DES MOINES, Iowa (May 1, 2010) - Last night, we saw 17 bulls ridden. I would guess we will see more than that tonight – more than likely over 20. Lots of guys are matched up with the kinds of bulls they need to get it done.
Round 2:
Austin Meier on 23S Stretch Armstrong: This is really a premier matchup. Austin was 89.25 on Stretch Armstrong at Columbus, Ohio, in 2009, and this is the bull that fell with him at the World Cup just a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how many of the riders here actually know what the bull’s name means, but back when I was a kid, the Stretch Armstrong toy was the first thing made mostly of plastic that you couldn’t easily destroy. Back in those days, plastic stuff was usually pretty junky and easy to break, so the Stretch Armstrong toy was revolutionary.
McKennon Wimberly on 481 Marmaduke: In Fresno, Calif., Mike Lee was only 81.5 points on Marmaduke, but prior to that, this bull was pretty awesome every time. Wimberly came down from him in Oklahoma City, but don’t look for that to happen again. This is a bull Wimberly is supposed to ride four out of five times.
Guilherme Marchi on 30S Monty the Bull: Marchi is one of the nicest guys you will ever want to meet, but when it comes to a World Championship race, he just isn’t very exciting to watch. He just plugs along at a steady pace, like the tortoise in “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Very little drama. Tonight, he will more than likely ride his second bull of the weekend, be 86 points or so, and be in good shape going in to the short round. Nothing to write home about.
Colby Yates on 515 Buffalo Hump: This bull is a good match for anyone here – probably a better fit for a left-handed guy. He threw righty Caleb Sanderson last night. Yates is the kind of rider who needs a bull who fits him, and this one should fit him.
Ben Jones on 621 Outta Da Red: This is a tough call – there is not a lot of history on this bull, but two of the three times he’s been ridden, it was by right-handed guys, and Jones usually excels against bulls who are into his hand. If this one goes that way, it could be a good score.
Matt Bohon on 42 Buffalo Hide: When I mentioned Matt Bohon in yesterday’s round, I wasn’t picking on him specifically. There are a lot of riders in this round with very similar career riding percentages. There are typically a lot of riders on tour with very similar career stats. Every season, I see stats from 1,500-2,000 different riders, and Matt is better than most of them. He’s usually in the top 10 percent.
However, at this level, Matt Bohon, Ben Jones, Colby Yates, and similar riders need to draw well. They need bulls who are good fits. Mauney, Marchi, Oliveira and a handful of others are less dependent on having a certain kind of bull. Buffalo Hide is a decent fit for Bohon, comparable to what Matt had last night, except that this one has never been ridden by a guy with less than a 46 percent career riding percentage. So this will be a little tougher test.
Jordan Hupp on 517 Toxic Shock: Hupp rode this bull in Nampa, Idaho, for 87.25 points, and he should be able to get it done again here.
Renato Nunes on 602 Iron Horse: This is not a favorable matchup for Nunes. Iron Horse is unridden in six outs, but hasn’t faced a lot of top-level riders. Beau Hill rode him 7.1 seconds in Oklahoma City, so chances are that Nunes can be the first to get a score on him. With an average bull score of around 43.5 points, it could be a big score.
Travis Briscoe on 17 Fat Lip: Sometimes Fat Lip is awesome, sometimes average, but he is a good draw for Briscoe, who needs rides. Could be anywhere from 80 to 90 points, depending on whether we get the good trip here, or the weak one.
Sean Willingham on L41 Coyote Kat: Everyone here is supposed to make the whistle on this bull, but Silvano Alves did not get it done last night, so either Coyote Kat is feeling frisky or Alves is mortal after all. By the numbers, Willingham should ride him and get his second score of the weekend.
Valdiron de Oliveira on 581 Jr. Powder: A very good bull here who has never let any rider of average ability get to the whistle. Unfortunately for him, Oliveira possesses far-above-average ability.
Ned Cross on 54S Sure Shot: Sure Shot is unridden, but Cross had him in St. Louis and rode him 7.4 seconds, so I would bet he feels pretty good about having him here.
Robson Palermo on 5R4 Rowdy LJ: Palermo kind of beat the odds last night and got a score on Bad Blood, and he will have to do it again today. Rowdy LJ is seldom ridden, but he is weaker against top-level riders, and Palermo is a top level-rider and has been riding extremely well lately.
Dusty LaBeth on 465 Outta Da Blue: This is the bull to have in just about any long round. He’s ridden most of the time on the Built Ford Tough Series, and Stormy Wing took second on him last night.
Chance Riley on 452 Fully Loaded: Another bull who is one of the premier draws in any long round. Riley needs to take advantage of it here.
Wiley Petersen on 20S Classified: Petersen had a good bull last night and got the job done. He has another good one here. Lefties are 2-for-3 on Classified.
Silvano Alves on -17 Drill Baby Drill: Last night, Alves came down from a bull he should have ridden easily. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back tonight, because this is one of the least favorable bulls he could have drawn in this round. Drill Baby Drill has thrown off 17 out of 17 right-handed riders who have faced him. The jury is still out on whether Alves will be able to live up to the expectations generated by his performance so far this season, but if he gets the whistle here, he will keep those expectations high. He’s not supposed to ride this one.
