Angeles. He’s the only guy to have ridden Money in 11 career outs, but he had a pretty easy time of it. This bull is not that well-known, but he looks like he can be a little empty or welly, and he spins to the right.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 450 Drop the Hammer:

This is a decent matchup for Vieira. Drop the Hammer can go either way, but Vieira can probably handle him either way as well. The real trick to this bull is that he leaves the chute big and strong with a lot of kick, goes out a couple of wonky jumps, and when he does settle into a spin, he’s a little soft and empty. He turns into a different kind of bull, and this throws a lot of guys off. If he goes the left here, Vieira should have no problem. He’ll be more of a problem if he goes to the right, but Vieira is really one of the best at keeping his upper body square with the bull, and that takes away a lot of this bull’s tricky difficulty.

Dener Barbosa on 87C Sun Country:

No score for Barbosa in Round 1, but he has a great chance at getting one here; Sun Country is 7-8 against left-handed riders. Joao Ricardo Vieira was 87.5 on him in Sioux Falls a couple of weeks ago.

Mauricio Moreira on 584 Foghorn Leghorn:

Foghorn Leghorn should go to the left, and Moreira will be the first lefty he’s faced this year. Like a lot of the other bulls in this round, this one is tough but rideable. Dener Barbosa was 88.25 points on him at the World Finals, and Daylon Swearingen was 88.5 points on him last August in Salt Lake City.

Joao Henrique Lucas on 94Z High Razor:

This bull really whirls it to the right and will drift across the arena while he spins. Bulls like this tend to be pretty good to riders; not as much power, but a lot of flash. Lucas has a chance to get a great score to add to his 87.25 in Round 1.

Kaique Pacheco on 31C Ain’t Easy Being Me:

Pacheco is holding on to the No. 1 spot in the world standings, but Leme is coming up behind him at 90-plus MPH. Like Leme, he rode his Round 1 bull and has a bull in Round 2 that’s sure to go away from his hand. This bull can move forward a little, and he is hard to ride, but a few right-handed guys have done well on him, including Sage Kimzey and Mason Taylor.

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