FORT WORTH, Texas – Since winning big in Sacramento, California, in late January courtesy of a flawless 4-for-4 performance, Luciano De Castro had been a bit quiet.

He’d eventually turn in a ninth-place effort a few weekends later when the tour invaded Jacksonville, Florida. 

But other than his No. 11 finish in early April inside Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, he wasn’t exactly trending in the right direction ahead of the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast. 

He’d earn a qualified ride here or there but just wasn’t able to string anything together as he found himself nearly falling outside the Top 10. 

And while we can partially credit his 2-for-3 performance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for sparking something within the veteran, we can 100% confirm his 3-for-3, event-topping effort in Week 21 solidified him as a contender once more. 

Coming just half a point short from tying No. 2 Brady Fielder for the opening round honors, the Brazilian began his masterpiece by besting Night Agent for 88.5 points in Round 1. 

Returning to the chutes on Championship Saturday, he exited a head-to-head showdown with Oyster Creek Brawler as he claimed a favorable position heading into the short go.

Anytime a rider can start the weekend 2-for-2 means they typically have a little more juice, and confidence, when selecting their final bull of the weekend.

The veteran’s eventual selection of Lights Out ended up proving dividends, no doubt. 

But when we consider Castro’s first two conversions of the weekend ranked as the fourth and fifth-best marks of his 2025 campaign, it seems he would’ve had the momentum to cover just about anybody Saturday night, as he was feeling it.

Proving just that, he went the distance in the third round, becoming one of just two riders to stay perfect throughout the showdown courtesy of an 87.25-point conversion. 

Outscoring Hudson Bolton by a whopping 7.25 points in the overall aggregate, it was clear this was Castro’s moment, who used the big win to improve from No. 8 to No. 5 in the Unleash The Beast standings.

He may be 405.17 UTB points behind No. 1 Dalton Kasel but he’s only 75.67 UTB points behind No. 3 John Crimber, which keeps him very much in the race for the 2025 PBR World Championship. 

With just four cowboys at or above the 30-ride mark ahead of this weekend’s quickly approaching Progressive PBR Nampa, the tour’s ever-epic bovines haven’t exactly been surrendering any easy attempts lately. 

Naturally, Castro is one of those four men, currently ranked No. 3 overall in the qualified ride count courtesy of his 31-for-55 (56.36%) slate to date. 

Ranked sixth overall in riding percentage (technically fifth amongst riders who have attempted at least 30 outs this season), he’s now one of just five competitors to double down in the win column this year. 

Which is both a salute to the circuit’s growing pool of parity and a nod to the veteran’s ability to rise above the noise as he continues to hunt down what would be his career-first gold buckle. 

Regardless of which stat you want to watch or count in regard to the Arizona Ridge Riders standout, the bottom line we can’t argue is the fact he’s earned the fourth-highest amount of cold hard cash this year, already up to $147,936. 

Knowing more than $1 million dollars will be awarded down south in Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, May 8-18 suggests he’s got plenty of opportunities to continue stacking.

Though we have to wonder how much Castro and each of the 40-other some guys set to duke it out inside AT&T Stadium would fork over for a true shot at claiming the sport’s ultimate prize.

Back to take a look at some of the rankest rides and craziest occurrences from the weekend, By the Numbers returns to break down Castro’s second victory, an intensifying Rookie of the Year race and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s showcase in Billings, Montana!  

166.83: Welcome back to the show, Hudson Bolton! Since returning to the circuit after missing more than two months in the middle of the season, the 19-year-old has turned in three consecutive Top 15 finishes. His 10th and 15th-place efforts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, respectively, were quality performances, all things considered. But it’s the Milan, Tennessee, native’s runner-up finish last weekend in Billings, Montana, that sparks some additional excitement within the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year race.

Marking his best career finish to date, Bolton collected a much-needed 86 UTB points for his 3-for-3 showcase as he positioned himself at the No. 31 rank overall. More importantly for his odds of surpassing fellow rookie Anderson de Oliveira atop the first-year standings, he’s up to the No. 3 rank amongst rookie competitors, now 166.83 points back of Oliveira. Besting both Prince Charming (87 points) and Country Club (83.25 points) during the opening rounds, he eventually opted into a dance with Rockville, which resulted in another 87-point score and his first podium finish on the premier series. Officially 6-for-11 since returning to the chutes, we have to believe he’s got a chance to pass Oliveira. But with Elizmar Jeremias continuing to knock down his bulls, the late-season stretch is only getting spicier! 

2 Hands, 2 Scores: The switch-hitting phenom known as Paulo Eduardo Rossetto insists on putting a show during a regular basis lately. Most recently earning his fourth podium effort in 2025 and whopping TENTH Top 10 effort of the season, the 27-year-old managed a third-place showing inside First Interstate Arena at MetraPark when the dust settled Saturday evening. Originally outside the Top 12 when it came to short round participation, the Brazilian got a leg up into the showcase after No. 3 John Crimber doctored out. Using both hands to get the job done, the ambidextrous rider was seen ditching his established tape wrap when he learned he’d be dancing with Army Slasher. Anytime a guy gets a last-minute invite to the exclusive go, a little extra spontaneous energy HAS to be flowing, as they know they’re being forced to deal with the twelfth and final bull which was available in the draft. However, Rossetto has never been one to turn down a challenge or two.

Going the distance, he earned an 88.25-point score aboard the third-round bovine less than an hour after being logged a matching 88.25 points aboard Destination Unknown in Round 2. Continuing to let it be known he’s interested and more than capable of claiming the gold buckle inside AT&T Stadium May 17-18 during the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship, he’s occupying the tour’s No. 6 rank, now a mere 1.58 UTB points behind No. 5 Luciano De Castro. Guys might not have a say during the individual season when it comes to man vs. beast matchups. But with Rossetto having the opportunity to ride into his hand in any given situation, on any given day, atop any given bull, he HAS to be considered an elite contender for the duration of the year. With three-straight Top 10 finishes to his name, including a big win in Albuquerque, he’s 100% getting hot at the right time.

No. 1 vs. No. 2: It may begin to sound a bit redundant when we discuss the top threats to claim this year’s gold buckle. But when the No. 1 (Dalton Kasel) and No. 2 (Brady Fielder) riders on tour are essentially mirroring themselves lately, it’s hard not to dive into the numbers on their recent, matching streaks. With each of the Top 2-ranked cowboys turning in similar slates over the course of the past three events, as Fielder is 5-for-10 over his last three, while is Kasel is 4-for-10, it shouldn’t surprise fans that a mere 36 UTB points separate the two in the official standings. But with the idea that they both went 1-for-3 in Billings and both went 3-for-4 the previous weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it’s rather apparent they should and will be linked for the remainder of the season. 

Separated by just one out overall, with Fielder having attempted 56 rides to Kasel’s 55, they are basically a spitting image in several fashions. However, Fielder has produced eight more conversions in 2025 than Kasel, with 37 successful outs to his name compared to Kasel’s 29 qualified rides. The main difference in the long run is that Kasel has won several more rounds than Fielder has, 12 to Fielder’s seven round-topping efforts. “Mr. 90-Point” has also climbed atop the shark cage a circuit-pacing four times, whereas Fielder has only won two events. Both of the processes can lead to the 2025 World Championship in respective fashion. With additional points up for grabs during the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations rounds, there’s a chance Kasel can get a boost from a favorable placement. But when it comes down to a mere four attempts each inside AT&T Stadium, it’s hard not to favor Fielder, as he’s been the more consistent finisher. Either way, drama will ensue. 

Two Events In: Two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme may have taken some time off to heal up during the middle of the season. But after turning in a productive fifth-place finish last weekend in Billings, the Austin Gamblers ace is less than 800 points behind the current tour leader in Kasel. Of course, he’s going to need to win one of these last two regular season showcases before making some podium-related noise during the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations segment if he's to pull off what would be the most epic comeback in PBR history. But if the two-time PBR Teams MVP finds himself competing inside AT&T Stadium May 17-18, which we can only assume will be the case, he has to be revered as a title contender despite the sizable point deficit. One of eight different cowboys to manage 2-for-3 efforts inside First Interstate Arena at MetraPark, he survived the requisite 8 aboard Rank Hank (88 points) and Vindicated (87 points) to earn his second-straight Top 10 feat.

Now 4-for-7 since returning to the chutes, “Champ” seems to have brought a renewed since of energy to the locker room. Both in the form of his competitors being excited he’s back to raise the bar and within the school of thought that involves Leme actually getting in the way of any of the four dozen hopefuls who would like a shot to show their stuff inside Cowtown Coliseum May 8-15 just the same. Officially 10-for-24 on the season, will Leme be able to turn up the heat this weekend in Nampa, Idaho, during the anticipated Week 22 shootout? 

45.5: Competing in just his second-ever Unleash The Beast event and third premier series appearance to his resume, a bull by the name of Tigger was bouncing high during Saturday night’s short go. Dispatching Felipe Furlan to the dirt in a mere 4.26 seconds, the newly welcomed bull proved he has what it takes to not only compete on the sport’s top level. He stormed into the place and earned his first-ever Bull of the Event title, courtesy of a flashy 45.5-point bull score.

Anytime a bull bucks a cut above the competition is worth celebrating. Even when the score was just a quarter of a point (.25) higher than the next-best work of art, which came in the form of a 45.25-point performance from Washita Lightning. However, it’s Tigger’s recent ramp-up that may suggest he’ll have a chance to make some noise here down the home stretch. The talented animal athlete may have only three outs to his UTB resume, but with each of them coming above the 44-point mark, Farris Cattle/Big Schott Rodeo may have something on their hands. Building on 44.25-point (competing against John Crimber) and 44.75-point (originally besting Furlan back in Albuquerque, New Mexico), the bull kicked things into overdrive Saturday and isn’t looking back!

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media