PUEBLO, Colo. – The spotlight was undoubtedly on 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco this past weekend at the PBR Monster Energy Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Deadwood, South Dakota, and all Pacheco did was humbly toss aside any noise or distraction and ride his bulls for a crucial event win.
The minute reigning World Champion Jose Vitor Leme heard a pop in his right groin on Sept. 19 in Newark, New Jersey, the 2021 world title race took an interesting plot twist.
With Leme out for an undetermined amount of time, how would his closest challengers in the world title race respond with him out at least for Deadwood?
Well, Pacheco gave everyone that answer loud and clear.
The 27-year-old went a flawless 3-for-3 to pick up his fifth Unleash The Beast event win of the season. It closed the gap between himself and Leme to 726.5 points with four regular-season events remaining before the 2021 PBR World Finals on Nov. 3-7 in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I just try to ride bull after bull, one at a time,” Pacheco told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison on Sunday. “I am so glad to ride good at this event, in this cool arena. I will remember this when I stop riding bulls. I am really happy to win this event.”
Pacheco has continuously stuck to the same script throughout the second half as he tries to battle Leme and fellow World Champion Cooper Davis for the 2021 World Championship.
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The perennial world title contender believes in keeping his mind clear and taking the title race one bull at a time. He is well aware that he will not win the world title with one bull ride or event win, but he also knows he cannot look too far into the future and stub his toe before the Finals. He needs to focus on the immediate road in front of him.
Pacheco has ridden five of his past seven bulls in the last two events.
Every bull ride between now and then is important, and Pacheco knows if he can finish the season strong, there is the possibility he becomes the seventh rider in PBR history to win multiple world titles.
“That is really important for me,” Pacheco told Harrison on the dirt of the scenic Deadwood Events Complex. “When I win my first world title, my dream come true, and then it starts over so I can win a second world title. I will work hard for that.”
Pacheco is having arguably the best season of his career, and he is well on pace to surpass his totals from his 2018 championship campaign. Pacheco has tied his career-high for event wins (5) by going 41-for-76 (66.15%). In 2018, he won four events and had 42 qualified rides.
Pacheco set a career-high with 52 qualified rides five years ago, but he fell just shy of holding off Davis for the 2016 world title.
On Sunday, Pacheco clinched his fifth win of 2021 by riding Medicine Man for 91 points in the championship round. Pacheco now has a career-best five 90-point rides this year.
“With Jose Vitor Leme being out, Pacheco had to come in and perform right, and he did just that,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride told Craig Hummer in this week’s CBS Sports Network event recap. “He made really good rides all weekend long, and then had a great pick in the championship round with Medicine Man and took full advantage of it. Just what Pacheco needed.”
WORLD TITLE RACE POINTS OUTLOOK
As of Tuesday afternoon, Leme had yet to inform the PBR competition department if he would return to competition this weekend at the PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational, presented by Ariat, in San Antonio. Leme is expected to make a decision by Wednesday.
San Antonio is one of four regular-season events remaining before the PBR World Finals. One rider can earn a maximum of 727 world points in those four events and the last 15/15 Bucking Battle in Greensboro, North Carolina, before the Finals.
The ultimate championship-defining moment will be at the World Finals, though, where one rider can earn up to 1,094 points.
Pacheco has certainly helped his chances with his victory in Deadwood, and if he can close the gap even more on Leme before the Finals, he will have a much better chance to win a second gold buckle inside T-Mobile Arena.
Leme, though, has only bucked off six bulls in four World Finals appearances. The No. 1-ranked bull rider is 17-for-23 (73.91%) in his career at the World Finals, so riders cannot bank on Leme giving them much room for error in Las Vegas.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media