LAS VEGAS – With Leme and Lockwood both staying on last night, the title race is still deadlocked until the aggregate points are awarded after the short round. Neither rider can afford to come down today. Lockwood is a full bull ahead of Leme in the aggregate, and if he stays on two today no one can beat him. Several guys can beat Leme, but with each qualified ride Leme turns in that becomes less likely. It really comes down to whichever guy rides in the short round, and if they both finish strong it will come down to math.
The leader going into the short round will have Canadian Mist and the No. 2 guy will have Lil 2 Train. Leme is in third right now, and if he stays there, he would have Smooth Operator. The best case for him would be to move up at least one hole.
Leandro Machado on 100 Nailed:
Nailed is as nice a draw for a right-handed rider as there is. He’s 9-15 against them in his career. Nearly everyone at this level would be favored to ride him. Machado is a 11th in the aggregate right now, and nine of the guys ahead of him are at least a bull ahead of him.
Ezekiel Mitchell on 77B Medicine Man:
Rubens Barbosa was 89.5 points on this bull in Round 3. Mitchell has a chance to advance in the aggregate, but like Machado he only has two rides and needs guys ahead of him to buck off.
Chase Outlaw on 444 Big Black:
Outlaw has three rides of more than 90 points on Big Black this season. If he gets the whistle here, there’s a good chance he outscores Lockwood and Leme and almost everyone else. Big Black is a little better bull than Cochise and Rising Sun of late, and Outlaw can make him look as good as he possibly can.
Rubens Barbosa on 511T Stretch:
Stretch can be hard to get by sometimes, but he is generally a pretty good choice for right-handed riders. Matt Triplett was 86.75 on him in Round 2. Barbosa has a good chance to be close to 90 points here. Like Luciano de Castro, Barbosa kept a low score earlier in the event, so he needs to guys ahead of him in the aggregate to buck off or he can’t pass them.
Luciano de Castro on 342 Pound Sand:
Castro should make the whistle here. Pound Sand is extremely rideable for lefties. He may not be enough to win the round on, but Castro can’t pass anyone in the aggregate race unless his competition bucks off one of two bulls today and Castro rides both. Castro kept a low score last night, so his only angle is to stay on his bulls and hope the guys ahead of him in the aggregate don’t.
Daylon Swearingen on 51 Safety Meeting:
Safety Meeting had his best trip of the season in Round 3 with Cody Jesus. There is a chance this matchup could be as electrifying as Rubens Barbosa on Chiseled last night. This bull probably won’t score quite high enough to reach 95-plus points, but Swearingen can really show one off. This is the best matchup Swearingen has had all week, and if he shines on this bull, he’s likely to outshine Leme and Lockwood in the round.
Jose Vitor Leme on W37 Cochise:
This is a safe pick for Leme. He’s 3-for-4 against Cochise for more than 90 points each time. One possible issue here is that Cochise didn’t have his best trip ever in Round 2. If he has the same kind of day here, he won’t be enough to beat Lockwood or several other riders in this round, but the world title race will come down to the aggregate points anyway. If Leme rides two bulls today he has a great chance at the gold buckle regardless of what two bulls they are. This is almost a lock to be one of the two qualified rides he needs.
Jess Lockwood on 345 Rising Sun:
Lockwood was 89.5 points on this bull in Round 5 of the World Finals last year. He was also 90.5 on him in Chicago in January. Rising Sun is the top draft pick in the sport for a left-handed rider, but because of the loaded pen of bulls out today, he may not be enough to win this round on. Look for Leme and Lockwood to score about the same here and carry their battle into the short round.
