LOUISVILLE, Ky. ― With only nine riders earning a score in the first round, this event is still pretty open to anyone who can get a high score here in Round 2.
Ben Jones on 119 Candy:
Look for Jones to get a second score here. Candy has only three
outs on his record, but he hasn't bucked anyone off yet. Reese
Cates rode him in St. Louis, Mo., in his most recent
appearance.
Kody Lostroh on 6 The Game
Changer:
This bull really is a game changer, in that he's likely to help
Lostroh, who is currently in second, grab an insurmountable lead
going into the short round. Game Changer will spin into Lostroh's
hand, and he's one of the two best draws in this round. He's been
ridden in three of his last four outs, and those riders averaged
just more than 88 points on him. He's been ridden in 11-of-19 Built
Ford Tough Series outs.
Guilherme Marchi on 718 Flesh &
Blood:
Flesh & Blood got the best of Shane Proctor on Albuquerque,
but 3 out of 5 right handed riders he's faced have earned a score
on him. It's unlikely that he'll improve on that record with this
caliber of rider aboard. Marchi probably gets on the board
here.
Joao Ricardo Vieira on 7477 Main
Event:
Vieira didn't get along with his Round 1 bull or the bonus bull
last night, but he should find this one a little more
accommodating. Main Event has been ridden five times in seven Built
Ford Tough Series outs, most recently by Douglas Duncan in
Winston-Salem, N.C. for 87.5 points.
Stormy Wing on 729 Businessman:
This is a former Burns Rodeo Company bull, who has only been
ridden once since January 2011. Jeff Robinson bought him this
winter, and he went to Sacramento, Calif., and threw off Billy
Robinson and Kody Lostroh. Wing has his work cut out for him
here.
Billy Robinson on 8061 Mud
Wasp:
Robinson had this bull in New York, and rode him for 87 points.
This is one of the better long round draws in the PBR for
left-handed riders. He can turn back both ways, but is likely to go
to the left first. Mud Wasp is the bull that Austin Meier had at
the World Finals and rode for 89 points after aggravating his ankle
injury in the chute.
Jory Markiss on 8602 Boogity
Boogity:
This bull doesn't have a long history, but in seven career outs
he's been ridden four times. The video we have on him shows that
his bucking style helps riders stay on him, in that he has plenty
of kick, and plants his front feet pretty hard when he comes down
on them. Bulls that do this make it easy for a rider to stay up on
his rope, where bulls that make it hard to stay near the rope are
much more difficult to ride. All Built Ford Tough Series riders
should get along with this bull.
Ryan Dirteater on 38 Keepin' It
Real:
This is close to an automatic score for Dirteater. Keepin' It Real
is ridden more than 60 percent of the time at this level. He tends
to lead with his head and really lets the rider know which way he's
going to spin and when he's about to jump out of it. Riders don't
specifically look for this, but they sense it as it the bull gives
them an indication of what direction he's headed, and the split
second advantage helps a lot of guys get scores on this bull.
Marco Eguchi on 683 Motown
Magic:
They've met three times, and Eguchi has one 89-point score to show
for it. Motown Magic's performance fell off in April of last
season, and he hasn't been quite as good as he was in 2011 and
early 2012., but the potential for a big score is always there.
Eduardo Aparecido on S02
Sasquatch:
This is a rematch from the Iron Cowboy and Sasquatch won that
round. Here's a bull that took a long and winding road to end up
excelling on the Built Ford Tough Series level. At one time
Sasquatch belonged to former PBR rider K.J. Pletcher. He was hauled
for several years by D&H Cattle Company, mostly to pro rodeos,
where he was unridden, but showed signs of being a hit-or miss kind
of bull. Ultimately he was bought by Bobby Martin with BMC Bucking
Bulls at an ABBI claimer event at the World Finals, and since he
made his debut on tour in Oklahoma City earlier this season, he's
been a solid performer. He's only been ridden once in his 25-out
career, but he hasn't faced a lot of top level right-handed riders,
and he spins to the right pretty consistently.
Renato Nunes on 701 Showboat:
Kody Lostroh drew one of the two best bulls to have in this round,
and this is the other one. The difference here is that Showboat
likes to go to the right, and Nunes has had issues with bulls that
go away from his hand. Guys who are good enough to win a World
Championship should be able to ride bulls that go away from their
hand pretty consistently, especially when they have good timing,
and this one has excellent timing.
Download Sunday's sheet here
Follow Slade Long on Twitter @ProBullStats.