The riders managed to pick up 11 qualified rides in Round 1 and another 12 last night, but so far they are below par for UTB-level competition with 28.75% overall. Tonight’s round is the first drafted round of the event, and unsurprisingly, the riders who stayed on in Round 2 and got high picks in the draft have the best matchups for Round 3.
Cody Teel on 77B Medicine Man:
Teel definitely made a good pick here. He was 90.25 points on this bull at the 2018 World Finals. Medicine Man is extremely good to right-handed riders – he’s 11-17 against them. Teel should be able to pick up his third straight qualified ride here.
Jose Vitor Leme on 539C The Good Stuff:
Leme has faced two bulls that went away from his hand in the first two rounds, but he hasn’t been bothered by that at all and rode both of them easily. He was 90.75 points on this bull a couple of months ago in Anaheim. The Good Stuff went into his hand there, and he was 8-0 at UTB events before running into Leme. He’s only been ridden twice in his career. Leme looks as invincible as ever coming back from an injury, and he’s likely to stay on a roll and could win the round.
Cooper Davis on -6 Delbert:
Davis bucked off last night but still got a pretty good matchup in the draft. Delbert is ridden more often than not when facing high-level riders, and he’s been ridden several times this season for high 80s scores.
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Joao Ricardo Vieira on 679 Dr. X:
Vieira hasn’t been on this bull before, but this is a great fit for him. Dr. X should go to the left, and he’s given up two 89-90-plus-point rides in his last three outs. He should be similar to the bull Vieira had last night, but nicer to ride with a tighter spin.
Silvano Alves on 410 Catch My Drift:
This is a Canadian bull we last saw in the U.S. during the 2019 PBR World Finals where Chase Outlaw was 88 points on him. He’s been around since 2018 and is a consistent rider favorite. He can go either way with a lot of up-and-down action, but he has solid timing, and all riders tend to get along with him.
Rafael Henrique Dos Santos on 608 Twilight Zone:
Santos was 90.75 points on this bull going into his hand in Little Rock, Arkansas, back in August. Twilight Zone primarily goes to rodeos, but we’ve seen him three times this season at UTB events, and he’s been ridden twice for more than 89 points each time.
Dener Barbosa on 465 Happy Camper:
This is a cool little Canadian bull who is something of a fixture in Round 3 of the PBR Finals. Barbosa rode him at the 2017 and 2018 World Finals in Round 3. Luciano de Castro was 88 points on him at the 2019 Finals, also in Round 3. Happy Camper is honest and straightforward with great timing and no tricks, and he’s had a long career against many of the top riders in the game.
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Chase Dougherty on 55 Wooden Nickels:
This matchup doesn’t look as good on paper as some of the others, but Dougherty made a good choice here. Wooden Nickels has only been ridden a couple of times in nine career outs, but he should be a great fit for Dougherty and into his hand.
Mason Taylor on 6X4 Walking Tall:
Taylor hasn’t had the best season in 2021, but he is making up for it here at the Finals with his jaw wired shut. He rode both his first two bulls and is sitting third in the event so far, and he has one of the biggest matchups in Round 3. Taylor made an outstanding 90.5-point ride on this bull about a year ago. Walking Tall is not ridden that often, but he is honest and rideable, and he really shows off – getting a lot of air. Taylor could get a huge score and possibly win the round.
Kaique Pacheco on 94 First Down:
First Down is 17-2 overall and isn’t a particularly easy bull to ride, but the two rides that he’s given up have both been to right-handed guys. Pacheco is just under 600 points behind Leme right now, and there may be too few opportunities left to catch up.
