By the Numbers: Luciano De Castro secures first title in nearly seven years, advances to No. 3 rank
Arizona Ridge Riders' veteran racks up fourth-straight Top 10 effort, leads premier series pack with 20-for-29 slate.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – In any occupation, staying perfect through a work week – or *weekend* for the most talented bull riders in the world, can be quite the trying feat depending on your line of work.
Hell, even with most tour stops comprising of just three rounds, the most talented cowboys on planet earth can struggle stringing together three-straight rides in the same showcase.
Which is both an ode to the circuit’s ever-electric bovine athletes and a salute to just how much skill, scouting and a bit of luck goes into each 8-second performance. Or attempt, at least.
So, when we say Luciano De Castro needed everything he had in the tank to complete his flawless 4-for-4 run inside Golden 1 Center, we mean it.
Knowing only one other man on the weekend was able to stay perfect, with Paulo Eduardo Rossetto turning in a 4-for-4 run of his own, means just 4.7% of riders within the lineup stayed flawless in Week 11.
In most businesses, if less than 5% of the workforce gave their all, margins sentiment and beyond wouldn’t likely be too healthy.
However, in this industry, it’s the same 5% that can carry the load, as fans in sunny California couldn’t get enough of Castro’s heroics and Rossetto’s role in fueling his Missouri Thunder past the Kansas City Outlaws during the most recent Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World.
And when we consider Rossetto declined a re-ride in Round 3 in hopes of his 73-pointer atop It’s Ok carrying him to the winner’s circle, it was truly only Castro who knocked down each of his four bovine athletes in stunning fashion.
Ending his weekend with an event-high 348.5-point aggregate score, beating out Rossetto by 11.25 points, the Arizona Ridge Riders standout left Sacramento, California, after securing his first UTB victory in nearly seven years, with his last victory coming in September of 2018.
It wasn’t long ago that fellow veteran Lucas Divino ditched a similarly lengthy streak himself earlier this season, putting his own seven-year streak in the rearview. So, if 2024 was “Year of the Rookie,” it’s become apparent than 2025 has been dedicated to the veterans.
Getting his run started with an elegant 88-point dance with Rogue One, we should’ve seen the veteran’s run coming, as he meant business early.
Pairing an 86.25-pointer in Round 2 with an 83.5-point effort in Round 3 (aboard Buckshot and Thunder Butte, respectively), Castro brought his 3-for-3 record into the short go.
Eventually capping off his run by claiming the short round victory, the Brazilian scored a monstrous 90.75 points after lasting the requisite 8 atop Gene’s Best en route to making his way to the top of the event leaderboard.
Exactly where he would stay when the final outs of the evening were complete, thus earning a whopping 169 UTB points and a check inked for $49,083 as he advanced to the tour’s No. 3 rank.
Representing the 28-year-old’s fourth-straight Top 10 effort this season (which includes his win in Sacramento flanked by No. 7, No. 2 and No. 7 placements in his past three appearances), it’s easy to see why we’d consider him RED-HOT at this point.
For those of us who appreciate some additional numerical context, he’s officially 11-for-13 over said four-event streak, thus bringing his 2025 slate to 20-for-29 overall.
Which happens to lead the pack ahead of Week 12’s approaching showcase in Salt Lake City, Utah.
And when you consider no other rider has even 18 conversions to their name, with No. 1 Brady Fielder the next-closest at 17-for-26, it really puts Castro’s season into perspective.
Bringing eight Top 10 performances into Delta Center this weekend, he’s managed to secure at least two rides in eight of his 10 events attended this year, cementing him as a force to be reckoned with as he continued to ascend the premier series standings.
Claiming his third round win of the season (as one of just six riders with three round wins to their name) and second short go honors, (which ties him with Fielder and No. 2 John Crimber with a tour-high two championship round wins), Castro’s dance with Gene’s Best also resulted in the Brazilian’s third 90-pointer in the last three weeks (combined with his pair of elite-marked rides in Houston, Texas, a few weekends back).
We’re not sure how else you want us to paint this picture – but we hope it’s avidly clear the veteran is making a push for what would be his first gold buckle.
And with his Arizona Ridge Riders set to don the spotlight Friday night during another duel with their rival Oklahoma Wildcatters, it’s only right he continues to operate in the limelight, next getting a chance to help his team improve to 2-0 in the series before what should be an energetic audience.
With 11 regular season events out of the way, we’re quickly approaching the halfway mark of the 2025 season. Just another reason PBR.com is back with another edition of By the Numbers as we take a closer look at Luciano De Castro’s first win in seven years, analyze the ending of Cool Whip’s historic 48-out buckoff streak and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s showcase in Sacramento, California!
4-for-4: Luciano De Castro may have claimed his first title in more than half of a decade but it was Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, the only other man to string together four qualified rides, who turned in a career-best finish Sunday afternoon. Staying perfect on the weekend, albeit settling for an imperfect 73-pointer as he hoped he would be the only man to go 4-for-4, the Brazilian standout got his spicy run started competing for his Missouri Thunder and never looked back. Also representing the 27-year-old’s longest consecutive ride streak within UTB competition, he gave it his all inside of Golden 1 Center, which included 73, 86.5, 88.25 and 89.5-point conversions.
However, it was his 89.5-pointer dancing with Electric Kitty in the short round which continues to serve as his highest mark of the season. It also kept him in favorable company alongside Castro and Sandro Batista in being the only other man to convert in the fourth round. Taking home $28,633 and 121 UTB points for his runner-up effort, he’s officially 12-for-24 on the year and up to the No. 16 rank.
31 Points: Able to out-perform 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco by 2.25 points in the event’s aggregate, Austin Richardson secured his first podium placement of the season and best finish of 2025 courtesy of a 3-for-4 performance. Earning 31 more UTB points than Pacheco (96.5 to the former champ’s 65.5), it goes to show just how important each and every point can be throughout any given weekend. And with the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast just a mere three months away, points are already at a premium!
Albeit unable to last 8 seconds dancing with Ricky Vaughn in the short round, he managed to succeed in each of his three long round attempts, logging 85.5, 87.25 and 88.75 points in respective, score-climbing fashion. Bumped up to the No. 11 spot thanks to his productive weekend, the third-place finish marks his third Top 10 effort on the year and fourth Top 11 feat. Now 12-for-27 this season, Richardson tied Batista for the Round 3 honors courtesy of their matching 88.75-point conversions, another hint that “Little A” is trending in the right direction!
Ride 450: Another weekend, another reason to celebrate a veteran cowboy who’s been tearing up the tour for more than a decade. Anytime Joao Ricardo Vieira rides, he’s worth a glance as he continues to operate at a professional clip despite being 40 year old. But age is just a number to a cowboy like JRV, exactly why he continues to suit up and known riders down the leaderboard with flashy showings left and right. Settling for a sixth-place finish in Sac-Town by going 2-for-4, he parlayed an 86 and 88-point rides into a welcome 46 UTB points as he jumped up to the No. 25 spot. But it was his 86-pointer atop Blackstone which was cemented into the PBR record books.
Becoming just the fifth rider in PBR history to reach the 450-conversion mark, the living legend joined the heroic likes of Guilherme Marchi (637), J.B. Mauney (538), Silvano Alves (527) and Mike Lee (525) in extremely rarified company as one of the sport’s established all-stars.
“Top 5 all-time right there in the history books of most qualified rides in the PBR and, well, the guy has been doing it for a long time, really successfully. That’s more rides than some guys get on in their whole careers, especially at this level” 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis shared via the PBR’s YouTube stream.
“Just a really solid ride here for Joao. Into his hand, you expect him to get the job done and he does. Just a really good bull ride.
48-Straight: With the amount of top-tier riders and ever-electric bovines which continue to grace the premier series circuit, it sure seems like we’ve witnessed a lot of historic outs and events lately. However, after seeing Sandro Batista last the requisite 8 atop Cool Whip last weekend en route to breaking the legendary bovine’s 48-out buckoff streak, we can confirm this was a historic weekend. Scored a sincere 89.75 points for besting the bovine who hadn’t been conquered in nearly three years, he soaked up his best score of the season and second-best of his UTB career, trailing only his 91.25-point conversion from December 2022. In other terms, it was his rankest effort in more than two years – and he couldn’t have picked a better time to show up and show out!
And while we’re discussing standout bovines, it’s hard not to mention Buck Nasty, who exited last weekend’s showcase with top honors courtesy of a RATHER RANK 46.75-pointer after forcing rookie Ethan Winckler into a touch just 2.32 seconds into their dance. Deciding he had more to offer, he doubled down, nearly matching said score by producing a 46.25-point bull score by sending Sage Steele Kimzey flying to the dirt during the championship round. He’s a bull to keep an eye on!
162-86.75: It may not have been as high-scoring or dramatic as a few of the series’ previous few matchups. At the same time, anytime the scoreboard can be impacted by just one ride means adrenaline was pumping for fans, riders and coaches alike. Which was the case Friday night during a Monster Energy Team Challenge showdown between the Missouri Thunder and Kansas City Outlaws. The 6 vs. 6 event may have only combined to produce three rides, with the Thunder eventually capturing the game, 162-86.75. But each of the 12 cowboys tapped soaked up some experience: Competing with their squads for the first time this UTB season – And for a few newcomers like Miguel de Jesus and company, got comfortable competing on the big stage.
Scoring the Outlaws’ lone score on the evening, the first-timer used his early conversion to propel himself to a fruitful No. 7 placement despite the event representing his premier series debut. Called up to the big leagues by his coaches Guilherme Marchi and J.W. Hart, the orange-and-black-dressed unit may not have picked up the W but prizes come in all shapes and sizes.
However, this is a Missouri Thunder bullet point, as Head Coach Ross Coleman led his unit to their first win of the season. Trailing Kansas City 8-3 in the all-time record books leading into the showdown, Missouri leaned into the revenge narrative and ran with it. Out-riding the Outlaws just 2-to-1 didn’t matter so much, as they ended the evening by hoisting the rivalry-infused hardware after seeing Paulo Eduardo Rossetto team up with Felipe Furlan for the big win. And while it was nice to see Furlan chip in his 83.5-pointer, this win is directly associated with the switch-hitter in Rossetto, who plastered a masterpiece 88.25-point ride onto the scoreboard dancing with Blown Away.
Ending the night not only atop the shark cage but by being lifted to the top of the huddle by his teammates, Rossetto set the bar for this rivalry, which is set to be quickly reignited in two weekends when Unleash The Beast invades Indianapolis, Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse Feb. 14.
