FORT WORTH, Texas – At the opening iteration of the 30-part PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Stockyards Showcase event series, Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) rode supreme, going a perfect 2-for-2 inside the iconic Cowtown Coliseum to win the Touring Pro Division event and earn crucial Velocity Global points.
In Round 1, Vieira first put points on the board when he delivered the third-best score, marked 84.5 points atop Platinum Edition (United Pro Rodeo).
Vieira then continued his momentum in the championship round, clinching the event victory with a round-winning, 86-point ride on Party Train (Stockyards Pro Rodeo).
As the only rider to be perfect at the event, Vieira’s golden finish earned him a crucial 56.5 Velocity Global points.
Second was Sandro Batista (Pedra Preta, Brazil), netting 36 Velocity Global points.
Batista was unmatched in Round 1, delivering the high-marked ride of the event when he bested Elkins 601 (Philip Elkins) for 87.5 points.
The Brazilian newcomer, however, was unable to retain his position atop the event leaderboard when he was upended by Hot Spot (Stockyards Pro Rodeo) in a swift 1.18 seconds in the final round.
Wyatt Rogers (Hulbert, Oklahoma) and Dakota Hill (Idalou, Texas) tied for third.
Despite being bucked off by Little Blue Demon (Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo) in a heartbreaking 7.56 seconds in the opening round, Rogers returned determined in the championship round.
Matched with Bottles Up (D4 Cattle/Melton Bull Co./Stockyards Pro Rodeo), Rogers matched the animal athlete jump-for-jump en route to the whistle, awarded 86 points, tying for the round win.
Rogers garnered 23 Velocity Global points for the podium finish.
Hill got off to a quick start, scored 86 points in Round 1 when he covered Just Chillin It (Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo).
The Texan, however, was no rival for Shakedown (D4 Cattle/Melton Bull Co./Stockyards Pro Rodeo) in the championship round, sent to the dirt in a quick 2.07 seconds.
Hill left Cowtown Coliseum having earned 21.5 Velocity Global points.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Dantey Eldridge (Yoakum, Texas).
Eldridge rode Little Jimmy (United Pro Rodeo) for 84 points in the opening round to collect 16 Velocity Global points.
In the bull pen, Doolin Dalton (Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo) and Zip Tie (Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo) bucked a cut above the rest, crowned the High-Marked Bull of the Event.
Each bull was scored an impressive 46 points in Round 1, as Doolin Dalton bested Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) in 5.13 seconds, while Zip Tie got the better of Tyler Kippes (Stephenville, Texas) in 1.94 seconds.
The PBR Stockyards Showcase continues Thursday, January 26. Action inside Cowtown Coliseum will get underway at 7:30 p.m. CT.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Stockyards Showcase event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Touring Pro Division PBR Stockyards Showcase Cowtown Coliseum – Fort Worth, Texas Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. João Ricardo Vieira, 84.5-86-170.50-56.5 Points. 2. Sandro Batista, 87.5-0-87.50-36 Points. 3. Wyatt Rogers, 0-86-86.00-23 Points. (tie). Dakota Hill, 86-0-86.00-21.5 Points. 5. Dantey Eldridge, 84-0-84.00-16 Points. 6. Marshall Adkins, 0-83-83.00-16 Points. 7. Chase Dougherty, 79.5-0-79.50-12 Points. 8. Jhonny Klesse, 76.5-0-76.50-3 Points. Mike Lee, 0-0-0.00 Leonardo Lima, 0-0-0.00 Joao Augusto Cezere, 0-0-0.00 Grayson Cole, 0-0-0.00 J.T. Moore, 0-0-0.00 Andy Guzman, 0-0-0.00 Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0.00 Ross Freeman, 0-0-0.00 Guthrie Long, 0-0-0.00 Dustin Martinez, 0-0-0.00 Daniel Rogan, 0-0-0.00 Bruno Jose Barros, 0-0-0.00 Josh Stepp, 0-0-0.00 Vitor de Mello, 0-0-0.00 Koby Jacobson, 0-0-0.00 Marcelo De Souza Dias Junior, 0-0-0.00 Justice Forsythe, 0-0-0.00 Brylee Smith, 0-0-0.00 Isaiah Taylor, 0-0-0.00 Bennie Shetler, 0-0-0.00 Braxton Essary, 0-0-0.00 Enos Swartznetruber, 0-0-0.00 Tyler Kippes, 0-0-0.00 Eric Edelman, 0-0-0.00 Elizmar Souza Jeremiahs, 0-0-0.00 Blake Fenton, 0-0-0.00 Hudson Bolton, 0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Kelly Tarter