Ridin Solo erupts for 47.5 points to take lead in YETI World Champion Bull race
Ridin Solo earned the career-high bull score for his buckoff of Dalton Kasel in little Rock.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – 2019 Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel sat against the bucking chutes on the arena floor at Simmons Bank Arena and looked at Ridin Solo in confusion and awe.
Ridin Solo had just launched Kasel to the ground in 4.65 seconds for a career-best 47.5-point bull score in the championship round of the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown in a demonstration of elite, brute bucking strength.
It was the fourth time Kasel was matched up against Ridin Solo, and the Cord McCoy bucking bull once again sent a fearless Kasel to the dirt.
“Well, I guess I needed three or four more inches on my arm to hang onto my rope and to hold on a little tighter,” Kasel said following the buckoff.
Ridin Solo (4-1) took over the No. 1 ranking from Woopaa (45.69) in the 2022 YETI World Champion Bull race as he increased his season average to 46.10 points.
“I guess you get to worry about less what the judges say and just watch Solo perform these days,” McCoy said. “That was one of his best days. It sure looked like it. He is just maturing. He is realizing how big, strong and fast he is. He does not have to dodge anything. The confidence he’s got is helping him.”
Woopaa, the reigning two-time World Champion, was scored a respectful 45.5 points as he teamed up with Manoelito de Souza Jr. for a 92.75-point ride in the championship round. The Woopaa vs. Souza matchup was the surprise of the weekend. Eventual event winner Jose Vitor Leme selected Diddy Wa Diddy with the first pick of the championship-round draft instead of pairing up with Woopaa for the first time since setting a PBR record with a 98.75-point ride at last year’s World Finals.
Leme said the strategic decision was based on a variety of things, including his 3.5-point lead in the event standings heading into the championship round, his past success with Diddy Wa Diddy, and Woopaa’s last trip in Oklahoma City in which he surprisingly went to the right instead of the left.
Ridin Solo’s previous career-high was a 47-point outing with Kasel during last year’s season-opener in Ocala, Florida.
“I have been on better,” Kasel said with a laugh. “I’m just kidding. He was bucking tonight.”
McCoy was thrilled to see his bull paired up with Kasel again.
The Oklahoma Freedom coach saw some of the top bull riders in the world – Daylon Swearingen, Joao Ricardo Vieira and Mauricio Moreira – avoid selecting Ridin Solo in St. Louis last weekend despite Leme riding him for 94.75 points in his prior out in Oklahoma City.
The 41-year-old stock contractor knows just how important it can be to have one of the top bull riders in the world match up against his bovine superstar.
A smiling Kasel selected Ridin Solo with the sixth pick of the draft on Saturday night in Little Rock.
“I’ll tell you what, the top riders in the world all dodged Solo last week, and that was after Jose had been 94 and something points on him, so they knew there was enough points there to have an event win, and didn’t take him,” McCoy said. “The riders see the challenge there (in Solo). If you come into the championship round three points behind, there’s bulls like Chiseled, Woopaa, and Solo that can catch up that distance. If they kind of roll the dice, there’s enough bull there to move ahead of a couple guys. So, you’ve got a bull you know you can be 94, 95 points on, and they dodge him? Then I’m kind of like, ‘Hey, he’s challenging. The locker room is saying that there’s an easier bull in the pen.’ So that’s a confidence-builder for me. Solo probably don’t understand that, but yeah, we feel like we’re doing something.
“We knew Dalton was a good draw, just as the riders look at the other end of the draw. Kasel is light. He tries hard. He makes Solo give 100% and go the distance with him. He won’t jump or fall off, and if he ever does ride him, he will be going north of 90 points.”
A fifth meeting could happen between Kasel and Ridin Solo at next week’s PBR Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, on March 5 at AT&T Stadium.
Ridin Solo and Woopaa are both tentatively slated to buck at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
“I watch every step he makes every day to see when Solo says we need to slow down,” McCoy said. “He hasn’t given that sign yet. He still gets off the truck with a hop and a step like a 3-year-old calf. That is what excites me. We are excited about him. As long as he keeps firing and he has a good attitude, we will keep on going and head to Global Cup. We will keep pushing until Solo says something different.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media