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ZipRecruiter Top Recruit: Petri Expects to be in Contention for Rookie of the Year on Championship Sunday in Las Vegas

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Jesse Petri admits he does have a slight tell that people can notice when it comes to him feeling confident during a bull ride.

If you ever notice Petri glance at his buddies on the back of the bucking chutes while he is on the back of a 1,500-pound bovine beast, you can get confirmation that he is in the zone.

However, there was a time in high school when the 2016 Florida High School Rodeo Association state champion bull rider used to get in trouble for being a little too confident and showboating.

“When I was young, I used to throw the peace sign up to my friends when I started riding or spurring,” Petri told PBR.com this week. “I always wanted to do something because it was almost too easy. I realized a lot of places the judges really didn’t like me throwing up peace signs, so I kind of grew out of that phase. It is fun to me when I am riding and I can do that. So now, every now and then, I will just look back at the boys. I will do that every now and then when I am feeling good on bulls, and I caught myself quite a bit doing that when I am hot. I can look up there, and I can keep concentrating and be ready to take care of my business.”

At just the right time last weekend, Petri caught fire to win his first career Unleash The Beast event.

Petri rode Foghorn Leghorn for 87.5 points in the championship round of the PBR Monster Energy Invitational in Manchester, New Hampshire, before 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco bucked off Mike’s Motive in 3.29 seconds to cement Petri the victory.

The 2-for-3 performance pushed Petri up to No. 13 in the world standings and third in the Rookie of the Year race heading into this weekend’s PBR Cooper Tires Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska.

 
It also led to Petri receiving his first UTB event win buckle, something he has long been desiring this season.

“It was pretty awesome,” Petri said. “I actually took a picture of one of them buckles earlier this year. I don’t know if it was one of Jose (Vitor Leme’s) or not, but I would look at that every now and then and say, ‘I want one of those this year.’”

Petri is 64.92 points behind Junior Patrik Souza in the Rookie of the Year race, and he has his sights on snatching up that Rookie of the Year buckle at the 2021 PBR World Finals on Nov. 3-7 in Las Vegas. Petri believes the race will come down to himself and his traveling partner, No. 2 rookie Chase Dougherty.

“It is a pretty cool race,” Petri said. “I really would like to go win the Finals and Rookie of the Year. Chase has been a little cold lately, but I think he is going to heat up. I think it is going to be me and Chase going down to the last day of the World Finals. He is mentally tough and strong enough that he will come back from the little slump he is in, and I am going to keep trusting my body and my instincts and keep doing what I have been doing. It will be good.”

Top 3 Rookie of the Year Race

No. 1 Junior Patrik Souza (576.5 points)
No. 2 Chase Dougherty (-52 points)
No. 3 Jesse Petri (-64.92 points)

Petri just recently started taking care of his body much more seriously than earlier this year.

Trips to Whataburger and other fast-food restaurants were more frequent than trips to the gym, but Petri decided before Manchester that it was time he took better care of his body.

 
“It is funny how I spent the whole week last week at the gym, and it helped me out a bit, so it is like I am addicted to it now,” Petri said. “I have been going every day, and it is pretty enjoyable. I get to listen to music and think about winning and my goals and visualize stuff when I am working out. That is what helps me. It is time to get away and think about what I want to do.”

Petri has drawn Breaking Records for Round 1 in Lincoln.

Fans can watch Round 1 exclusively on RidePass on Pluto TV beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET.

This week, Petri was back at Anytime Fitness in Stephenville, Texas, and he took a page out of two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood’s playbook and stopped at Subway for a ham and turkey flatbread.

Lockwood notoriously ate a ton of Subway during his 2017 World Championship season.

“Well, I like to hear that because I guess it worked for him,” Petri said with a laugh.

Petri knows a one- or two-week stint is not going to miraculously reshape his body between now and the World Finals, but he knows training his body physically will help him focus more on the possible gains in the arena that are awaiting him every weekend.

Whether it is upper-body workouts, simple stretching or just hopping on the treadmill, Petri wants to make sure he builds off his victory in Manchester and does not rest on his laurels, especially with less than two weeks until the PBR World Finals.

“I know you can get pretty complacent, and I just don’t want to take the win and go home and sit on my butt all week,” Petri said. “I want to keep doing what I did to get that win. There is no reason why I can’t do it again in Lincoln.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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