Having the opening round of the PBR World Finals in May is kind of surreal, and there are a lot of variables that come with it. More rounds, for one, but the opening round being a pen of ABBI Classic bulls has a monkey wrench thrown into it as well. This is not the ABBI Classic Finals as it usually is. Normally by November, this group is pretty strong, having had some extra time to mature. So this is a high-profile mid-season event for these bulls.

There are some standout young bulls in this group, though. Page & Buck’s 47F Charmer was the high-marked bull in the Billings 15/15 round and then gave up a 91-point score to Daylon Swearingen in the Billings short round a day later. He’ll face Ednei Caminhas tonight in what may be the biggest age mismatch in PBR Finals history. Caminhas is 42 years older than this bull.

Cody Jesus on 861F Short Circuit:

This bull only has one out on record from March of this year, and he gave up a score in that one. Don’t really know what to expect from the bull, but Jesus has been riding well after a slow start to the season. 

Eli Vastbinder on 86 Chief:

Vastbinder probably won’t win the round, but he has a great chance to get his first bull ridden. Vastbinder did win the opening round of last year’s Finals, and it was his first PBR World Finals as a rider as well. Chief is one of the more rider-friendly bulls out tonight – he’s been ridden five times in nine career outs.

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Dakota Louis on -167 Black Cherry:

Louis is coming off a big win in Billings and kind of has a knack for rising up and winning stuff when other guys are getting all the hype. He’s matched up pretty tough here. Black Cherry is unridden in 10 career outs, and he’s been tested by competent riders. This bull is something of a prodigy. He’s only 4, but this is his second World Finals appearance. He had two trips at the last World Finals as a 3-year-old, which is rare because Cody Lambert isn’t the biggest fan of 3-year-olds at the UTB level.

Rafael Henrique Dos Santos on 739 Nasty Wishes:

This is another from the much-easier-to-stay-on end of this pen. Nasty Wishes is almost defenseless against left-handed riders; he’s 1-8 against them. He has done much better against right-handed guys, but Santos rode him in their only previous matchup. This is an opportunity for Santos to show off going away from his hand. With the PBR Team Series Draft a little more than a week away, there will be a lot of eyes in the audience tonight desperately seeking Santos if he can consistently deal with bulls that go left.

Jose Vitor Leme on 8122 Mr. Personality:

Survey says, of the top four guys, Leme drew the easiest bull. Mr. Personality is well-liked by everyone because he doesn’t buck guys off. He’s been to four UTB-level events and was ridden at all four. Add Leme to this equation, and this becomes a very lopsided matchup in favor of the rider. If Leme comes down, it would be a huge upset for this bull.

Daylon Swearingen on 35F Cool Whip:

This is one of the more proven bulls in this age group. Like some others here, he has been in the game since he was a baby and won his first check when he was just a year old. He’s also likely to go into Swearingen’s hand. He’s only been ridden once, and that was arguably an off day for him, but he hasn’t faced a lot of top-tier left-handed guys.

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Josh Frost on F42 Big Wave:

This could be a sleeper pick. Frost has been riding pretty well, and this bull is likely to go into his hand. Big Wave has only four career outs, but he’s well-developed. He campaigned hard as a 2-year-old Futurity bull, and he’s a solid pattern spinner who has been cranking out the same trip with riders he used to have with a bucking dummy. Good matchup for Frost here.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 5G Flapjack –AND– Kaique Pacheco on HV8/42 Razzmatazz:

The No. 2 and 3 riders in the world are in a similar situation: they both have inexperienced and relatively unknown bulls. Pacheco’s bull has been ridden once in four attempts, and Vieira’s is 3-0. Big question mark for both guys compared to Swearingen and Leme’s matchups in this round.