PUEBLO, Colo. – For a guy nicknamed “Fast Eddy,” Eduardo Aparecido hasn’t been afraid to lean into his slow and steady approach in climbing the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings.
Securing a qualified ride in 13 of the 15 Unleash The Beast events in which he’s participated in 2024, he’s arguably been the definition of consistency. We aren’t talking about B.S. finishes either, as he’s finished within the Top 13 in 11 of the 13 showcases, with six of those finishes coming within the Top 10.
Having gotten close to the crown several times this season, securing a third-place finish during his first appearance of the year (in St. Louis, Missouri), Aparecido nearly won it all in Chicago, but was eventually edged out by some guy named Cassio Dias.
Perhaps you’ve heard of him.
But we aren’t here to talk about close calls. We’re here to celebrate the veteran getting over the hump!
Fast forward nine weeks and the two have finally swapped spots, as Aparecido exited the final PBR Major of the season, the PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational, in the winner’s column for the first time since April 19, 2023 (where he won in Everett, Washington), somehow just the second time in his storied career.
Every jet plane has a designated runway. And for fans paying attention this season, Aparecido hasn’t been in a hurry to land by any means. But after touching down inside The Pit, fresh off a second-place warm-up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a seventh-place effort last weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas, he may have timed his grand arrival perfectly, just six events ahead of the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
Becoming the 11th different rider to earn a premier series victory this season, thus becoming the 11th rider to officially secure his spot at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast (as each cowboy to win one of the 23 regular season UTB events automatically qualifies for the dramatic season-ending showdown), Aparecido is now just the second man to achieve a 4-for-4 performance this season, joining Leonardo Castro who pulled it off in Sacramento, California.
While various members of the premier series pack were busy providing the flashiest rides in Albuquerque, Aparecido kept his job done and ensured himself the win via his gritty, consistent approach. With his individual ride scores buried a bit on the leaderboard (converting for 84, 85.25, 87.75 and 89.25 points), the veteran continuously turned it up a notch, scoring higher in each ride as the four-round tournament progressed.
Looking smooth the entire way.
On a weekend which saw a combined six 90-point rides, the 33-year-old didn’t produce any of them. But in all fairness, he didn’t need them inside The Pit, as he was the only rider to stay perfect throughout the contest. And with the season-culminating showdown less than 50 days away, riders would be wise to take a page out of Aparecido’s book, as it’s the slow and steady approach which will allow riders to advance throughout the tour’s new three-stage format at World Finals.
Set to bring a four-out ride streak into this weekend’s upcoming PBR Nampa Presented by Cooper Tires, he’s now converted in eight of his last 10 outs, yet continuing to ramp up his expectations as the season draws to a close, Now 21-for-44 (47.73%) on the season.
Taking home a career-high 216.5 UTB points and personal-best $111,413 for his HUGE win, the skilled Brazilian advanced to the No. 4 rank, now just 28.5 UTB points behind No. 3 Dalton Kasel and a mere 514.83 points behind No. 1 Cassio Dias. With six regular season events remaining and several hundreds of points still up for grabs, Aparecido will be one of the many riders fans should keep an eye on leading into the most electric two weeks of Western sports action of the year, set to invade Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, May 9-19!
With Unleash The Beast preparing to invade Ford Idaho Center March 28-30 during the 18th regular season event of the 2024 premier series slate in Nampa, Idaho, we’re taking a quick look back at some of the numerical takeaways from last weekend’s PBR Little Rock during this week’s By the Numbers!
93.25: The weekend as a whole belonged to the storied veteran in Aparecido, who edged out the entire pack by one ride score as the only cowboy to stay perfect throughout the four-round showdown. But the moment itself has to be considered the dramatic rematch between the industry’s top-ranked man and best bull in the business, aka No. 1 Cassio Dias going head-to-head with none other than No. 1 Man Hater. Knowing both the animal athlete and tour-leading talent had what it takes to light the scoreboard on fire once again, fans, TV personnel and the riders themselves couldn’t help but get excited for what could be another fiery explosion.
Selecting the prized bovine with the fourth overall selection in Sunday’s short round draft, Dias climbed aboard his opponent with all eyes on him. And then, he did his thing, letting the bull lead the way while matching its every move in elite fashion. Scored an epic 93.25 points for the next-level outing, the 22-year-old posted the second-highest score of the 2024 premier series season during a completely different (compared to the duo’s initial dance), yet still amazing, trip aboard the bull who’s considered to be the world title favorite. Storming his way to the top of the event leaderboard, he eventually watched on as Aparecido completed his perfect slate, albeit still holding on for a second-place finish as he further extended his lead atop the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings.
RELATED: Unleash The Beast concludes final 2024 PBR Major with a BANG!
Responsible for three of the tour’s Top 5-ranked rides this season (dancing with Man Hater twice: 93.25 points in Albuquerque, New Mexico and 94.75 points in Los Angeles, California, after teaming up with Cy Young for 91.75 points in December during an early-season showdown in Johnstown, Pennsylvania), including No. 1, No. 2 and a third-place tie with Dalton Kasel and Joao Ricardo Vieira, Dias’s most recent above-average performance marked his tour-best seventh 90-pointer of the season as the 2024 PBR Rookie of the Year leader continues to assert his dominance. Now an insane 30-for-51 (58.82%) on the year, Dias sits 481 points ahead of No. 2 John Crimber (who turned in a fifth-place finish at The Pit) and 485.83 points in front of No. 3 Dalton Kasel (who managed a third-place effort despite entering the championship round as the event’s leader).
No. 3 Likes the Top 3: Dalton Kasel may have only captured one premier series title so far in 2024, but when you consider the fact that he’s amassed six Top 5 finishes on the year, earning four of the six throughout his past five events, and it’s easy to see why the Muleshoe, Texas, native is considered one of the hottest riders on tour right now. Rightfully so, as the 25-year-old has been locked in on achieving his ultimate goal: Winning a PBR World Championship. Ending each of the past two seasons with sixth (2022) and fifth-place (2023) finishes, Kasel has been a world contender for several seasons now. But it’s “Mr. 90 Points” who’s showed up as the gold buckle race heats up in 2024, most recently meeting the mark during the final PBR Major of the season.
Somehow just his third 90-pointer of the season, Kasel took advantage of his Round 3 matchup against Cliffhanger in an epic way, scored a round-winning 91 points as the rider took another step toward greatness. Getting the crowd involved early on, as the Austin Gamblers’ standout completed the flashy ride during just the ninth ride of the afternoon, he needed each and every part of that score in order to secure the round victory, as INFR (Indian National Finals Rodeo) winner JaCauy Hale nearly stole the show with an epic 90.5-point conversion during his UTB debut event. While Kasel exited the final long round of the weekend with both the round win while earning the first pick in the short round bull draft (as he sat atop the event standings heading into the championship go, thanks to early-event qualified rides dancing with Horn Dog for 86 points before besting Whoa for 86.5 points), he was unfortunately unable to finish the job as one of two riders to enter Round 4 with flawless 3-for-3 records.
Dispatched from No. 3 Flyin Wired in a brief 2.9 seconds, Kasel was forced out of position early into the out before eventually falling forward and off his opponent. Despite the imperfect finish, Kasel still took home an impactful 151 UTB points and $25,083 for his third-place effort, which is huge when you consider Dias finished just one spot ahead. If Kasel hopes to close the gap between he and the world’s top-ranked rider, he’ll need to continue producing podium finishes, as a healthy Dias seems to be the only cowboy riding at just a bit hotter of a clip.
2018 World Champ Assumes No. 17 Rank: Going 3-for-4 inside The Pit, veteran Kaique Pacheco looked very bit of his “Ice Man” nickname, knocking down bulls left and right as he continues to work his way into shape ahead of the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast. Turning in a fourth-place effort, which represents his best finish of the season since earning an early-season runner-up effort in Manchester, New Hampshire, it was somehow only his second 3-for-4 effort on the year, as the 2018 World Champion advanced to 11-for-27 (40.74%) in 2024. Thankfully for his fans, Pacheco seemed passionate and ready to make some noise during this stretch run. Beginning his productive weekend by besting each of his Round 1 (Chupacabra: 85.25 points) and Round 2 (Flashbang: 84.25 points), the talented Brazilian stumbled in the third round, but still managed to secure a spot in the championship go. Which is where he really put on the show!
Dancing with UTZ BesTex Smokestack to the whistle for a commanding 90.75 points, the score marks Pacheco’s highest of the campaign and only 90 so far. Putting an exclamation point on the end of his most intriguing effort of the calendar year, Pacheco’s successful stint couldn’t have come at a better time, as the veteran had been enduring a 10-out buckoff streak leading into Albuquerque (with his last conversion coming nearly two months prior, Jan. 26 in Houston, Texas). Netting an ever-important 87 UTB points for his second Top 5 finish, Pacheco sits at the No. 17 spot, just two spots away from what the pack is considering the safe zone (as only the Top 15 riders within the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings at the end of the 2024 World Finals: Elimination Rounds, alongside the Top 5 in the event aggregate itself, will advance to the 2024 World Finals: Championship Rounds, May 18-19 at AT&T Stadium). Which means if you aren’t already in striking distance of said Top 15, you sure want to be heading that way here over the final six regular season events. Exactly what Pacheco has accomplished, but he'll need a few more favorable finishes to secure his spot officially.
Two Rides for the Two-Time Champ: Everyone knows two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme has all of the skill needed, and then some, to get himself qualified to the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast. Apparent, most recently, this past weekend, as the veteran produced a 2-for-3 effort en route to earning 35.5 UTB points for his 10th place tie. What Leme may not have in the tank currently is a full bill of good health, as the all-world talent was once again forced out of competition Sunday afternoon due to injury (after making head-to-head contact with his opponent). Starting his weekend with a perfect 2-for-2 slate, which included stellar performances aboard Bubba G (84 points) in Round 1 and Taylor’s Cowtown Throwdown (85.75 points) in Round 2, Leme was looking every bit in shape to make a run for the event title.
But after getting a bit banged up during his third-round out, dancing with Younts Brody’s Pet, it was quite obvious that the rider wouldn’t be returning to action, despite qualifying for what would’ve been just his second short round of the season (as he’s missed a majority of the season with injury). Opting out of the championship go, he was still able to advance to the No. 25 spot after starting the weekend ranked No. 27, but with the Top 15 each and every rider’s goal right now, Leme will either need to quickly recover and get back on tour or fold his cards and prepare for year three with his PBR Camping World Team Series’ Austin Gamblers. Just 8-for-11 (72.73%) on the season, Leme has been riding like normal when he’s good enough to go. The problem for the 27-year-old is that just hasn’t been too often. However, it sounds like there’s a shot he suits up this weekend in Nampa, so get those fingers crossed!
Zero to 90, Real Quick: On a weekend which featured four rounds of rank action and a whopping 23 different riders making the 8 throughout the three-round shootout, there were 13 riders who managed one conversion, two who accomplished two qualified rides and three who found themselves in the triple-down club. But there was only one cowboy who was able to stay perfect on the weekend, as Eduardo Aparecido become the second rider all season to go 4-for-4 at a UTB event in 2024. Needless to say, the final PBR Major of the year delivered, as the pack combined for 38 total rides, the fifth-most at any event this season. One less than Sacramento, California (the second PBR Major of the year) and two more than New York City (the first PBR Major on the season), riders proved they weren’t only locked in for the long run, but very much concentrated on each and every out remaining.
Plenty of quality rides are always great, but it’s the 90-pointers that the fans love. And that’s exactly what guys like No. 2 John Crimber and company provided. Crimber may have been the only rider to produce two separate 90s on the weekend. Initially paired with Whiskey Trip for an opening round-winning 90 points, it was his short round conversion aboard Bamboozle for 91.5 points which gained the attention of the New Mexico-based crowd, as the 18-year-old continued to prove why he’s revered as one of the pack’s most serious world title contenders, despite competing in his rookie season.
Crimber wasn’t the only one to go north of the 90 line, as Dalton Kasel and JaCauy Hale got in on the fun in Round 3. Logging the rides in consecutive sections while providing the crowds with some wows, Kasel went the distance aboard Cliffhanger for 91, moments before Hale was able to rip off the first 90 of his PBR career, scored 90.5 points aboard Mahan. The third-round throwdown was merely a warm-up session for riders, though, as the pack went 1-2-3, teaming up for three 90s in one of the more spicy short rounds of the season. Highlighted, of course, by Cassio Dias’s 93.25-point score, Pacheco’s highest-scored ride on the season added some flare as the boys gave it their all during the final PBR Major of 2024.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media