NAMPA, Idaho – After a rare Thursday start to three nights of nonstop action at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) event in Nampa, Idaho, Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) emerged victorious as the only man to go a perfect 4-for-4, winning the first premier series event of his career at the PBR Nampa, presented by Cooper Tires, in front of a sold-out crowd.
Salgado, who rides for the Florida Freedom in the separate PBR Camping World Team Series, earned 174 Unleash The Beast points and rocketed from No. 29 to No. 14 in the world with just five events remaining before the PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning on May 9.
The 21-year-old standout, who went 1-for-3 to finish in 12th place last weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was sporting a 26% riding average, started the weekend by conquering Rockville (Blake Sharp/ Koe Wetzel/ Giovanni/ Morris) for 86 points and a sixth-place finish in Round 1.
When Friday’s Round 2 began, Salgado had his eyes set on Time Bomb (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Mark Baker), who he struggled to ride but still netted 68.5 points. He finished in tenth place in Round 2.
In Saturday’s Round 3 preceding the championship round, the fresh-faced Brazilian known for his acrobatics in the arena conquered Bubba G (Dakota Rodeo/ Brian & Ashley Pintar/ Clay Struve/ Chad Berger), scoring 83.25 points.
His success in all three rounds thus far put him in first place ahead of previous weekend leaders Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) and John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) heading into the championship round as he set his sights on Brusta (Joe & Nina Webb/ Julian/ D&H Cattle Co).
Set to compete as the last man of the night, Salgado needed a qualified ride of a mere 22.5 points to take the lead courtesy of his consistency throughout the weekend.
As Alan de Souza (Taubate, Brazil), who briefly held the top of the leaderboard, watched from the wings, Salgado earned a whopping 88.75 points to clinch his first-ever premier series win.
“Just like everyone else, I have been battling day in and day out,” Salgado said through an interpreter atop the center stage. “I thank God first with this. He helped me get out and keep my head up. Today, on this ride, I know that God was with me.”
Salgado’s victory also earned him a check for $46,161.
The three-day event at Ford Idaho Center marks the 27th time the elite tour has visited Nampa and the first time since 2010 that Gem State fans have been treated to three full nights of action versus two. Saturday night showcased a sea of purple as fans, riders, stock contractors, and staff showed solidarity and support for longtime local partner, the Man-Up Crusade, in its efforts to bring awareness and support to victims of domestic violence.
In second place for the weekend was the Nashville Stampede’s Souza, who sat atop the event’s leaderboard for most of the championship round until the final seconds, when Salgado clinched the win.
Starting things off in a positive fashion, Souza conquered Sweet Train (D&H Cattle Co/ Gordon/ OK Corralis) on Thursday night but then toppled off Sweatlodge Testified (Silver Bridge Bucking Bulls/ Culp Bucking Bulls/ Green) after 3.15 seconds in Friday’s Round 2.
Matched with Pam’s Dream (Bar A Bucking Bulls) in Round 3 early on Saturday, he came back with a vengeance, recording a solid 84.75-point ride to tie for second place in the round.
For his championship round matchup, the 30-year-old cowboy then selected Dark Thoughts (Blake Sharp/ Henry Wilson).
The powerful bovine shot from the chutes as Souza stayed in perfect time to record a picture-perfect 88-point ride to take the temporary lead. As the No. 3 man in the championship round, Souza left Nampa in second place overall, collecting 113.5 Unleash The Beast points for his 3-for-4 performance and moving from No. 9 to No. 7 in the world.
After going 3-for-4 last week for a fourth-place finish in Albuquerque, 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) hit the gas in Nampa to finish in third place, earning 100 Unleash The Beast points and moving from No. 17 in the standings to No. 11.
Matched with Sugar Smack (Blake Sharp/ UB Bucking Company), the Nashville Stampede athlete earned 84.25 points for his Round 1 ride, marking a good start to the weekend leaderboard at No. 8.
Kamikaze (Humpz and Hornz/ ET Cattle) showcased his bull power when matched with the “Ice Man” in the second round, dispatching Pacheo after a mere 1.99 seconds.
Pacheco returned to his flawless form aboard Blackstone (Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) in Round 3, earning an 84-point ride score to finish among the Top 5 in the round.
Coming into the championship round sixth in the overall aggregate, he chose the resilient Ricky Vaughn (WinRock/ D&H Cattle/ Buck Cattle). As the sold-out arena boomed, the former World Champion sailed through the air for 89 points.
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) kept the momentum going on Saturday night in Nampa, going 3-for-4 to land in fourth place for the weekend.
The Missouri Thunder athlete ended the weekend on a strong note aboard Manaba (Joe & Nina Webb/ Julian/ D&H Cattle Co) in the championship round, scoring 85.5 points.
The Texas cowboy had begun the weekend in a less-than-ideal fashion, bucked off by War Train (Humpz and Hornz/ Frances Dandy/ Flores Cattle) after a mere 3.21 seconds.
Despite being thrown off early in the first round, Alvidrez came back with a vengeance in the following rounds, bursting from the chutes aboard Buck Cherry (Macza Pro Rodeo) in Round 2 for 86.75 points, finishing fourth in the round.
He matched that placement in Round 3 when he was paired with Koulee’s Pet (Macza Pro Rodeo), scoring a solid 84.5 points, which punched his ticket to the championship round.
For his impressive efforts at the Ford Idaho Center, the 27-year-old gained 75 Unleash The Beast points and moved from No. 52 in the standings to No. 40.
The No. 2 man in the world, John Crimber, and the No. 3 man in the world, Dalton Kasel, were stymied in the championship round to round out the Top 5 in Nampa tied for fifth.
In the opening round on Thursday night, Kasel went head-to-head with Bo Man (D&H Cattle Co/ Craig Moore), recording a picture-perfect 8-second ride for 88 points, which enabled him to split the Round 1 win with Arizona Ridge Riders athlete Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah).
On night two, Kasel kept the momentum going by scoring 88.75 points aboard Fierce’s Dirtnap (Blake Sharp/ UB Bucking Co/ Fierce Firearms) for a second-place finish in Round 2.
As he entered the event’s final night, he was matched with Wishful Thinking (Wentz Bucking Bulls/ King Rodeo) in Saturday’s Round 3. Regardless of his best efforts, Kasel was dispatched after 6.08 seconds.
Despite his Round 3 buckoff, Kasel made it into the championship round and selected his partner to be Wild Card. After a struggle in the chutes, judges awarded Kasel a re-ride aboard Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/ High Voltage/ Wetzel/ Knott).
The hard-bucking bull burst from the chutes in a haze of dust and dominated the matchup as Kasel hit the dirt at 3.73 seconds.
The second man in the tied duo, rookie phenom John Crimber, had yet again a solid weekend of high scores.
The opening night in Nampa went well for the young cowboy, scoring 87.75 points on Wishful Thinking (Wentz Bucking Bulls/ King Rodeo) for a third-place finish in Round 1.
Going into Friday’s Round 2, Crimber was paired with Cookies & Cream (Nixon Bucking Bulls).
In typical fashion, he bested the powerful animal athlete, putting 89 points on the leaderboard, which held through the evening and secured the round win.
Confident and determined as he came into Championship Sunday, the 18-year-old first had to get through Round 3, which proved a challenge.
Bud Man (D&H Cattle Co/ Craig Moore) showcased his amazing power, throwing Crimber off at only 2.86 seconds.
Because of his Round 1 and 2 rides, the Texas man was still in the bracket for the championship round, where he selected The Kraken (Blake Sharp/ UB Bucking Company).
Crimber fought hard through the final seconds of the out, but the bull won the David vs. Goliath matchup, dispatching Crimber right before the buzzer at 7.73 seconds.
For the fifth-place tied finish, Kasel collected 61.5 Unleash The Beast points and Crimber collected 65.5, allowing both to hold tight to their rankings as they chase world No. 1 Cassio Dias, who was shut out in Nampa.
In the bull pen, UTZ BesTex Legend (Blake Sharp/ Chris Utz/ Carey Brothers) earned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title after besting Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira, Brazil) in the championship round and earning a 44.75-point bull score.
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the First Premier Bank PBR Sioux Falls, presented by Cooper Tires, the 19th event of the 2024 season, on Friday, April 5, at 7:45 p.m. CDT, Saturday, April 6, at 6:45 CDT and Sunday, April 7, at 2:45 p.m. CDT.
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 BeastРPBR Nampa Ford Idaho Center -Nampa, Idaho Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Thiago Salgado, 86-68.5-83.25-88.75-326.50-147 Points. 2. Alan de Souza, 87.25-0-84.75-88-260.00-113.5 Points. 3. Kaique Pacheco, 84.25-0-84-89-257.25-100 Points. 4. Andrew Alvidrez, 0-86.75-84.5-85.5-256.75-75 Points. 5. John Crimber, 87.75-89-0-0-176.75-65.5 Points. (tie). Dalton Kasel, 88-88.75-0-0-176.75-61.5 Points. 7. Bob Mitchell, 83-0-84.75-0-167.75-39.5 Points. 8. Ederson Santos, 84-0-82.5-0-166.50-31 Points. 9. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 88-0-76.25-0-164.25-30 Points. 10. Brady Fielder, 0-87-0-0-87.00-19.5 Points. (tie). Jose Vitor Leme, 87-0-0-0-87.00-17.5 Points. 12. Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-86.75-0-86.75-28 Points. 13. Felipe Furlan, 0-85.5-0-0-85.50-15 Points. 14. Julio Cesar Marques, 0-85.25-0-0-85.25-14 Points. 15. Eduardo Aparecido, 85-0-0-0-85.00-13 Points. 16. Cort McFadden, 0-83.75-0-0-83.75-13 Points. (tie). Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-83.75-0-83.75-14 Points. 18. Luciano De Castro, 0-83.5-0-0-83.50-12 Points. 19. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 82.5-0-0-0-82.50-9 Points. 20. Leonardo Castro, 0-81-0-0-81.00-3 Points. 21. Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-78.25-0-78.25-10 Points. 22. Trace Redd, 0-49.5-0-0-49.50-1 Points. Cassio Dias, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Jọo Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Caden Bunch, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Kaiden Loud, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Vitor Losnake, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Edn̩lio Almeida, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Nick Tetz, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media