ST. LOUIS – At the second PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event of the 2023 season in St. Louis, 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) delivered a flawless 3-for-3 effort, including what is now the highest-marked ride of the season, to win the PBR St. Louis Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, and vault to the No. 1 position in the early gold buckle race.
As one of three riders to cover all of his draws, Davis clinched the victory when he architected a showdown of titans for the championship round, teaming with 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch) for a mammoth 91.75 points.
“Winning never gets old,” Davis said from the dirt moments after the win. “Stepping up and riding a bull like I got to get on today is what PBR is all about and why I love the sport so much.”
After considering retirement during the 2022 individual season, Davis was reinvigorated during the subsequent PBR Team Series season while representing the Carolina Cowboys. He got off to a hot start in Round 1 in St. Louis, delivering the fifth-best score when he took Bottom’s Up (K-C Bucking Bulls/TCB Ranch) to the 8-second whistle for 86.75 points.
Davis then went head-to-head with Casper (Crescent City Bucking Bulls/Lari Crane/Gene Owen) in Round 2. The charismatic Texan surged to second on the event leaderboard when he covered the animal athlete for a crucial 89 points, the second-best score of the round.
After Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil), the event leader entering the championship round, opted not to pick Woopaa, Davis was quick to pounce on the opportunity, setting up a showdown of titans in the final round.
With the electric crowd brought to the edge of their seats, Davis burst from the chutes, matching the athletic red bull jump-for-jump en route to the requisite 8. As the fans erupted in cheer, Davis was awarded 91.75 points to propel him to the event lead.
Davis’s score, paired with event-leader Alves failing to convert in the final round, led him to earn his 12th career Unleash The Beast event win and first since topping the field in Jacksonville, Florida, in May 2021. The golden finish earned him $46,122.67 and a crucial 142 Unleash The Beast points.
After traveling to the Show-Me State ranked No. 6, Davis surged to No. 1, now 56.5 points ahead of No. 2 Brady Oleson (Blackfoot, Idaho).
Oleson, who won the season-launch event in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend and began the event No. 1 in the world title race, was shut out in St. Louis. After being dispatched by Chief (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd) in a close 6.46 seconds in Round 1, he was upended by the still-unridden Ivy League (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) in a swift 2.99 seconds in Round 2.
Making his 2023 Unleash The Beast debut, Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) delivered his own perfect 3-for-3 outing inside Enterprise Center to conclude the event second. He left the home of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with a check for $20,532.67 and 93 Unleash The Beast points.
The reserved Brazilian first put points on the board in Round 1 of the PBR St. Louis Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, when he went the distance atop Crime Time (C Check Bucking Bulls) for 87 points in Round 1.
Castro then found himself needing to make a business decision in Round 2 when he was awarded a re-ride after scoring only 73.25 points on The Maverick (Cord McCoy/Birmingham World Deer Expo/McCoy Rodeo). Opting for a second chance at a higher score, Castro next found his name across from Show Me Homie (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C/Spark-lin Acres) in the draw.
In a choice that paid dividends, Castro danced with the bull in perfect harmony, scored an improved 82.75 points. The 8-second effort propelled Castro to fourth on the event leaderboard.
With the fourth pick in the championship round bull draft, Castro selected Cliff Hanger (Cord McCoy/Pioneer Bulls/McCoy Rodeo). He went on to deliver his first 90-point ride of the season and 14th of his career in elite competition, marked 90 points.
Ahead of the third event of the 2023 campaign, Castro is now tied for the No. 5 rank in the World Championship standings. He trails No. 1 Davis by 97 points.
As the final rider to be flawless in Missouri, Wingson Henrique da Silva (Navirai, Brazil) completed the podium in third.
Silva punched his ticket to the championship round after riding Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather (Chad Berger/Oilfield Outlaw’s Bucking Bulls) for 85.25 points in Round 1 and Black Sox (Cord McCoy/Grin/Jacobson/McCoy Rodeo) for 82.25 points in Round 2.
In the championship round, Silva cemented the bronze finish when he outlasted The Right Stuff (Diamond Willow/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 87.25 points.
Along with collecting a check for $12,686.67, Silva also garnered 75 Unleash The Beast points. He rose from No. 19 to No. 7 in the standings, now 107 points back of the No. 1 rank.
Three-time PBR World Champion Alves finished fourth in St. Louis while further etching his name in the PBR record books as the organization celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2023.
In Round 1, Alves surged to an early event lead when he conquered Savage (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd/High Voltage Cattle) for 90 points. The 90-point ride was the 14th of Alves’s career and first since the championship round of the 2021 PBR World Finals.
Alves, who was making his season debut after missing the first tour stop of the year in Arizona due to the loss of his father, remained red-hot in Round 2, defending his spot atop the leaderboard when he rode Mr. Winston (Dakota Rodeo/Mark Baker/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) for 87 points.
While the score was the seventh-best of the round, it was notable for being recorded during Alves’s 1,000th career out in premier PBR competition, allowing him to reach an elite club of riders. Alves is now just the fourth rider to cross the monumental threshold, joining two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (1,086), 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (1,172) and 2004 PBR World Champion Mike Lee (1,181).
Holding the coveted first pick in the championship round bull draft, Alves used his pick of the pen to take Shake & Bake (Blake Sharp/Floyd/Utz/Farris).
After Alves left the chutes and remained centered, Shake & Bake fell, landing on Alves and earning the legendary Brazilian a re-ride.
As the last rider out, Alves returned to the bucking chutes, collecting himself as he readied to take on his re-ride opponent Tested’s Viper (Hookin’ W/LeFlore Bucking Bulls).
Alves, however, was unable to conclude the weekend with a victory, bucked off in 5.36 seconds.
The fourth-place effort earned Alves a much-needed 63 Unleash The Beast points. Unranked prior to the PBR St. Louis Invitational, he rose to No. 8 in the standings. Seeking his unprecedented fourth World Championship, Alves is now within 127 points of No. 1 Davis.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas).
Keeping first converted in Round 1 on Big Black (K-C Bucking Bulls/Joe & Nina Webb) for 84.75 points, the seventh-best effort of the opening night.
The humble Texan then rose to third in the event standings when he dominated Round 2 with an impressive 89.75-point ride on Body Count (Bob & Jeri Adams/BS Cattle Co.).
Keeping, however, was unable to continue his momentum in the final round, bucked off by Blue Duck (Cord McCoy/Grin/Jacobson/Davis Rodeo Ranch/McCoy Rodeo) in 5.29 seconds, denied his career-first Unleash The Beast event win.
The young father returns home having earned 58 Unleash The Beast points. After beginning the event No. 9, Keeping is now tied for No. 5 in the World Championship race alongside Castro, 97 points back of No. 1 Davis.
In the bull pen, UTZ BesTex Solutions Legend (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Garrett Carey) bucked a cut above the rest, crowned the YETI “Built For The Wild” Bull of the Event. The powerful animal athlete was marked a commanding 46.75 points in the championship round for his 2.75-second buckoff of Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas).
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Target Center in Minneapolis for the PBR Minneapolis Invitational. The event will be on Friday, Dec. 9, at 7:45 p.m. CST and Saturday, Dec. 10, at 6:45 p.m. CST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Unleash The Beast PBR St. Louis Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires Enterprise Center – St. Louis, Missouri Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Cooper Davis, 86.75-89-91.75-267.50-142 Points. 2. Luciano De Castro, 87-82.75-90-259.75-93 Points. 3. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 85.25-82.25-87.25-254.75-75 Points. 4. Silvano Alves, 90-87-0-177.00-63 Points. 5. Daniel Keeping, 84.75-89.75-0-174.50-58 Points. 6. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 84.5-85-0-169.50-33 Points. 7. Braidy Randolph, 78.5-88.75-0-167.25-22.5 Points. 8. Bob Mitchell, 82-84.25-0-166.25-22 Points. 9. Junior Patrik Souza, 83.75-82.25-0-166.00-23 Points. 10. João Henrique Lucas, 76.5-81.75-0-158.25-10 Points. 11. Derek Kolbaba, 0-88.75-0-88.75-17.5 Points. 12. Dalton Kasel, 88.5-0-0-88.50-18 Points. 13. Thiago Salgado, 0-87.5-0-87.50-14.5 Points. (tie). Marcus Mast, 0-87.5-0-87.50-14.5 Points. 15. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 87.25-0-0-87.25-17 Points. 16. Mason Taylor, 0-86.75-0-86.75-12 Points. 17. Casey Roberts, 0-86.25-0-86.25-11 Points. 18. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-85.75-0-85.75-10 Points. 19. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 82.75-0-0-82.75-10 Points. 20. Matt Triplett, 0-81.25-0-81.25-8 Points. 21. Wyatt Rogers, 80-0-0-80.00 22. Sandro Batista, 72.5-0-0-72.50 Brady Oleson, 0-0-0-0.00 Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00 Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0.00 Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00 Colten Fritzlan, 0-0-0-0.00 Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00 Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00 Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00 Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00 Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0-0.00 Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00 Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0.00 Gage Gay, 0-0-0-0.00 Briggs Madsen, 0-0-0-0.00
2023 PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals Standings (Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings) 1. Cooper Davis, 2, 1, 1, 190.00, $52,398.00 2. Brady Oleson, 2, 1, 1, 133.50, $43,570.33 3. Thiago Salgado, 2, 0, 1, 115.50, $20,525.00 4. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 2, 0, 1, 104.00, $14,736.00 5. Luciano De Castro, 1, 0, 1, 93.00, $20,532.67 5. Daniel Keeping, 2, 0, 1, 93.00, $11,305.33 7. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 2, 0, 1, 83.00, $12,686.67 8. Silvano Alves, 1, 0, 1, 63.00, $9,122.00 9. Andrew Alvidrez, 1, 0, 1, 61.50, $8,282.00 10. Boudreaux Campbell, 2, 0, 1, 50.50, $7,201.00 11. Chase Outlaw, 2, 0, 0, 47.00, $5,870.00 12. Vitor Losnake, 1, 0, 0, 37.00, $4,155.00 13. Mason Taylor, 2, 0, 0, 36.50, $2,105.00 14. Junior Patrik Souza, 2, 0, 0, 32.00, $1,000.00 15. Bob Mitchell, 2, 0, 0, 30.00, $1,500.00 16. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 2, 0, 0, 28.50, $2,100.00 17. Braidy Randolph, 2, 0, 0, 22.50, $3,600.00 18. Dalton Kasel, 1, 0, 0, 18.00, $3,546.00 18. João Henrique Lucas, 2, 0, 0, 18.00, $1,000.00 18. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 2, 0, 0, 18.00, $0.00 21. Derek Kolbaba, 2, 0, 0, 17.50, $2,600.00 22. Wyatt Rogers, 2, 0, 0, 17.00, $1,000.00 23. Marcus Mast, 2, 0, 0, 14.50, $705.00 24. Kaique Pacheco, 1, 0, 0, 12.00, $540.00 24. Cody Jesus, 1, 0, 0, 12.00, $540.00 24. Eli Vastbinder, 2, 0, 0, 12.00, $540.00 24. Colten Fritzlan, 2, 0, 0, 12.00, $540.00 28. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 2, 0, 0, 11.50, $200.00 29. Casey Roberts, 2, 0, 0, 11.00, $0.00 30. Eduardo Aparecido, 2, 0, 0, 10.00, $0.00 31. Daylon Swearingen, 2, 0, 0, 8.00, $0.00 31. Matt Triplett, 2, 0, 0, 8.00, $0.00 33. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Kyler Oliver, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Dakota Louis, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Ezekiel Mitchell, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Ednei Caminhas, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Jesse Petri, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Koltin Hevalow, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Gage Gay, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Briggs Madsen, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00 33. Sandro Batista, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00