ONTARIO, Calif. (August 28, 2010) - There should be a good many qualified rides tonight; more than we saw in the opening rounds in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., but there is no clear favorite here. Look for scores to be tight, and for someone to win the round by a tiny margin.
Round 1 Matchups
Ross Coleman on C15 Charmed I’m Sure:
In a round where there should be a lot of qualified rides, this matchup is worth mentioning, because Charmed I’m Sure may be one of the toughest bulls to ride in recent history. In 100 attempts, he’s been ridden only 13 times. The last time he was ridden was in Nampa, Idaho, in April of 2008, where Brendon Clark was 90 points on him. There are a lot of bucking bulls around, but only 2/10ths of one percent of them ever reach 100 outs in the PBR and pro rodeo combined. This won’t be one of the flashiest bulls out tonight, but he’s been at it a long time, and does his job well. Coleman has his work cut out for him.
Sevi Torturo on 419 Yellow:
This bull hasn’t been around long – only four outs in the PBR. But Torturo rode him for 85.5 points at a Touring Pro event back in May.
Silvano Alves on 410 Shotgun Willie:
This should be an easy layup for Alves. Willie is ridden 62 percent of the time by right-handed riders, and Alves is the best new rider to appear on tour in quite a while… and he’s right-handed.
Jody Newberry on 59 Tower 59:
This is the kind of bull every rider hopes for. He’s worth a lot of points, and he gets ridden most of the time. This season, riders have been successful on him seven out of 10 times.
Jason McClain on 46 Smokey:
Smokey has been on tour quite a bit over the past couple of years, and McClain has only appeared at one Built Ford Tough Series event, and that was in 1999. Appearances can be deceiving, though, because McClain is the veteran of this matchup by far. A six-time NFR qualifier, McClain can ride, and he has the scars to prove it. He hit the Touring Pro Division events hard over the summer and earned his way here, and he has the ability to take some money home at this level. He should ride this bull easily.
Cody Campbell on 323 Little Mr. T:
Little Mr. T doesn’t get a lot of coverage in the Morning Line because practically no one ever rides him. No one except Cody Campbell, I should say, because Campbell has ridden him three times in four attempts. Their last meeting was in Billings, Mont., back in April, where Campbell posted a score of 88 points.
Chris Shivers on 260 Booger Butt:
When I looked at this matchup I was surprised to see that Chris Shivers hasn’t been on Booger Butt before. They’ve been in the same place at the same time an awful lot. This is a bull who is noticeably better for left-handed riders, and Shivers is a guy who is notoriously hard to throw off going into his hand. Shivers should get a good score here.
J.B. Mauney on K613 Whirlwind:
Whirlwind has been out four times on tour and has been ridden all four times. If he is going to start bucking guys off, he is probably not going to start with Mauney. Look for a score here, but not enough to place high.
Montana Markiss on 497 Tuxedo:
Unlike McClain, Markiss really is a rookie, and we know very little about him. He’s done well at some Touring Pro Events this summer, and has been over 90 points a couple of times. The bull here, though, is quite a find. Tuxedo comes from Jeff Rupert in Idaho, and has never appeared on tour before, but he has been on my radar for a while. He competed in the ABBI Classic Finals in 2008, and did pretty well, after competing at only two ABBI events over the summer of 2008. Since then, he has only surfaced once. He turned up in Twin Falls, Idaho, this summer, and was marked 45.5 points. So Tuxedo really only has four career outs in the PBR over the course of two years. More people have seen Bigfoot than have seen this bull go. With a 44.56-point average bull score in TPD-level competition, Tuxedo is likely to be worth watching.
Renato Nunes on 1391 Mac-Nett’s El Presidente:
This bull will not be easy to ride, but Nunes did ride him in their only meeting, which was two years ago.
Austin Meier on 581 Jr. Powder:
In a little over a year on tour and 15 outs, Jr. Powder has only been ridden twice: once in his debut, by Dustin Elliott, and once this April by Silvano Alves. Both rides happened in Billings. To keep up with Nunes in the title race, Meier has his work cut out for him here. He needs to be the first lefty to get a score on this bull, and the first guy to ride him outside of Billings.
Caleb Sanderson on 362 Sock Monkey:
Sanderson is a very good rider. Sock Monkey has never bucked anyone off, but he has only tried four times. I’d say Sanderson has an excellent chance to be 86-87 points here.
Jordan Hupp on 536 Hip Hop:
Hupp on Hip Hop sounds like the Dr. Seuss match of the night, if not the season. Hip Hop has been out only out once, and was ridden for 89 points in St. George, Utah. Hard to say whether his bucking ability was overestimated there, but if not, Hupp could place in the round here. Like… near the top. On Hip Hop. Would you like me to stop?
Casey Stirling on 147 Zip Code:
Stirling is another regional qualifier. Zip Code is one of the best draws on the West Coast, and this would be a piece of cake for most of the regulars on tour, especially the left-handed ones.
Beau Hill on 517 Toxic Shock:
Hill has been quiet recently, but he should make some noise tonight. Toxic Shock is a good draw, and has been ridden three times in his past three outs. Chris Shivers was 89.5 points on this bull in the short round in Cheyenne, Wyo.
