PUEBLO, Colo. – Prior to the rider’s successful weekend in Albany, New York, Dec. 29-30 during the final competition of the 2023 calendar year, it had been more than 20 months since Austin Richardson last captured an Unleash The Beast event buckle.
More than 620 days.
Over 20 premier series appearances.
But the drought is officially over for the Dallas, Texas, native, after the 23-year-old posted a flawless 3-for-3 performance inside MVP Arena.
Bringing home an event-high 157 Unleash The Beast points and corresponding winner’s check for $49,022, Richardson currently occupies the tour’s No. 2 rank days before the tour is set to double down in New York state, as Madison Square Garden prepares to host the first PBR Major of the season Jan. 5-7.
Which shouldn’t be much for a surprise for bull riding fans, who have now seen Richardson turn in three Top 10 (1st, 3rd, 9th) performances so far this year, with a 17th-place finish in Tucson, Arizona, meaning the cowboy has recorded at least one qualified ride in four of five events.
Consistency is key after all.
And it very much proved to be the winning formula for Richardson at PBR Albany, who turned in 86.5, 88 and 88.75-point scores as one of just two perfect competitors overall.
Initially teaming up with Martini Houdini for an 86.5-point mark, he went on to tie Kaiden Loud and Braidy Randolph for the Round 1 honors, as both cowboys turned in matching scores Friday evening.
Returning to the chutes with some added confidence, Richardson already had the juices flowing.
It was just time to do his job, now.
And that’s exactly what he did, eventually matching Magic Trick’s every move en route to earning an 88-point mark to not only punch his ticket to the short round, but skyrocket to the top of the event leaderboard.
Later selecting a short round showdown against the likes of Ivy League, Richardson completed his first flawless showcase of the young season by recording the highest ride score of his season.
And the flashiest score since Aug. 13, when he teamed up with Boo Ray for an 89.25-point effort.
Extending his spicy start to the 2024 season (8-for-14), Richardson is now just 73 points behind No. 1 Cassio Dias, who went 1-for-3 in Albany, albeit including a heartbreaking 7.99-second buckoff in Round 2, dispatched by Black Squirrel in dramatic fashion.
Without a doubt, he’s been one of the tour’s most electrifying riders to start the year.
But with the likes of Jose Vitor Leme, Sage Steele Kimzey, Alan de Souza and several other established veterans taking the time to rest up, will the 23-year-old be able to stay productive leading into the 2024 World Finals: Unleash The Beast and surpass his world-best No. 11 rank from the 2022 season after finishing the 2023 season ranked No. 28?
With Unleash The Beast preparing to surge into its sixth event of the evening, set to take place within the legendary Madison Square Garden, we’re taking a quick look back at some of the numerical takeaways from PBR Albany in this week’s By the Numbers!
8-for-14: Competing in just 12 events during the 2023 Unleash The Beast campaign, Richardson finished the year ranked No. 28 overall, with a 14th-place result at the season-culminating showdown inside Dickies Arena helping to propel the talent inside the Top 30. Throughout all of last season’s premier series involvement, Richardson produced a combined 7-for-34 record, which he’s already bested this season, now 8-for-14. Even more impressive, when he’s riding, it’s been for quality scores, with 85, 85.75, 86.5, 86.75, 88, 88, 88.25 and 88.75-point conversions this season combining to give the cowboy an 87.12-point average score five events into the slate.
Three-Peat: While he may have tied Loud and Randolph in Friday night’s opener, Richardson went on to secure not only the Round 2 honors but posted an event-high 88.75-point conversion atop Ivy League to win his third round of the weekend in epic fashion.
RELATED: Austin Richardson sweeps competition inside MVP Arena to win PBR Albany
The win represented the cowboy’s third-ever Unleash The Beast win, with his previous two buckles coming from big showings in Tacoma, Washington, (April 2022) and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (February 2022), while his productive finish marks the talent’s third Top 10 finish of the season.
Still No. 1: The only man who’s enjoyed more success this season comes in the form of Brazilian standout Cassio Dias, who’s set to bring his tour-best 10-for-15 record into New York City this weekend. Similar to Richardson, Dias has made the whistle in four of five events he’s participated in, with Friday night’s 85.75-point journey atop Nighttime Crime representing his lone conversion in Albany. Thankfully for the 22-year-old who’s already captured two event titles throughout the first five events of the season, he’s got plenty of time to string together another lengthy ride streak, albeit now just 1-for-5 since starting the campaign with a tour-best seven-out ride streak.
Plus 30: Entering last weekend’s PBR Albany showdown as the No. 39-ranked rider, Kaiden Loud was competing as one of several alternates in the draw, due to quite the list of riders unavailable to participate because of health or extended holiday breaks. Jumping 30 spots up the rankings, now sitting within the Top 10 at the No. 9 spot, the 18-year-old rookie turned in his first 3-for-3 showcase at a UTB event, marking the best showing at a premier series event in his young professional career.
RELATED: Kaiden Loud kicks campaign into gear with fiery start in Albany
Originally challenged by Boo Ray during Friday night’s opening round, Loud secured just his second qualified ride of the season Friday night, tying Richardson and Randolph for the round-winning feat. Returning to MVP Arena Saturday with some passion, Loud went on to best Smooth Over It for 85.75 points before tying his Round 1 score (86.5 points) dancing with Red Scorpion in the short go. Going from one ride to four conversions on the season all within one event, the youngster is positioned at the No. 9 spot heading into the bright lights of New York City. If he can keep throwing down quality efforts like he did a few hundred miles north of MSG, he’s got every chance in the world to keep his hot streak going, starting Friday night.
Five Rides, Top 10: Just one spot behind Loud in the 2024 Unleash The Beast Championship Standings sits No. 10 Julio Cesar Marques, a 19-year-old member of the Kansas City Outlaws who continues to display the talents of tomorrow’s riders … well, today! Picking up his career-first podium finish within a UTB event, his third-place finish represents his second Top 10 finish during his last three event appearances. Producing a 2-for-3 showcase last weekend in Albany, the young talent exited his opening round showdown in the ride column after making the 8 aboard West Coast for 86.25 points. Eventually hitting the dirt in Round 2, he returned triumphantly to the short round, tasked via a date with Smooth Steel. Earning his fifth qualified ride of the year, he exited the championship round with the green light, eventually leaving MVP Arena with 69.5 UTB points and a check worth $13,787.67, the largest earned so far during his budding professional career.
47.25: Throwing down the highest bull score of the season en route to capturing his third YETI Bull of the Event honors within the tour’s opening five contests, Man Hater did his thing one again in Albany.
Topping his own previous tour-best effort of 46.5 points, earned in St. Louis, Missouri, after dispatching Dalton Kasel in under three seconds, this time it was Guilherme Valleiras who got the short end of the straw. Sent flying to the dirt in 3.08 seconds during Saturday night’s short round, the cowboy quickly understood why the prized animal athlete continues to defend his No. 1 rank with ease.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
