LAS VEGAS (October 23, 2010) - No, it’s not morning anymore, but the fourth-round draft didn’t take place till midday in Las Vegas.
In Round 4, we’ll get a look at Bushwacker’s second effort (vs. Jody Newberry) and the Top 20 ABBI Classic contenders from Round 1.
Top 5 Riders
Austin Meier on 479 Secretary of Soul:
This is a bull who may fit Meier. He’s only been ridden by left-handed riders, and he’s only been ridden three times in 25 career outs.
Renato Nunes on 100 Soulja Boy:
Nunes is looking to grab the No. 1 spot in the world standings with both hands with this pick. Soulja Boy is the best pick in this round, bar none. Nunes rode him for 90.5 points in Pueblo, Colo., back in May, but failed to make 3 seconds on him in Uncasville, Conn., earlier this month. This is a bull Nunes should ride nine times out of 10.
J.B. Mauney on 601 Shepard Hills Trapper:
This will be a tough task for an injured Mauney. This bull has not been ridden since March, and his last few outs have been outstanding. His buckoff average is around 85 percent against riders of either hand, and that usually indicates a bull that is just hard to ride and not a nice spinner.
Valdiron De Oliveira on 77 Super Duty:
This bull is a perfect match for Oliveira. He should go to the right, into Oliveria’s hand. Super Duty is a bull who relies on strength, and Oliveira may be the strongest rider in the PBR. Look for a score here.
Ryan McConnel on 789 Bad Blake:
McConnel may be picking for the round-win here. This bull made his Built Ford Tough Series debut in Round 1, and he was indeed bad, with a 44.75-point bull score. Cody Campbell came close to riding him, too.
Matchups to Watch
Chris Shivers on 121 Cat Man Do:
This bull has zero chance against Chris Shivers. They have met twice before, and the result was two 90-plus-point rides for Shivers. Cat Man Do is not as strong as he was in 2008 when they last met, but Shivers will still score well, as he has a way of getting the most points possible out of every bull.
Ross Coleman on 514 Top Notch:
This bull did not have his best day in Round 2, but he is a good pick in this round. Coleman should get another score here, as Top Notch is one of the best draws in the PBR for right-handed riders.
Cody Campbell on 702 White Velvet:
Campbell chose this bull with the third pick, knowing he is going to spin pretty hard to the left – away from Campbell’s hand. He must see something he likes. I have to believe that actor Steve Zahn is rooting for Cody Campbell to do something so heroic that they will want to make a movie about it, since Zahn is the obvious choice for the lead role. Maybe tonight is the night.
Wiley Petersen on 412 Big Iron:
This is the bull that Skeeter Kingsolver almost went 90 points on in the first round. Petersen did go 89.25 points on him in Birmingham, Ala., last season. This is one of the best bulls in this round. He is good enough to be a lot of points on, and is ridden a lot.
Mike Lee on 61 Moon:
Moon is one of the very best of the ABBI Classic bulls, and Lee is almost a perfect match for him. They have not met before, but Moon’s style should fit Lee pretty well. Moon hasn’t been ridden in the 2010 season, but Lee will test him.
Guilherme Marchi on 22S Priceless:
This is another best-on-best matchup. Marchi has looked pretty much like Marchi the 2008 World Champion here this week, and it appears his wrist is not giving him too much trouble. However, this bull will be his toughest test so far. Priceless is fast and explosive, and he will not be easy to ride.
Douglas Duncan on 619 Touch of Class:
Not much in the way of history for Touch of Class, but he has been ridden four of seven times this year, and Duncan was 87 points on him at the Red Bluff, Calif., pro rodeo back in April.
Jason O’Hearn on 632 Copp Hou:
O’Hearn picked well. He can now have a stress-free day, because Copp Hou is nothing to get stressed about. He is a good bull to have in any round, but he is not the least bit scary. Douglas Duncan was 88.5 points on Copp Hou in Round 1.
Wesley Lourenco on 421 Kabookie:
Wesley Lourenco is the talk of the town this week, and we have only seen what he has accomplished here. If he has a weakness, it is that he makes big moves. His style may be the opposite of Ryan McConnel’s. If he can’t tighten things up, he will be in trouble here, because this bull is lightning-fast, stays close to the ground, and there will be no time for big sweeping moves. If Lourenco can contain himself, he could win the round.
Dustin Elliott on 504 Paleface:
Elliott is probably pretty familiar with this bull, because while Paleface has only 19 career outs in the PBR, he has 24 more career outs in pro rodeo, and Dustin has probably seen him go a lot. Overall, Paleface is ridden 55 percent of the time by elite-level riders. This is a very rideable bull for as low as Elliott was in the draft order.
Beau Hill on D487 Tighty Whitey:
In 55 career outs in the PBR, Tighty Whitey is a veteran bull. He hasn’t been ridden a lot this year, but in his career, he has been a money bull for left-handed riders. J.B. Mauney was 90 points on him in Salinas, Calif., back in July.
Stormy Wing on 515 Smoke Screen:
Way back in January, Stormy Wing was 89 points on Smoke Screen at a Touring Pro Division event. Then in February, he bucked off of him at the Oklahoma City Built Ford Tough Series event.
Josh Faircloth on 64S Flirting With Disaster:
This is J.W. Hart’s bull – apparently named after a Molly Hatchet song. How he slid so far in the draft is beyond me. This should have been one of the first bulls off the board. His buckoff percentage vs. left-handed riders is 38 percent, and Beau Hill was 88.75 points on him Wednesday in Round 1.
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