The Morning Line – Sioux Falls Round 3

By: Slade Long

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 87C Sun Country:

Vieira is sitting third out of six guys who are 2-for-2 so far, and he outdrew them all. Sun Country is a good draw for left-handed riders, and Vieira was 88.5 points on him late last fall right here in Sioux Falls. Cody Nance and Eduardo Aparecido, sitting on either side of Vieira in this event, also drew well, but Vieira has the easiest path to 3-for-3.

Jose Vitor Leme on 437B Lil 2 Train:

Leme is 0-for-3 on this bull, as they met three times in 2019. Leme is a better rider now than he was in 2019, but Lil 2 Train has had his number so far. Leme is also good on two, and it would be no surprise to see him pick up a third score, but this bull is obviously a challenge for him.

Derek Kolbaba on 92T Buckin’ for Cash:

Kolbaba won the first round but let one slip away last night. He may strike again in Round 3. Buckin’ for Cash is a great draw and has given up some big scores this year, but he made short work of Luciano de Castro in Round 2. If Kolbaba can get to the whistle on this bull, he could contend for another round win.

Cody Nance on 504 Ponotoc:

This bull doesn’t get ridden that often because he has some power, but Nance has always done well on strong bulls. Ponotoc is not particularly fast but is a little heavy. Nance has a lot to gain. He’s currently 2-for-2 and sitting second in the event. He also has a big advantage in the draw over the only man ahead of him.

Kaique Pacheco on 345 Rising Sun:

Pacheco is 0-for-2, but this is still a really interesting matchup. Rising Sun is extremely vulnerable to left-handed riders, but not many righties stay on him. Pacheco bucked off of him at the 2017 World Finals. A few weeks ago, Cooper Davis placed second in Kansas City and rode all his bulls, despite having long-round matchups that didn’t lean his way. Every guy who wins the title has to win many matchups where he’s at some kind of disadvantage. Pacheco has a chance to do that. Rising Sun is very rideable.

Eduardo Aparecido on 87L Party Animal:

Derek Kolbaba won Round 1 on this bull, and because Party Animal goes to the right, he’s a better fit for Aparecido than he was for Kolbaba. Aparecido is 2-for-2 and has a great path to a possible round win and event win with this bull. Party Animal is a son of After Party, and there is some family resemblance in their bucking style. After Party was famous for going to the right and flipping guys over his front end. We didn’t see much of that Friday night, but this bull can do the same.

Dener Barbosa on -51 Skeeter Peter:

This bull has been ridden four times in his last six outs and gave up great scores in all of those. The bad news is that he’s 11-1 against left-handed riders. Barbosa does most of his winning on bulls that go into his hand, and this one probably won’t.

Marco Eguchi on 505 Puddle Dock Road:

This bull only has four outs on his record, but the most relevant one is his out against Boudreaux Campbell Friday night. He was about as hard to ride as a bull can possibly be. He had the worst timing possible, which is to say he had no discernable timing at all. He was just plain miserable-looking. If that is his normal trip, he’s the toughest draw in the round. He did go to the right with Campbell, but just staying on him long enough to see which way he will go looks like a chore. Eguchi leads the event with two 88-plus-point scores, but he will have a much harder time getting to 3-for-3 than some of the other guys.

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