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Whitehorse Wins Round 1 in Billings

By: Mandi McCary

BILLINGS, Mont. – As Friday night rolled to a close inside of First Interstate Arena at Metrapark in Billings, Montana, Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Springs, Utah) earned his second round victory of the 2020 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) season by claiming the Round 1 win at the PBR Ariat Invitational presented by Cooper Tires.

Energetic Montana fans watched as the 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year fired out of the chutes aboard Crazy Doc (Paradigm Bull Company) and were quickly on their feet as the ride score of 89.5 points was announced.

The Round 1 effort moved the young Utah cowboy up from No. 31 in the world standings to No. 27 as he conquered night one of PBR’s 25th anniversary in Billings. The win earned him $3,500 and 20 world points.

 
Just two weeks after winning his league-leading sixth event title of the 2020 season at the PBR UTB in Fort Worth, Texas, world leader Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) proved he was not backing down as he delivered a crowd-pleasing 89.25-point ride aboard Safety Meeting (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Hruby/ Kainz) as the night ended.

The phenom from Brazil furthered his world lead with his second-place finish, leaving world No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) trailing him by 439.59 points.

Leme’s Friday night effort garnered 10 world points and a $2,500 check.

 
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) finished third in Round 1 courtesy of his 88.5-point trip on Big City Nights (Vold Rodeo). The young Texan earned nine world points and a check for $2,000.

Alvidrez is now ranked No. 29 in the world, rising from the No. 30 position at the start of the event.

 
Home-state rider Dakota Louis (Browning, Montana) brought the cheering fans to a deafening roar as he rocketed from the chutes, determined to stay aboard Chilli Whap (Tyler Faris Bucking Bulls/ Garcia). The 86.5-point score earned a fourth-place finish and moved Louis from his No. 38 spot in the world standings to No. 36, that much closer to his dream of qualifying for his very first PBR World Finals.

The Montana man earned $1,125 and eight world points for his first night efforts.

 
Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas Goias, Brazil) and 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) enter Round 2 on Saturday night tied for fifth place after riding Switchback (Triplett Bucking Bulls) and Short Pop (Hart Cattle Co./ Hale), respectively, for 85.75 points in Round 1.

The Top 5 finish earned each cowboy $625 and 6.5 world points. Divino held on strong to his No. 7 spot in the world standings, while Davis held No. 10.

 
Falling a bit lower on the Round 1 leaderboard was two-time PBR World Champion and Montana native Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) with a 10th-place finish. After a roughly six-month hiatus as he recovered from surgery to repair a hamstring avulsion, Lockwood was cleared to return to competition. The youngest champ in PBR history attempted his first practice bull the week before his return to action this weekend in his home state and was ready to get back to work.

His Friday night matchup against One For The Money (Kruger Bucking Bulls/Vold Rodeo) for 84 points earned a mere two world points. He still holds the No. 3 spot in the world standings, trailing world leader Leme by 578.50.

The best bull riders in the world will return to First Interstate Arena at Metrapark on Saturday, Sept. 12 for Round 2 of the PBR Ariat Invitational presented by Cooper Tires. The night will also feature a special 15/15 Bucking Battle round.

Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 in Billings starting on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. EST on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile App.

PBR Unleash The Beast – PBR Ariat Invitational presented by Cooper Tires
First Interstate Arena at Metrapark -Billings, Montana
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 89.5-0-0-0-89.50-20 Points.
2. Jose Vitor Leme, 89.25-0-0-0-89.25-10 Points.
3. Andrew Alvidrez, 88.5-0-0-0-88.50-9 Points.
4. Dakota Louis, 86.5-0-0-0-86.50-8 Points.
5. Lucas Divino, 85.75-0-0-0-85.75-6.5 Points.
(tie). Cooper Davis, 85.75-0-0-0-85.75-6.5 Points.
7. Jake Lockwood, 85.25-0-0-0-85.25-5 Points.
8. Kaique Pacheco, 85-0-0-0-85.00-3.5 Points.
(tie). J.B. Mauney, 85-0-0-0-85.00-3.5 Points.
10. Jess Lockwood, 84-0-0-0-84.00-2 Points.
11. Mason Taylor, 83.75-0-0-0-83.75-1 Points.
12. Daylon Swearingen, 82-0-0-0-82.00
(tie). Claudio Montanha Jr., 82-0-0-0-82.00
14. Rubens Barbosa, 80.75-0-0-0-80.75
15. Brennon Eldred, 77.75-0-0-0-77.75
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Colten Jesse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Bradley Brittain, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0-0.00

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