Keyshawn Whitehorse wins final regular-season UTB event of 2025 in Tacoma, moves to No. 8 in the world
Points gap between world leader Dalton Kasel and No. 2 Brady Fielder narrows to 126 points as Fielder goes 3-for-3 in Tacoma while Kasel stumbles.
By Mandi McCary
TACOMA, Wash. – Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) closed out a 3-for-3 performance on Sunday afternoon at the PBR Tacoma inside the Tacoma Dome to win the final regular-season PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event of 2025 while world No. 2 Brady Fielder’s (Clermont, Queensland, Australia) three-ride weekend tightened the championship race further heading into PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast in Texas on May 8-18.
Whitehorse, who competes for the Arizona Ridge Riders in the separate PBR Teams league, moved from 11th to 8th in the standings as he contends for his first world title amid the heated race for the 2025 PBR World Championship, which begins in iconic Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 8 with the World Finals – Eliminations.
After tying for fourth place in Round 1 with Florida Freedom standouts Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) and John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) alongside two-time PBR World Champion and Austin Gamblers man Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), Whitehorse knew that a dominant Sunday could put him in middle of the conversation about the 2025 gold buckle race.
Paired with Deep Creek at the tail end of Sunday’s opening round, the athletic Navajo cowboy sailed through the air with little trouble. His 86.75 points captured sixth in the round but moved him atop the event leaderboard as one of only eight men to be 2-for-2 at that point in the event.
As the championship round began, Hudson Bolton (Milan, Tennessee) took the lead after conquering the formidable Cool Whip, followed by a ping pong match of lead changes transpiring as Clay Guiton (Cherryville, North Carolina) rode for 88 points and Cort McFadden (Novice, Texas) put up a monster 90.25-point ride.
Climbing aboard his championship round partner, Mike’s Motive, Whitehorse needed 88.25 points or better to tie with McFadden. He effortlessly made the 8, landed on his feet with a giant smile, and watched his 89.5-point winning score flash across the scoreboard.
The walk-off premier series win, the second of Whitehorse’s career, earned 127 UTB points and a check for $44,990. He moves inside the Top 10 in the world at a pivotal time – from No. 11 to No. 8.
“This moment is huge. I am just thankful to be here and blessed in staying focused on the process,” Whitehorse said from the dirt after his walk-off win. “I’m so thankful for family, the support of my girlfriend, all my friends and teammates. I feel like I thrive off the pressure. It makes it more fun – now it’s just time to keep the work up. Keyshawn Whitehorse is headed to Fort Worth, then Arlington – looking forward it winning it all.”
Now heading toward PBR World Finals, Whitehorse’s acceleration comes at just the right time.
Equally as determined as the 27-year-old was world No. 2 Brady Fielder, who also went 3-for-3 over the two days in Washington to earn a third-place finish for the weekend.
Fielder, who lost the world lead to No. 1-ranked man Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) back in Palm Desert, California, has struggled to find his footing over the past month, going an uncharacteristic 0-for-2 last weekend in Nampa, Idaho.
By hitting the gas in Tacoma, he narrowed Kasel’s lead to 126 points.
Kasel was unable to pull away from the pack in Tacoma, going 1-for-2 and doctoring out of the championship round after a hard go of it in Round 2. Washita Lightning throttled him in the chutes, and then his re-ride bull, Johnny Rocket, roughly dispatched him in 4.34 seconds.
No. 3-ranked man Crimber, who did not compete last week in Nampa due to a fractured collarbone, also went 1-for-2, not making the cutline for the final round. Crimber now sits 483 points behind Kasel.
World No. 4, and Kasel’s Austin Gamblers teammate, Sage Steele Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) also went 1-for-2 on the weekend, hitting the ground hard on Saturday night after Blowhard dispatched him but converting for a solid 86.75 points aboard Buckaroo on Sunday afternoon.
Kimzey’s Round 1 battle with Blowhard anointed the powerful bovine the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event with a 46-point bull score.
Earning 13.5 UTB points for his weekend overall, Kimzey sits 6.75 points behind Crimber heading into World Finals.
Arizona Ridge Riders captain, No. 5-ranked Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil), who went 1-for-2 to finish 17th last weekend in Nampa, had an 0-for-2 weekend in Tacoma. He now trails Kimzey by 76.42 points and Kasel by 566.17 points.
Close on Whitehorse’s heels on the hunt for an event win was McFadden with a valiant second-place finish.
Lagging on the leaderboard on Saturday night, the 21-year-old Oklahoma Wildcatters rider sat in a tie for 12th place after conquering The Colonel for 85.75 points.
Igniting a fire within on Sunday, McFadden finished in first place in Round 2 after besting Haunted Hotel for 87.5 points. He held the top of the leaderboard until unseated by Fielder and ultimately Whitehorse heading into the final round.
Selecting Blowhard as his final opponent, he tipped the scales in his favor with the highest score of the weekend – 90.25 points.
Waiting in the wings as first Fielder attempted to unseat him and then Whitehorse walked off the win, McFadden earned 115 UTB points to move from No. 9 to No. 7.
Fielder’s nail-biting weekend charging toward Kasel began on Saturday night with a Top 10 finish aboard Ah Hell for 87 points.
Temporarily topping the leaderboard in Round 2 after sealing the deal in his matchup with Destination Unknown for 87 points, Fielder confidently selected the resilient animal athlete Ricky Vaughn as his final pairing.
As Tacoma fans and fellow riders cheered, Fielder turned in a solid 88.5-point ride. While it wasn’t enough to bump into the lead, the third-place finish earned 79 UTB points.
19-year-old Guiton, the final man to go 3-for-3 over the weekend, leaves Washington with a fourth-place finish.
Falling behind early on with an 85.5-point ride on Deep Creek, Guiton sat at No. 14 on the leaderboard as Sunday began.
Paired with Peanut in Round 2, Guiton delivered an 87.25-point score to move inside the Top 5 heading into the final round of the weekend.
Selecting Umm, Guiton temporarily took the lead in the event with a steady 88-point score.
The fourth-place finish netted 61.5 UTB points and puts Guiton at No. 11 in the standings.
Rounding out the Top 5 of the PBR Tacoma was 19-year-old New York Mavericks athlete Bolton.
Unable to convert on Friday night in his matchup with Trust Issues during the third installment of the “Battle for the Belt” within the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, Bolton charged into Sunday ready for a challenge.
Matched with Big Chili, the current No. 3-ranked man in the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year race clung to the massive bovine, earning 87 points. The score was not enough as he fell just outside of the cutline for the final round.
With Kasel doctoring out of the championship round, Bolton was thrown into the deep end with Cool Whip.
All eyes were on the lanky teenager as he prepared for his matchup with the bull that in 2024 topped the historic buckoff streak set by Bushwacker.
Rocketing through the air as the arena roared, Bolton delivered. His 88.25-point score temporarily put him atop the leaderboard, but more importantly, it earned him 48.5 UTB points.
The tremendous weekend in Tacoma moved Bolton from No. 31 to No. 26.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR Unleash The Beast events and is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.
