Toves Wins Round 1 in Nampa to Inch Closer to Qualifying for 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington
By: Mandi McCary
NAMPA, Idaho – Friday night marked the beginning of the final regular-season PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) event of 2020 before the top bull riders in the world head to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the historic PBR World Finals Nov. 12-15.
As the dust settled inside of Ford Idaho Center and night one of the two-day weekend came to a close, Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas), put together one of 18 qualified rides of the night and earned his second round victory of the 2020 season by claiming Round 1 of the PBR Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride, presented by Union Home Mortgage.
Energetic Idaho fans watched as the determined young rider from Texas fired out of the chutes aboard Medicine Man (TNT Bucking Bulls/ Hart Cattle Co), recording an impressive 89.75-point score.
The Round 1 effort moved Toves up from No. 36 in the world standings to No. 34, all but punching his ticket into the coveted Top 35 to qualify for World Finals.
“I’ve got nothing to lose now,” Toves said. “I’ve been on that bull before. I rode him the first time, he bucked me off the second time. I knew he’d be good, and I did my job.”
The win earned him $3,133.81 and 20 world points as he heads into Round 2 on Saturday.
After going an uncharacteristic 0-for-2 last weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma, world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) was in for a wild ride aboard Joe Bannanas (Humpz and Hornz) on Friday evening. No match for his bovine opponent, Leme was thrashed about and slammed to the ground in a mere 2.67 seconds. Despite the buckoff, Leme remains in firm control of the top spot in the world standings, sitting 562.59 points ahead of fellow countryman and No. 2-ranked rider Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil).
After an 85.75-point ride aboard Delbert Sr. (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/Clay Struve) Vieira put himself in a strong position to gain points this weekend and narrow the gap between himself and Leme. The 36-year-old also picked up 0.5 world points tonight, finishing 11th in the round.
Brazilian rider Rafael Henrique dos Santos (Sebastianopolis, Brazil) finished second after delivering a crowd-pleasing 89.25-point ride aboard Why Hell Ya (Hart Cattle Co/ Randy Wood). Santos, who began the weekend at No. 42 in the standings, climbed to No. 40 after his Friday night effort garnered 10 world points in addition to a $2,103.13 check.
First drawing Ghost Face (D&H Cattle Company), 2012 PRCA World Champion Cody Teel (College Station, Texas) earned a re-ride and re-matched against Quickfire (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) for 88 points and third overall in the round.
The qualified ride moved Teel from No. 20 to No. 18 in the world standings, earning him nine world points and $1,654.
Fellow Texan Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) brought the cheering fans to a deafening roar as he rocketed from the chutes, determined to stay aboard Dallas (D&H Cattle Company). The 87.25-point score earned a fourth-place finish and moved Mitchell up one spot from his No. 10 spot in the world standings to No. 9.
The young gun earned $975.52 and eight world points for his first night efforts.
2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas), Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) and Junior Patrik Souza (Sonora, Brazil) enter Round 2 on Saturday night tied for fifth place after riding Buck Wild (4B Bucking Bulls), Tractorland Arizona Dreamin (Wild Hoggs/ Corey Chmelnyk) and Tykro Pound Sand (Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk), respectively, for 87 points.
The Top 5 finish earned each cowboy $523.97 and six world points.
Davis held on strong to his No. 7 spot in the world standings, while Campbell, who began the weekend at No. 34 on the bubble, moves to No. 33. Souza moved up two spots from No. 40 to No. 38.
Falling a bit lower on the Round 1 leaderboard was two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina) with a ninth-place finish. Going four straight events with qualified rides, Mauney was first tasked with Homebrew (D&H Cattle Company), but earned a re-ride aboard Sitting Bull (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Diamond Willow). His 86-point ride earned a mere 2.5 world points but tightened his grip on his No. 30 spot in the world standings.
The best bull riders in the world will return to the Ford Idaho Center on Saturday, Oct. 17 for Round 2 and the Championship Round of the PBR Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride, presented by Union Home Mortgage. RidePass’ LIVE coverage of Round 2 will begin at 9:45 p.m. ET, while CBS Sports Networks’ coverage of the Championship Round will be broadcast at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 in Nampa starting on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 8 a.m. EST on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile App.
PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride, presented by Union Home Mortgage
Ford Idaho Center – Nampa, Idaho
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Taylor Toves, 89.75-0-0-89.75-20 Points.
2. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 89.25-0-0-89.25-10 Points.
3. Cody Teel, 88-0-0-88.00-9 Points.
4. Ezekiel Mitchell, 87.25-0-0-87.25-8 Points.
5. Cooper Davis, 87-0-0-87.00-6 Points.
(tie). Boudreaux Campbell, 87-0-0-87.00-6 Points.
(tie). Junior Patrik Souza, 87-0-0-87.00-6 Points.
8. Cole Melancon, 86.25-0-0-86.25-4 Points.
9. J.B. Mauney, 86-0-0-86.00-2.5 Points.
(tie). Chase Dougherty, 86-0-0-86.00-2.5 Points.
11. João Ricardo Vieira, 85.75-0-0-85.75-0.5 Points.
(tie). Andre da Cruz de Souza, 85.75-0-0-85.75-0.5 Points.
13. Brennon Eldred, 84.75-0-0-84.75
14. Mason Taylor, 84.25-0-0-84.25
15. Daylon Swearingen, 83.75-0-0-83.75
(tie). Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 83.75-0-0-83.75
17. Kaique Pacheco, 82.5-0-0-82.50
18. Lucas Divino, 81.5-0-0-81.50
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0.00
Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Joao Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-0.00
Amadeu Campos Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Bradley Brittain, 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00
Valdiron de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0.00
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