Only seven rides in the first round means this event is still open to almost every rider, but the guys who did stay on now have a huge advantage.
Claudio Montanha Jr. on 3 Stunt Man Ray:
Montanha couldn’t have drawn better here. He was 88-plus on this bull twice in 2018, and this is one of the easier high-level bulls in the business for right-handed riders. The only downside is that Stunt Man Ray isn’t an automatic 88-to-91-point score as he was two years ago. The majority of his scores in late 2019 were under 87. We’ve only seen him in New York this year, and he was ridden twice for 82.75 and 86.75. He may be better here, coming off a long and needed rest. He was constantly on the road for much of 2018-19. In any case, he’s a great draw for Montanha, who won the first round. Montanha doesn’t need a round win here – he just needs a solid score, and this bull should give it to him.
Jose Vitor Leme on 60-3 Inferno:
Leme will almost certainly win this match if he doesn’t trip and fall into the Mississippi River and get swept down to Memphis on his way to the arena. Leme is at a level right now where if they are having an event, and he shows up, you know he’s going to be 87 or more. Will it be this bull or his short round bull today? Who knows? But at this point it is newsworthy if he bucks off at all. Inferno is 7-8 against left-handed riders in his career. He’s a quality bull, but he’s a serious underdog here.
Jess Lockwood on 34 Soup in a Group:
Jess rode this bull in Los Angeles for 84 points, and I’m sure it’s been mentioned in Lockwood family conversations that 84 is 3.25 fewer points than brother Jake was on the same bull two weeks before. Unless this bull can do an impression of Nailed, Lockwood will probably get a second score here and keep pace with Leme, which is important. As well as Lockwood has been riding in 2020, Leme’s title race-relevant numbers are better.
Matt Triplett on 111 Black Rose:
Black Rose has been ridden in six of his last seven outs going back almost a year. Triplett bucked off in Round 1, but this is a perfect draw for him to salvage the weekend on.
Rubens Barbosa on 688 American Gangster:
Barbosa didn’t get a score in Round 1, and worse than that, he looked like he wasn’t prepared to compete at this level. He was put on the clock, rushed to call for his bull, and then got one jumped. Barbosa has talent, so his problems last night were mental in nature. Typically, a guy who is losing the mental game on day one doesn’t warrant much consideration on day two, but if you take a look at this bull, you will find that he’s pretty much Chiseled lite. Barbosa was 95.75 on Chiseled at the World Finals, and American Gangster is a less juicy version of that bull. He should go to the right, and even though Barbosa’s head wasn’t in the game last night, he may bounce back and get a big score here.
Taylor Toves on 264 Ram It:
It’s been a while since we heard anything out of this bull. This is his 2020 debut, but he’s a veteran bull who happens to be one of the best matchups a right-handed rider could hope for. He’s 9-10 against righties in his career. Toves has a chance to make up ground here.
Aaron Kleier on 155 Hammerhead Blu:
This bull can spin either way, and he threw Jose Vitor Leme off last fall, but he is rideable. Kleier may not be the most polished rider going, but he has extremely good balance, awareness and hustle, and he makes it hard for bulls to get him on the ground. He already has one score on the board and another one would be huge for him here.
Marcus Mast on 517 Space Force:
Mast made the whistle in Round 1. He struggled to get there, but he showed some grit and try that is sometimes lacking in even the most gifted riders. He has a chance on this bull. Space Force is a pattern-oriented bull. He doesn’t have a lot of up and down, or wild moves – he puts most of his energy into a spin and will get into a rhythm. He can scoot forward and reverse the spin at times, but guys at this level typically do well against this type of bull.
Jake Lockwood on 546 Evil Intentions:
Although he bucked off at the whistle, Jake looked very impressive last night. He was about to challenge Montanha for the round win, but a hiccup by his bull at the end cost him. This is a nicer draw than his first-round bull, and with the same kind of effort, Lockwood will win this one easily.