NAMPA, Idaho ― Neither Bushwacker nor
Asteroid will make the trip to Boise, Idaho, this
week, as both are resting up for the Last Cowboy Standing in Las
Vegas in just two weeks. With the PBR's top two bulls out, and the
change in stock contractor lineup, the pen of short round bulls in
Boise will look a little different than it has for the past couple
of weeks.
The short round in Louisville, Ky., and the 15/15 round in Des
Moines, Iowa, featured many of the hardest-to-ride bulls in the
PBR, and statistically were among the most difficult groups
assembled in recent history. The short round in Boise will be a
little easier on the riders, but this is still an impressive set of
bulls. PBR Livestock Director Cody Lambert expects
the riders to improve over the past two weeks where they've ridden
just two out of 20 in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round.
"They should get a few more bulls ridden here, and
if not, they may be in trouble in a couple of weeks."
"This is a good set of bulls," Lambert said. "It isn't a day
off, but some of the best bulls we use are a little tougher to ride
than others, and this group won't be as hard as the set we used in
Louisville. They should get a few more bulls ridden here, and if
not, they may be in trouble in a couple of weeks."
Jeff Robinson's Rango has quietly gone about
his business this year in the shadow of Bushwacker and Asteroid,
but he's been outstanding in his own right. Boise will be his
12th event of the season, and no other bull on tour has
as many outs so far. He's faced the best riders in the world, and
he's unridden. He got the best of J.B. Mauney in
Des Moines.
"I thought he looked stronger in person," Lambert said. "I saw
the event on TV later, and he didn't look as good on film.
Sometimes bulls are just more impressive live. He had J.B. really
trying to ride him, and he went out a little farther than he
usually does, but he's a smart bull and he was looking to turn away
from the way he had J.B. leaning. I had him 22 or 22.5 on my sheet,
but the judges weren't quite that high."
Robinson and Bar 3D's Meat Hook will also be in
the short round in Boise. He's been out nine times this season, and
riders have turned in big scores on him in three of those outs.
"He's really an honest bull, and the riders like him and do well
on him," Lambert said. "He's likely to turn back both ways, and
he's got a lot of kick. When the rider is sitting in perfect
position on him, that kick tends to help them, but if they aren't
in position, Meat Hook has enough power to put them down. When they
do ride him, they usually make him look easy because they're doing
everything perfect."
We'll also see Jeff Robinson's I'm a Gangster
Too, Big Tex Rocks, Craig Wentz's
Buckey, and one of the most experienced bulls
still going ― Gilbert Carrillo's Carrillo
Cartel.
Carrillo Cartel will go in the short round, and Moreno &
Chadwick's Charlie Bullware will go in Round 2.
Both bulls are looking to qualify for their sixth PBR World Finals
this season, and fewer than 15 bulls have ever achieved that. They
are the only two bulls still active who have been to five World
Finals, and Lambert thinks they both have a shot.
"This may be one of the last short rounds we see Carrillo Cartel
in," Lambert said. "We'll bring him back in the fall, and hopefully
he'll still be good enough to make it to the finals. Charlie
Bullware has gotten it done at the Built Ford Tough Series level,
and right now he's still good enough to get to the finals this
year. The thing is, there's no sentimental vote that will get them
to the finals. At the end of the year we take the 110 best bulls
and that's it. It's rare for any bull to stay at the level those
two have long enough to get to five or more PBR World Finals."
Follow Slade Long on Twitter @ProBullStats
