LAS VEGAS - It's important for riders to get off to a good start at any event, and it's even more important on bull riding's biggest stage. But here at the PBR World Finals, it's going to be tough to do that. The pen of bulls out tonight are the best 39 bulls Cody Lambert brought here, including Bushwacker and Asteroid. Riders typically ride around 25 percent of the bulls in the toughest round at the World Finals, which means we can expect 8-10 qualified rides tonight, and every guy here wants to be in that number.

Brendon Clark on 20T Train Wreck:
Clark had this bull in Springfield during the 2011 season and didn't make the whistle, but in this pen of extremely difficult bulls, Train Wreck is definitely one of the better ones to have. He was last ridden in Nampa, Idaho, earlier this season by Stormy Wing for 92 points, and he's been ridden about 35 percent of the time at Built Ford Tough Series events.

Edevaldo Ferreira on 514 Red River:
This is a relatively unknown rider on a relatively unknown bull, but this could end up on the highlight reel. Ferreira was in the United States in 2009, and rode 48 percent of his bulls. He's been in Brazil since then, and this season he's won more money than any other bull rider on the planet - around $200,000 more than Silvano Alves has made to this point. Red River has only appeared on tour a couple of times because he's spent most of his time on the rodeo trail. He isn't ridden very often, but he was ridden in September at a rodeo in Omaha, so he's not unrideable. Ferreira has the talent to get a score here.

Caleb Sanderson on 6220 RFD-HD:
Sanderson took this bull to 7.6 seconds in Uncasville earlier this year, so he has a very good idea of what to expect here. RFD-HD has only been ridden a couple of times in 30 career outs. His bucking style may be more suitable for a taller rider like Sanderson than some of the other bulls.

Kody Lostroh on 5 Chocolate Thunder:
Chocolate Thunder has only been to two events this year, but he definitely belongs in this round. He's a quick bull who can spin both ways and can have a little forward movement in between. If he falls into a steady rhythm, Lostroh should ride him easily. Watch for the breaks and changes in rhythm, because that is where he gets tough.

David Kennedy on W5 Buckoff:
This may be the easiest bull to ride in this round. He hasn't faced the best riders very often, but when he has, he's been ridden 60 percent of the time. He's been ridden only by left-handed riders. This bull is strong and has plenty of buck, but he doesn't have a lot of speed and can give guys a chance to recover.

Mike Lee on 708 Delco:
Again, one of the better bulls to ride in this round, especially for left-handed riders, and especially for this left-handed rider. Lee rode him in Springfield, Mo., in the 2011 season for 88.75 points.

Jordan Hupp on W1 Buckey:
Buckey is one of the seven bulls competing for World Champion Bull, and he's worthy competition for Bushwacker and Asteroid, but he's not unrideable. He's been ridden three times this year, all three times by right-handed riders. Buckey is no pushover, but Hupp has a chance to make a big statement in the opening round.

Chris Shivers on 868 After Party:
I like this matchup, although Chris probably doesn't. He's been on this bull twice and hasn't smelled the whistle yet. After Party is in many ways the Chris Shivers of bucking bulls. Chris has a long history of making great bulls look silly, and After Party seems to enjoy making great riders look silly. He likes to see his opponents end up on the highlight reel during the "wrecks" segment. Shivers will go down in history as one of the best riders ever to strap on a pair of spurs, and he's got a worthy opponent here to kick off the last event of his career.

Emilio Resende on 718 Rango:
It doesn't hurt to be the hottest rider going in to the World Finals, and Resende is the man. He's also got the third-highest riding percentage on the season, right behind Valdiron de Oliveira and Silvano Alves. Rango is in the race for World Champion Bull, and he's been ridden only twice in 40 career outs, so he is far from easy. The most notable stat on Rango is that seven of the last 10 riders he's faced stayed aboard for more than ficew seconds. He's flirting with letting someone get to eight, and Resende is definitely capable.

Marco Eguchi on 13/6 Bushwacker:
If Bushwacker keeps doing what he's been doing, he will probably earn his second title, and Eguchi will definitely be his 34th consecutive victim. In his current streak of 33 straight buckoffs at Built Ford Tough Series events, only seven riders made it past the four-second mark. At this point in his career, Bushwacker is as dominant a bull as there ever has been, and he's making a strong case for the rankest bull in the history of the PBR.

Top 5 Riders:

Silvano Alves on 107 Rock & Roll:
Alves drew tough here. I don't remember the last time I picked against Alves, but Rock & Roll hasn't been ridden at all, and until someone proves it can be done, I'll take the bull. Alves tried him back in January and came down in 3.16 seconds. This bull likes to go out a few jumps bouncing on his front feet before he turns back, and that tends to shake riders loose. When he does go into a spin there is no room for error, and Alves will need a little luck on his side to get by the jackhammer effect and end up in the right position when Rock & Roll turns the corner.

Valdiron de Oliveira on D05 Flint:
Oliveira should get a score here. Guilherme Marchi is the only man to have ridden this bull, but when he did it a few weeks ago in Philadelphia, Flint looked like a bull that Oliveira should be able to handle.

L.J. Jenkins on 5081 Highway 12:
To give you some idea of the difficulty level of Highway 12, he's a little bit ahead of Asteroid on paper in terms of both his career and his numbers from this season. The bull has the edge in this matchup, but Jenkins won't go down easy.

Guilherme Marchi on 156 Larry The Cable Guy's Git-R-Done:
They met in Uncasville in April, and Marchi got a score, although not a great one. This bull doesn't allow a qualified ride very often, but I think Marchi has the edge here. He's riding as good right now as he ever has, and should be considered a threat to win this event.

J.B. Mauney on 654 Mulligan Man:
Mauney got on Mulligan Man in April when he was riding right-handed, and he stayed aboard for 4.27 seconds. The bad news is this bull has a better career buckoff percentage than Bushwacker. He hasn't been ridden since Jason O'Hearn did it back in January of 2011.

Follow Slade Long on Twitter @probullstats.

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