LAS VEGAS (October 21, 2010) - Round 2 at the PBR World Finals traditionally features the best bulls of the season all in one night. At the 2009 World Finals, only 10 riders made the whistle in Round 2. Tonight’s performance is loaded with marquee matchups, so let’s get to it.
The Top 5 Riders:
Austin Meier on 42 Braveheart:
Meier is the only rider who has ridden Braveheart. The 13 other guys who have tried all failed. When Meier rode him in Ontario, Calif., Braveheart did not have his best day – that came in March at the Fresno, Calif., event, when he turfed Vince Northrop and earned a 47-point bull score. This is a bull who has the potential to be as rank as any bull here.
J.B. Mauney on 05 Bones:
Bones has been ridden only four times, and Mauney is one of the guys who has done it. They met for 93.5 points last season in Oklahoma City. The last few times Bones has appeared, he has really been more difficult to ride than he was when Mauney rode him, although his bull scores don’t necessarily reflect the difference.
Renato Nunes on CC Chicken on a Chain:
Nunes and Chicken on a Chain have a long history together. They have met five times, and Nunes has been over 90 points four of those times. The one time he did buck off, he came down at 7.1 seconds. Look for Nunes to wind up in the money again tonight.
Valdiron de Oliveira on 309 Spit Fire:
This is a bull no one wants to pick, except for Oliveira. Spit Fire has only been ridden three times in 72 outs, and Oliveira represents three of those rides. Oliveira picked this bull in Round 2 of last year’s World Finals and was 90.5 points. However, the last two times they have met, Spit Fire won the battle – most recently in Memphis, Tenn., just a couple of months ago.
Ryan McConnel on -8 Lincoln Electric’s Bring It:
This is a matchup that makes me think I must be missing some records somewhere. McConnel had a high pick in the draft, and unless he’s been on Bring It before, I don’t know why he would choose this bull. There is no record of them having met. Bring It has been ridden once in 34 attempts, and he is pretty tough to get out of the chute on. He is going to go the left, which is into McConnel’s hand, and he is certainly a bull who can produce a 90-plus point score, McConnel just has to get him ridden first, which is something practically no one has been able to do.
Matchups to Watch:
Dustin Elliott on 514 Top Notch:
Elliott had the top pick in the draft for this round, and he absolutely made a good choice. This is the pick of the litter for a right-handed rider. You’ve got to expect a lot of buckoffs in this pen of bulls, and this is one who has been ridden a lot. Top Notch is going to spin to the right, and typically has a great day with a lot of rhythm. Elliott is likely to be 89-91 points if he can do his part. He’s not likely to be a round winner here, but last year only 10 bulls were ridden in Round 2, and 90 points placed in the money.
Ned Cross on 250 Black Pearl:
With four lefties picking ahead of him, Ned Cross had to be shocked when this bull fell to him. Black Pearl is easily the most under-hyped bull at the World Finals. His numbers for this season indicate he could be in contention for World Champion bull, yet he has been ridden about 35 percent of the time by left-handed riders for an average score of 91.22 points. I’m really surprised McConnel or Hill didn’t pick this bull, but I’d bet Ned Cross is happy they didn’t. This is the caliber of bull it will take to win this round.
Guilherme Marchi on 5081 Highway 12:
This is an elite-caliber bull, in contention for World Champion Bull title here this week, but I’d guess he has very little chance of bucking Marchi off tonight. Marchi looked as strong as ever last night, and Highway 12 has a lot of rhythm and will spin into Marchi’s hand. It will shock almost everyone here if Marchi comes down.
Kody Lostroh on +123 Voodoo Child:
The PBR has always been about featuring the best bulls going against the best riders. Voodoo Child has been one of the most consistent elite-level bulls in PBR history, he has one of the most impressive buckoff records against the top riders, and Kody Lostroh is the current PBR World Champion. These two have met three times previously; most notably at the 2009 World Finals where Voodoo Child was the only bull who managed to get Lostroh on the ground, and he didn’t get it done until the 7.5 second mark. This is a match of two veterans, and neither one of them is going to surprise the other.
McKennon Wimberly on 618 Carrillo Cartel:
If bulls were Ford vehicles, Uncle Buck would be an F350 and Carrillo Cartel would be a Shelby Mustang. He is fast – very fast. He’s also been ridden fairly often by left-handed riders. He’s been ridden four times this season, for scores of 91.25 to 92 points. He is a good pick in this round, especially for a left-handed rider.
Mike Lee on 433 Big Tex:
They have met three times, most recently in August, at a Touring Pro event in Molalla, Ore., where Lee finally got Big Tex ridden for 92.5 points.
Robson Palermo on 325 Hot Stuff:
These two have met four times previously, for scores of 92.75, 89.5 and 89.75 points. Hot Stuff bucked Palermo off at 7.8 seconds at the World Cup back in April, but just a few weeks before that, Palermo was the last rider this season to make the whistle on Hot Stuff.
Shane Proctor on X504 Nobody’s Business:
This is a bull who has not been seen on the Built Ford Tough Series very often, but he has earned some gaudy bull scores at Touring Pro events this season. Proctor actually got on this bull just last month at a rodeo in Ellensburg, Wash., and took him to 7.5 seconds. He is pretty familiar with the bull.
Silvano Alves on 421 Kabookie:
Like Carrillo Cartel, this bull is a speed demon. He is going to spin about as fast as one can spin, and right into Alves’ hand. This is a very rideable bull compared to some in this round, but will not be enough to win the round on.
Brendon Clark on 10-5 Crosswired:
Crosswired is a little unpredictable, in that he can either go out and spin and be a pretty conventional bull, or he can buck like a bull balloon you let the air out of. Either way, he is going to the left, and that is away from Clark’s hand. If he stays in the same general area and doesn’t go careening around the pen like a ping-pong ball, Clark has a good chance to get him ridden.
Douglas Duncan on 341 Unabomber:
Of the short-round caliber bulls that are set to appear in Round 2, Unabomber is one of the more rider-friendly ones. He is likely to spin to the right and then reverse it. His reverse is not very tricky, and he has a lot of rhythm. This should be a slam dunk for Duncan, and a good score, though not a round-winning score.
Wesley Lourenco on 37S Red Hot:
Lourenco showed last night that he may be a force to be reckoned with at this event. Red Hot has been hit-or-miss this season, but the last three times he’s appeared, he has been outstanding. This will be a real test for Lourenco, because this bull is likely to go away from his hand, and can lack timing, which will make him more difficult to ride.
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