TicketSmarter Morning Line – Fort Worth Round 1 & 15/15 Bucking Battle

By: Slade Long

Andrew Alvidrez on 41B- Cool Customer:

One of the nice things about the sport of bull riding is that even if you are not at the very top, you can get there in a minute by taking on the best, and you will get a chance to do that. In this matchup, Alvidrez is the one looking to move up. Cool Customer is one of the best bulls going right now. His numbers have him in the YETI World Championship Bull race right now. He’s in the long round here because he hasn’t looked like a Top-10 bull in his last few outs. He’s still a pretty difficult bull to ride, and Alvidrez is definitely the underdog, but what more could an up-and-coming bull rider ask for than a chance to knock off one of the best?

Jose Vitor Leme on S528 Dixie Explosion:

Chase Outlaw was 89 points on this bull in July. Leme looks invincible right now. He can be beaten, but most of the bulls that have beaten him have had him at some kind of disadvantage. This bull doesn’t.

Junio Patrik Souza on 301 Show Me Homie:

In a round where there aren’t a lot of juicy matchups, Souza has drawn pretty well. Show Me Homie is unridden in 2020, but he is rideable. He has timing, and he should spin into Souza’s hand.

Mason Taylor on 31C Ain’t Easy Being Me:

Taylor had this bull in Sacramento last year and bucked off at 6.79 seconds. This is another bull who is unridden this season, but can be beaten. He’s a little tricky and can move forward and open up the spin, but Taylor is a smart rider and knowing what to expect here could give him an advantage.

Daylon Swearingen on 809 Old Fort Days:

Old Fort Days is the most difficult bull to ride in this round. He’s 39-1 in his career, and there’s nothing nice about him. Swearingen is one of the best younger riders, and the biggest flaw in his game is that he hasn’t done well against rough, out-of-line bulls like this. He excels on bulls that have timing, especially if they spin into his hand. If he can win against about one in three of these bulls that don’t fit him, he becomes a much more serious contender.

Brennon Eldred on 66C Harold’s Genuine Risk:

This is a good draw, but a much better draw for left-handed riders. He’s 4-1 against righties, and 0-4 against lefties. He threw Cooper Davis off last week in Salt Lake City. Eldred has a chance here if he can get in time with this bull. He’s very good on bulls that go away from his hand.

Stetson Lawrence on D18 Coal Train:

This is a big-time matchup. Lawrence had this bull in Sacramento early this year and came down quickly, but if he can get going on this bull early he has a chance. We’ve seen this bull have some impressive trips – he’s usually to the left, and he can be very fast. His style is similar to I’m Legit Too, and he can be almost that good at times.

Lucas Divino on 411 Big Shot:

Big Shot has been ridden in three of his last four outs. He will probably go away from Divino’s hand here, but Divino still has a good chance. Divino finished strong in Salt Lake City last week and could get off to a good start here.

15/15 Round:

Derek Kolbaba on 444 Big Black:

This is the bull to have in this round for a lefty. He may not be enough to win the round on if they ride more than a couple of bulls, but then again, he may be. He’s been ridden 14 times, 12 of those for round wins, and the average score on him is 90.77 points. Kolbaba had him twice last year, and bucked off both times, but he should still be a big favorite here.

Claudio Montanha Jr. on C05 Honey Man:

Honey Man is 7-0 this season, but his overall difficulty rating is pretty low for a bull in a 15/15 round. He was ridden several times last year. This bull can have a lot of up and down and a lot of action, and he’s not the best fit for Montanha, but there are tougher bulls in this round.

Cooper Davis on 527 Preacher’s Kid:

Davis is here because Marco Eguchi was injured in the practice pen this week. He may also have fallen ill when he found out what he had drawn. Preacher’s Kid is 19-0 in his career, and he’s just all around unfriendly to riders. Davis can ride any bull going, but he will have to work hard and have a little luck on his side to get by this one.

Mauricio Moreira on 518 Bad Decisions:

Bad Decisions is a pretty good draw for a lefty in a round this strong, but he’s still salty. This bull can have a lot of whip and action, and he keeps the pressure on the whole 8 seconds. Moreira has a chance here, but this won’t be easy.

Mason Taylor on 761 Total Feeds Bushwacked:

Taylor had this bull in Billings last year and got slammed hard, but that doesn’t mean the same will happen here. Bushwacked can be rideable, and there’s a good chance he will go into Taylor’s hand. This bull has big horns and he can get a lot of momentum going in the spin, and that combination produces a lot of wrecks.

Cody Teel on 44A Smooth Over:

This is a rock solid bull with a lot of power. He will probably go away from Teel’s hand, but good timing makes him rideable. This should be a good matchup to watch and a pretty even match, although the bull may have a slight edge if he goes to the left.

Stetson Lawrence on 561C Hocus Pocus:

This isn’t the ideal draw for a left-handed rider. Hocus Pocus almost always goes to the right, and he goes fast and hard. He’s a handful for anyone, and that much more of a handful if he’s away from your hand. He can be ridden, but Lawrence has no room for error here.

Ezekiel Mitchell on 43C- Chiseled:

Mitchell bucked off this bull in January, but he made it past the halfway point. We saw Jose Vitor Leme go 94 points on Chiseled last week away from his hand. He will be into Mitchell’s hand. Every rider hopes for a bull that’s both great and rideable, and Chiseled is at the top of that list right now. He’s world class good, but honest and gives riders a shot.

Cole Melancon on 500 I’m Legit Too:

If Melancon could switch bulls with Stetson Lawrence, they would both go for it in a minute. I’m Legit Too is in the thick of the World Championship Bull race, and he got there by going to the left as fast as a bull can go. Really good bull here, but not that promising for a right-handed rider.

Kaique Pacheco on B1 Apper’s Mind Freak:

Mind Freak is 18-0 against right-handed riders, and Pacheco will have to break that streak to win this match. This bull is tough on righties because of forward movement and speed. He will be as tough as Hocus Pocus and I’m Legit Too away from the rider’s hand, and that gives him a big advantage over even a rider as good as Pacheco.

Lucas Divino on 08B Hostage:

Like several other riders here, Divino has to figure out how to beat a bull at his strongest – going away from the rider’s hand. Divino is right-handed, and Hostage is 12-0 against right-handed riders. He has power and speed and like Melancon, Pacheco, and Lawrence, Divino is facing an uphill battle.

Colten Jesse on 2L Young Man’s Blues:

This bull is unridden in nine outs, but Jesse took him further than anyone else has. They met in Kansas City early this season, and Jesse lasted almost seven seconds before coming down. This matchup is a big question mark, but it can be tough for a bull when they give a rider this good a solid practice run against him.

Daylon Swearingen on 442 Blue Crush:

Probably no one who is getting on two bulls tonight drew two worse bulls to get on than Swearingen. Blue Crush is not as crushingly difficult as Swearingen’s first round draw, but he is rough, unpredictable, and he’s thrown Swearingen off twice this year.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on Marquis Metal Works Coriolis Effect:

This is the least known bull in this round, along with Leme’s bull. With only two outs on record, he threw J.B. Mauney in Guthrie a few weeks ago, and Derek Kolbaba in Sioux Falls before that.

Jose Vitor Leme on 635 Axle:

Like Vieira’s bull, this one only has two outs, with buckoffs against Mason Taylor and Michael Lane. Axle looked strong against Taylor last week in Salt Lake, but he went to the left, and Leme is pretty hard to get on the ground.

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