TicketSmarter Morning Line – Salt Lake City Round 1
By: Slade Long
We will see a pretty strong short round in Salt Lake City, but the two long rounds aren’t going to be quite as tough as we saw in Guthrie last week. There aren’t a lot of spicy matchups in the opening round, but look for the riders to hold their own due to a more rideable group of long round bulls.
Andrew Alvidrez on 0511/4 Space Monkey:
Alvidrez hasn’t been setting the world on fire lately, but he has a chance to flip the script here. Space Monkey is pretty nice for riders at this level, and he’s especially nice to right-handed riders – he’s 1-5 against them. Matt Triplett and Shane Proctor both had solid rides on him during the Monster Energy Team Challenge in Las Vegas earlier this season, Proctor riding him twice.
Keyshawn Whitehorse on 2-1 Mortimer:
Rock solid veteran bull here. Mortimer has been around for five years now, and he’s been a quality performer his entire career, and a good draw for every rider who has had him. He’s a kind of gatekeeper bull. Despite being very conventional and very rideable, he’s good enough to dominate all but the top level riders. Whitehorse should handle this bull easily and get a good score.
Cooper Davis on 66C Harold’s Genuine Risk:
This bull has one of the lowest difficulty ratings in the round. He’s a really good bull that has had a hard time throwing guys off. But, his best numbers are against right-handed riders, and that’s the only chance he has against Davis, who is still the favorite in this matchup going away from his hand.
Stetson Lawrence on 354 Red Man:
Lawrence isn’t having a fantastic season this year, but he has a good draw here. This bull is salty, but rideable. He was ridden twice in Denver early this season, and this will be only his fourth out at the UTB level. Lawrence has a chance to put up a good score.
Cody Teel on 409 Mr. Clean:
This bull hasn’t given up a qualified ride since May of 2019, and he threw Teel off in September of last year. He could potentially be the toughest bull in this round. He was the high-marked bull in Round 3 of the World Finals last year, and he was no joke, wrecking Cooper Davis in that out. He’s rideable, but he can be a handful. Teel will have to work for this one.
Dakota Louis on 9020 Gangster of Love:
Gangster of Love has been ridden in six of his last seven outs. He’s 0-5 at the UTB level, and he’s one of the least difficult bulls you will find at this level. Louis had one good ride at both Bismarck and Guthrie, and he has a good chance at getting one here. The key for him is getting more than just one.
Jake Lockwood on 44C Cold Water Willy:
Lockwood has a chance here, but this bull is not easy. Jake’s brother rode him in Sacramento this year, but looking back at the trip Willy had there, it took every ounce of talent Jess had to get the whistle, and Jess has a lot of talent. Jake is technically sound rider with a huge upside, but this bull will test him.
Cody Casper on 537C Air Assault:
Air Assault has given up some rides to right-handed riders, but essentially only to the very best righties he’s faced. This bull is the real deal – a pattern spinner that regularly gets 22-plus points from judges. Casper may be a little out of his comfort zone here, but this is a chance for him to step up.
Jose Vitor Leme on D23 War Party:
Leme bucked off his two bulls in Guthrie last week. He only bucked off three in a row one time this season. Two of those bulls are in the hunt for World Champion bull this year, and the other is still unridden. This bull isn’t in that league, and Leme is almost sure to get the job done here. He was 87.75 on War Party in Anaheim in 2018.
Kaique Pacheco on S533 Major Threat:
Pacheco is in a similar situation to Cooper Davis. This is a very rideable bull, but he’s almost sure to go away from Pacheco’s hand, and he’s been effective against right-handed riders. Pacheco is coming off a win last week, and he’s good enough away from his hand that this shouldn’t be a problem for him.
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