PUEBLO, Colo. – There is a common theme every season when the PBR’s premier series stops in Oklahoma City: one can expect the PBR’s top bovine athletes to show up at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The central location of Oklahoma plays a major role in this, with the PBR’s top stock contractors located relatively close to Oklahoma City compared to east or west coast events.
This weekend’s Express Ranches Invitational will be the first event of the 2020 season in which all of the PBR’s top bull power will be at the same event.
“This is quite the set of bulls,” PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert said on Wednesday’s CBS television production call. “At least half of the second round on Saturday night have been in championship rounds at other events. Oklahoma City is packed with them. First night is Classic bulls. It is going to be a challenge for the bull riders.”
Reigning YETI World Champion Smooth Operator is set to buck for the third time this season in the championship round Saturday night (CBS national television Sunday at noon ET), while preseason favorite Heartbreak Kid is going to be making his season debut as well.
Smooth Operator is coming off a 45.75-point bull score last weekend at the Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic for his 3.56-second buckoff of Taylor Toves, and is atop the early World Champion Bull standings with a 46.25-point average.
Additional bulls who Lambert has atop his rankings set to appear this weekend in the championship round include Canadian Mist, Cool Customer, Chiseled and Hocus Pocus, in no particular order.
Cool Customer bucked off Jose Vitor Leme in 5.63 seconds for a 46-point bull score in Sacramento. Chiseled followed up a 45.75-point bull score in the 15/15 Bucking Battle (2.37 seconds vs. Brady Sims) with a 46.5-point score for dispatching Ezekiel Mitchell in 4.63 seconds in the championship round.
With so many top buckers set for the championship round Saturday night, that has left another set of high-caliber bulls for the long rounds.
“Great bulls that we all know that they have won events on, like Big Black for instance, they have won two events on him this year, and he is not even in the championship round this year,” Lambert said. “And Cochise is in the second round.”
Big Black is the No. 1 re-ride for Round 1 on Friday night.
DIRTEATER, CRAVENS & BUTTAR RETURNING
Oklahoma fan favorite Ryan Dirteater returns this weekend after missing Sacramento with a broken bone in his left ankle. Dirteater announced last week that he will be retiring following the 2020 PBR World Finals (Nov. 4-8).
Dirteater – the No. 15-ranked bull rider in the world – has won the last two Unleash The Beast events in Oklahoma City, and he begins his pursuit of a three-peat Friday night against Midnight Rock (1-1, UTB).
Also returning this weekend is another Okie in Cannon Cravens. The 19-year-old missed Sacramento with a lower back contusion. He has drawn Trophy Rack (1-0, UTB) for Round 1.
Dakota Buttar is back on the UTB after using his one allowed exemption to compete at the PBR Canada Monster Energy event in Calgary last weekend instead of Sacramento.
International riders ranked in the Top 35 are now allowed to miss one UTB event without facing repercussions to compete at an event in their home country.
Buttar did not waste the opportunity either, going a perfect 4-for-4 to win Calgary for 30 world points. The 27-year-old jumped all the way up to No. 11 in the world courtesy of the victory and is the No. 1 rider in PBR Canada.
The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native takes on Oreo (0-0, UTB) Friday night in OKC.
13 RIDERS OUT FROM LAST YEAR’S TOP 35 NOT COMPETING IN OKC
Cooper Davis (neck fracture)
Michael Lane (hip)
Keyshawn Whitehorse (right hand)
Chase Outlaw (left shoulder)
Dalton Kasel (groin)
Alan de Souza
Cody Nance (right shoulder)
Rubens Barbosa (foot)
Joe Frost (right leg)
Cliff Richardson (staying in Australia)
J.B. Mauney (right shoulder)
Brady Fielder (intestine)
Lucas Divino (broken riding hand)
ALTERNATES/EXEMPT RIDERS
No. 4 Kaique Pacheco
No. 6 Colten Jesse
No. 10 Dener Barbosa
No. 17 Bradley Brittain
No. 20 Nathan Burtenshaw
No. 22 Fabiano Vieira
No. 23 Brady Sims
No. 39 Cannon Cravens
No. 63 Dylan Smith
No. 73 Junio Quaresima
No. 81 Gage Gay
No. 83 Leandro Machado
No. 142 Scottie Knapp
Oklahoma City is the final event where the alternate list for UTB events is based off a rotation of riders from last year’s and this year’s world standings.
Starting at Iron Cowboy, presented by Ariat, in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, the alternate list will be strictly based upon the 2020 world standings.
Therefore, riders such as Smith, Quaresima, Gay, Machado and Knapp are all on the verge of losing their alternate positions if they don’t turn things around in Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile, Ramon de Lima is the only rider from last year’s Top 35 facing the first Unleash The Beast cut now that he is down to his fifth and final event.
Lima is the sole rider from the 31-35 ranking that has used four of the five guaranteed UTB events. Riders that finished 1-30 in the 2019 world standings receive eight guaranteed events before being subject to the cutline.
The 29-year-old has been an abysmal 2-for-11 to begin 2020, and is on the verge of being cut for the second consecutive season.
Barring injuries, it is looking like riders will have to be in the Top 30 of the world standings after this weekend to have a decent chance at receiving an alternate spot at Iron Cowboy if they are not among the group of riders with those guaranteed events remaining.
Lima is ranked 66th in the world standings and is 31.34 points out of the Top 30.
VIEIRA TAKES 7.25-POINT LEAD INTO OKC
World leader Joao Ricardo Vieira has a 7.25-point lead on No. 2 Jose Vitor Leme heading into Round 1
Vieira has drawn Tried & Tested (4-0, UTB), while Leme squares off against Landslide (1-1, UTB).
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko