What 2 Watch 4: World Title Contenders Vieira and Pacheco Returning in Bismarck
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – The 20th annual Dakota Community Bank & Trust Invitational on Friday night is the official beginning of the second half of the Unleash The Beast, and there are a handful of fan favorites returning to action.
Of course, plenty of talk will be around the season debuts of two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney and 11-time PBR World Finals qualifier Cody Nance, but there are also two riders in the 2020 world title race that are back in the United States for the first time in almost five months.
No. 3 Joao Ricardo Vieira and 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco, No. 6 in the world standings, are set to ride at their first event since the March 13-14 UTB event in Duluth, Georgia. Both riders cut their first halves short and returned home to Brazil as the COVID-19 outbreak began to spread throughout the United States, as well in Brazil.
Fans can watch Round 1 Friday night exclusively on RidePass beginning at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Vieira and Pacheco each missed three UTB events, and one 15/15 Bucking Battle, at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, but they still remain in contention for the 2020 World Championship.
The two veterans have plenty of experience when it comes to second half title pushes compared to No. 4 Daylon Swearingen and No. 5 Colten Jesse, and Vieira and Pacheco are well aware of what is at stake during the final three months before the 2020 PBR World Finals.
Vieira has drawn Low Dog (5-2, UTB) for Round 1, and he begins the second half 274.25 points behind world leader Jose Vitor Leme. Low Dog actually bucked Leme off in 6.13 seconds in his last out at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last month.
The 36-year-old went 7-for-7 at three Brazilian rodeos, earning two victories, during his time at home.
“It’s been the best phase of João’s career, (riding) very well and very confident,” Metzker said. “He is a strong name to be World Champion. Given his age, he will focus even more on this season.”
Pacheco fell to No. 6 in the world standings, and he is 452 points behind Leme. If Pacheco wants to win a second world title this season, he will need to quickly start chipping away at Leme’s lead.
The 25-year-old has a rematch against Deep Water (27-10, UTB) in Round 1, and he is five rides away from notching 200 rides on the premier series. Pacheco rode Deep Water for 84 points at the 2018 Tacoma Invitational after previously bucking off the bull in 1.64 seconds at the 2017 Nampa, Idaho, 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Pacheco, who attempted some practice bulls in Brazil to try to stay in riding shape, has a career second-half riding percentage of 49.32% (72-for-146) compared to 46.24% (123-for-266) in the first half.
WHO IS IN/OUT FOR THIS WEEKEND
This weekend’s event at the Bismarck Event Center is non-mandatory for all bull riders, and the PBR has invited 35 riders to compete. The first 30 draw spots were filled based on the 2020 world standings. Riders with World Champion exemptions, riders with guaranteed event exemptions or riders with approved injury exemptions filled remaining spots. The remaining draw spots were then filled based on the current season’s world standings.
Many of the PBR’s top international riders had returned home to Australia, Brazil and Canada once the PBR went on hiatus following the last Unleash The Beast event in Duluth, Georgia, on March 15, and some are still working on getting government approval to return for the second half.
2016 PBR Brazil champion Dener Barbosa said he is hopeful that he will be cleared for a return to the United States by the end of the month. Barbosa, Claudio Montanha Jr., Eduardo Aparecido and Ramon de Lima have been working with the PBR to get approval so they can compete during the second half.
Riders inside the Top 35 that are not competing this weekend
No. 2 Jess Lockwood (reconstructive hamstring surgery)
No. 7 Dener Barbosa (in Brazil)
No. 10 Fabiano Vieira (head injury)
No. 11 Eduardo Aparecido (in Brazil)
No. 12 Ramon de Lima (in Brazil)
No. 15 Claudio Montanha Jr. (in Brazil)
No. 16 Mason Taylor (wrist)
No. 19 Aaron Kleier (in Australia)
No. 24 Dakota Buttar (in Canada)
No. 25 Tye Chandler (hip surgery)
No. 26 Ryan Dirteater (allergies/illness)
No. 29 Lachlan Richardson (in Australia)
No. 35 Brock Radford (in Canada)
Alternates this weekend
No. 36 Cody Casper (-3.66 points behind No. 35 Radford)
No. 38 Marcus Mast (-9 points)
No. 40 Jake Lockwood (-10 points)
No. 41 Keyshawn Whitehorse (-11.16 points)
No. 42 Rafael Henrique dos Santos (-11.66 points)
No. 45 Dakota Louis (-21.66 points)
No. 53 Devon Weaver (-42.16 points)
No. 55 Grayson Cole (-43.16 points)
No. 56 Paulo Lima (-43.66 points)
No. 57 Junio Patrik Souza (-45.16 points)
Riders competing via exemption
No. 64 Cannon Cravens
Cody Nance (-84.66)
J.B. Mauney (-84.66)
Nance and Mauney are making their 2020 Unleash The Beast season debuts and will have eight guaranteed events before being subject to the UTB cutline. Mauney would also get an additional 10 events if needed because he is a World Champion.
Nance had missed the first half of the season because of nerve damage in his right shoulder, and he looked rusty in his first action of 2020 at the Monster Energy Team Challenge, going 2-for-12 and bucking off his final nine bulls of the competition. The 32-year-old will look to start off his UTB season on a good foot vs. Short Night (9-3, UTB) on Friday night.
Mauney is making his debut after undergoing reconstructive left shoulder surgery in January – his second shoulder surgery in less than three years. The two-time World Champion will begin his pursuit of a 15th consecutive World Finals appearance vs. Sky Harbor (20-4, UTB).
Cravens has four injury exemptions remaining following Bismarck.
LEME BEGINS STRETCH RUN WITH 253-POINT LEAD; FACES GOODNIGHT ROBICHEAUX FOR $10,000
World leader Jose Vitor Leme heads into Bismarck with a 253-point lead on injured No. 2 Jess Lockwood, who is hopeful to be cleared for a return to competition on Sept. 11 in Billings, Montana.
Leme will attempt to increase his lead on Lockwood when he faces Sniper (10-4, UTB) in Round 1.
The 2017 PBR World Finals event winner will then square off against Good Night Robicheaux in a special $10,000 bonus matchup on Friday night. Good Night Robicheaux owns the second-longest buckoff streak on the premier series at 20-0, and he has yet to be ridden in PBR competition at all levels (35-0). Dusty Craig did ride Good Night Robicheaux at an ABBI-sanctioned Bordertown Casino & Arena event in Wyandotte, Oklahoma, for 84.5 points on September 22, 2018.
ROUND 1 REMATCHES
There are a season-high 10 rematches set for Round 1 in Bismarck.
Brennon Eldred vs. Stretch (3.74 seconds at the 2017 World Finals)
Cole Melancon vs. Jungle Can Do (1-1; 2.62 seconds in Guthrie, Oklahoma, & 86.5 points at 2017 Velocity Tour Finals)
Dakota Louis vs. Space Force (3.34 seconds at the 2019 Deadwood, South Dakota, TPD)
Ezekiel Mitchell vs. Red Dawn (3.38 seconds last year in Minneapolis)
Kaique Pacheco vs. Deep Water (1-1; 84 points at the 2018 UTB in Tacoma, Washington, & 1.64 seconds at the 2017 Nampa, Idaho, 15/15 Bucking Battle)
Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Speed Demon (1-1; 3.06 seconds at the 2019 UTB in St. Louis & 85 points at the 2017 premier series event in Sacramento, California)
Marco Eguchi vs. Biker Bob (2.41 seconds at the 2017 Tacoma 15/15 Bucking Battle)
Matt Triplett vs. Big Black Cat (1-1; 5.49 seconds at the 2019 Chicago Invitational & 88 points at the 2018 PBR World Finals)
Silvano Alves vs. Dusty’s Revenge (1-2; 2.13 seconds in Sacramento, California; 85.75 points in Houston last season & 3.13 seconds at the 2018 Bismarck TPD event)
Stetson Lawrence vs. Sitting Bull (0-2; 1.83 seconds at the 2018 UTB in Greensboro, N.C. & 2.35 seconds at the UTB in Glendale, Arizona in 2018)
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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