There are quite a few matchups in Round 1 that look good for the rider, and you can expect the riders to do well tonight. We could see 15-20 qualified rides to start the event here.

Alisson de Souza on 247 Mac the Knife:

Souza may not be able to win the round here, but Mac the Knife is the kind of bull that every rider should get along with. He has even timing, and because of that he’s good to all riders, regardless of which way he goes or which hand they ride with. In a round in wich they are likely to ride a lot of bulls, he’s probably not quite enough to win the round on.

Cody Teel on 354 Red Man:

There isn’t much history on this bull. He only has five career outs, but he’s 1-2 against right-handed riders coming in to a matchup against the best right-hander he’s ever faced. That gives Teel a big advantage here

Dalton Kasel on A14 Element 79:

Kasel bucked off this bull in July at a Touring Pro event in Montana, but I have to assume he must have been sick that day. This kid can ride anything. He rode Fearless in Nashville, and this bull is several orders of magnitude easier than that. Element 79 should go to the left with good timing, and Kasel should have no trouble here.

Dener Barbosa on 803 Red Sails in the Sunset:

Barbosa rode this bull two years ago in San Jose, California. This is a nice draw for a lefty rider. Barbosa is one of the most capable riders in the business, and he’s riding at the top of his game right now.

Jess Lockwood on 739 White Dynamite:

White Dynamite is 6-5 against lefties in his career, which means that Lockwood should be a huge favorite here. Lockwood may be on track to turning in the best single-season numbers since Guilherme Marchi in 2008.

Ezekiel Mitchell on 55A Get Shorty:

This is a good draw for Mitchell. Get Shorty likes to go to the right, and he’s been good to right-handed riders in general. Mitchell is usually a fundamentally sound rider who has a chance against every bull, and when he draws a bull that fits him he should be able to handle it.

Cooper Davis on E5 Big Black Cat:

Veteran bull here. Davis is 1-1 against him, and the one buckoff came at 7.18 seconds. Big Black Cat is also one of the better bulls in the round for high score potential. He’s been ridden 13 times in his career and carried the rider to a round win in six of those. He’s on the high end for difficulty compared to the other bulls in this round, but Davis should have a slight edge here.

Chase Outlaw on 298 Game Changer:

Keyshawn Whitehorse was 88 points on this bull in Sheridan, Wyoming, back in June. Game Changer hasn’t been to this level very often, but he’s active on the rodeo trail and at lower level PBR events. He’s 7-4 in his career, and Outlaw will be the best rider he’s faced.

Jose Vitor Leme on 22 Sam I Am:

This bull only has two outs on record that we know of. Kache Moosman was 88 on him in Killdeer, North Dakota, about a month ago. Leme has an advantage against every bull just because he’s Leme. He has unbelievable, mind-blowing talent and incredible balance. He’s something of a home run hitter. He will swing and miss at times. He’s not a textbook correct kind of rider. He rides through whatever mistake he makes and stays on. He and Chase Outlaw are the only things blocking Jess Lockwood from steamrolling his way to a 2019 World Championship.

Cody Jesus on C6 The Tickler:

The Tickler is 1-4 against left-handed riders in only eight career outs. Jesus is coming off a good showing in Window Rock, Arizona, earlier this week, and he’s rock solid against bulls that go into his hand.