MANCHESTER, N.H. – 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco cautions about over-celebrating his blazing start to the season, which he extended to eight consecutive rides Saturday night at the Manchester Invitational, because he has firsthand experience about how things can go south ever so quickly.
It was only during his gold buckle-winning season two years ago that it took Pacheco until March 23 for Pacheco to record his eighth ride of the season. Pacheco, of course, was able to overcome an 8-for-28 start to 2018 and win the world title.
“It’s the same thing because you never know what happens tomorrow,” Pacheco said Saturday night at SNHU Arena when asked to compare his two different starts. “You just need to keep working.”
Pacheco picked up his eighth consecutive ride to begin the 2020 season by riding Blonde Blizzard for 86.25 points in front of a sellout crowd of 7,204.
The No. 1 bull rider in the world had received a re-ride earlier during his attempt to ride Peep Show.
Pacheco finished Round 1 tied with Junio Quaresima (86.25 points on High Hopes) to pick up 6.5 world points.
The 2015 Rookie of the Year leads No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira by 33 points heading into Round 2 on Sunday.
Vieira finished Round 1 in eighth place (4 world points) courtesy of his 84.25-point effort on Sumo.
There were 17 qualified rides in Round 1, including Jose Vitor Leme’s 89-point winning ride aboard Slingin’ Tears.
Fans can watch the conclusion of the Manchester Invitational on CBS Sports Network (8 p.m. ET) and on RidePass (1:45 p.m. ET).
Vieira will take on Apper’s Mind Freak (21-4, UTB), and Pacheco has drawn Hammer Harry (4-0, UTB). Mind Freak previously took down Vieira in 3.52 seconds last season in St. Louis.
Pacheco is off to one of the hottest starts to a season in PBR history. Last year, eventual World Champion Jess Lockwood began 2019 with 10 consecutive rides.
Two more rides by Pacheco Sunday would make him the sixth rider since 1998 to begin a season with 10 or more rides. Other riders with such a streak include Adriano Moraes (13 in ‘01), Terry Don West (10 in ‘98 & 11 in ‘00), Mike Lee (10 in ’08) and Silvano Alves (11 in ’15).
The primary difference between Pacheco’s 2020 start and Lockwood’s 2019 start is that Lockwood won the first two Unleash The Beast events, whereas Pacheco has back-to-back second-place finishes.
2020 has already become quite the juxtaposition to Pacheco’s 2019 season. Pacheco was 9-for-29 (31.03%) in 11 Unleash The Beast events last year before he tore ligaments in his left elbow (free arm) on June 14 at the PBR Brazil event in Americana.
However, 2019 is looking more and more like an anomaly for the perennial world title contender. In 2018, Pacheco rode nine consecutive bulls in October as he began to put the nail in the coffin for the 2018 world title.
How does this year’s streak compare to that?
“I feel the same,” Pacheco concluded. “I’m just happy to ride the first eight bulls, and I try to keep my mind clean and work to ride my next bull.”
TEAM BRAZIL COACH MARCHI: “I KNOW MY COWBOYS”
2008 World Champion and Team Brazil Global Cup coach Guilherme Marchi was following the action Saturday night via RidePass.
Marchi jokingly called himself a smart man, seeing as he selected Pacheco for his squad with one of his first three selections during the 2019 PBR World Finals.
The 38-year-old first-year head coach could have waited to see how Pacheco did in Australia this past offseason when Pacheco was scheduled to first return to action following his elbow surgery.
Instead, Marchi had no qualms putting Pacheco on the team right away despite how poor 2019 went for him.
Marchi is certainly happy about what he is seeing through the first few weeks of this season.
“I know my cowboys,” Marchi said via WhatsApp. “I believe in my team.”
Pacheco is rounding into prime form with the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, less than a month away.
The fourth edition of the Global Cup gets underway in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium on Feb. 15.
Pacheco has been a member of every Brazil team and has ridden five consecutive bulls in the international team competition. He went a perfect 4-for-4 to lead Brazil to victory at the Sydney, Australia, Global Cup competition in 2018.
“I feel happy to be healthy again and not feel (any) more (pain),” Pacheco said. “I feel the same as the last years, when I’m healthy. I will give my best for my team.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko