SACRAMENTO, Calif. – As night one of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic came to a close on Friday night in Sacramento, 39 of the top bull riders in the world were no match for Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York).
The 24-year-old, who rode for the Carolina Cowboys during the PBR Team Series in 2022 and 2023, was paired with Baldy (Tommy Julian/ D&H Cattle). Catapulting from the chutes aboard his bovine matchup, Swearingen was one of only 11 men out of a field of 40 to record a qualified ride as the animal athletes had their extreme power on full display in Northern California. His standout 89-point ride put the native New Yorker atop the leaderboard early in the night.
The three-day event at Golden 1 Center marks the 21st time the elite tour has visited the city and is the second of three majors in the 2024 UTB season, where added points and payouts are on the line. The draw features 40 riders competing in Rounds 1 and 2. Every contestant with a qualified ride in the first two rounds will be eligible to compete in Round 3 on Sunday. The 12 bull riders with the top combined ride scores following Rounds 1, 2, and 3 will then advance to the championship round.
Swearingen moved from No. 29 to No. 22 in the race for the 2024 PBR World Championship after earning 38 Unleash The Beast points on Friday night.
After a ninth-place finish in Houston last weekend, rookie sensation Caden Bunch (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) hit the gas in California, capturing second place in Round 1.
Bunch, who will be a part of the newly announced 2024 Florida Freedom in PBR Teams, fired from the chutes aboard Regulator (Humpz and Hornz/ Frances Dandy) for 87.75 points.
For his runner-up finish, the 20-year-old Oklahoman earned 28 Unleash The Beast points to climb four spots in the standings from No. 16 to No. 12.
Nineteen-year-old Brazilian Leonardo Castro Ferreira (Cassilandia, Brazil) rocketed up the standings after a third-place finish.
Climbing aboard Pookie Holler (Dakota Rodeo/ Brian & Ashley Pintar/ Clay Struve/ Chad Berger), the 2023 Kansas City Outlaws athlete was ranked No. 47 in the world.
After flying through the air aboard the white bovine, his 87-point ride earned 22 Unleash The Beast points and launched him to No. 38 in the standings.
Australia’s Callum Miller (Warwick, Queensland, Australia) ended his Friday night as the No. 4 man on Sacramento’s leaderboard.
Initially paired with Lone Star (Diamond Bar/ L&B), judges awarded the 28-year-old a re-ride opportunity, which he eagerly took upon hearing his initial 61.25-point score.
Climbing aboard Trump Train (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) as his second opponent of the night, he clung to the muscular animal as the clock wound down to record a much more satisfying 86.5-point score.
The 20 Unleash The Beast points Miller collected moved the previously unranked rider to No. 51.
2020 PBR World Finals event winner Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) and Brazil’s Ednelio Almeida (Cacoal, Brazil) tied for fifth.
Campbell, who was traded by the Carolina Cowboys to the Missouri Thunder earlier in the day, ignited the roaring crowd when he bested Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather (Chad Berger/ Oilfield Outlaw’s Bucking Bulls) for 85.5 points.
A standout for the Nashville Stampede during the 2023 PBR Team Series, 30-year-old Almeida rode Cherry Bomb (Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls) with ease to earn an identical score.
Both Campbell and Almeida netted 18 Unleash The Beast points.
Campbell climbed from No. 18 to No. 14 in the Unleash The Beast standings, while Almeida rose from No. 25 to No. 21.
The PBR Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic- Unleash The Beast Major continues with Round 2 on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 6:45 p.m. PST. Round 3 and the championship round will take place on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 1:45 p.m. PST.
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 Major– PBR Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic
Golden 1 Center -Sacramento, California
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Daylon Swearingen, 89-0-0-0-89.00-38 Points.
2. Caden Bunch, 87.75-0-0-0-87.75-28 Points.
3. Leonardo Castro Ferreira, 87-0-0-0-87.00-22 Points.
4. Callum Miller, 86.5-0-0-0-86.50-20 Points.
5. Boudreaux Campbell, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-18 Points.
(tie). Ednélio Almeida, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-18 Points.
7. Jesse Petri, 84.75-0-0-0-84.75-16 Points.
8. Cassio Dias, 83-0-0-0-83.00-14 Points.
9. Alan de Souza, 82-0-0-0-82.00-13 Points.
10. Koltin Hevalow, 81.25-0-0-0-81.25-11 Points.
11. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 76-0-0-0-76.00-2 Points.
Cody Jesus, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brady Fielder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Julio Cesar Marques, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Felipe Furlan, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Vitor Losnake, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaiden Loud, 0-0-0-0-0.00
John Crimber, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Sage Steele Kimzey, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Clay Guiton, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cort McFadden, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brady Oleson, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dawson Branton, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Rizzo, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Nick Tetz, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
