ST. LOUIS (February 26, 2010) - Some of the riders at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Invitational in St. Louis tonight ought to be sore from last week’s Iron Cowboy event. But some of them actually got better there. While Valdiron de Oliveria’s shoulder was obviously showing the strain of getting on five bulls in a row, reigning World Champ Kody Lostroh seemed to gain confidence in his elbow after his effort in Arlington, Texas. Both these guys along with Iron Cowboy contenders Austin Meier, J.B. Mauney and Robson Palermo should play into the results tonight, and earn picks in the top half of the draft for the second round.
Round 1 Matchups:
Robson Palermo on 100 Soulja Boy:
These two haven’t met before, but they are made for each other. This will bring 88-90 points, and anyone in the round who can’t reach that will just have to watch Palermo win a round. There isn’t a bull at this event who would fit Palermo better.
Kody Lostroh on 538 Larry the Cable Guy’s Smokey:
This bull is ridden about 64 percent of the time, which means that the reigning World Champ is almost certain to get a score here. The only question is, will it be enough? Possible, but more likely he will come in behind Palermo.
Austin Meier on D13 Ricky Bobby:
When Ricky Bobby first came on the scene a few years ago, I kind of thought he would turn out to be a solid money bull for left-handed riders. He’s really been much more than that. He’s delivered a lot of round wins and 90-point rides. But he hasn’t exactly been a picnic for lefties. Unlike most bulls capable of delivering 90-plus-point scores, Ricky Bobby tends to want to throw the rider to the inside of the spin, and that takes away a little of the advantage a rider has when going to into his hand.
One of the reasons there are so many left-handed bull riders is that more bulls tend to spin to the left. It’s easier for a rider to get along with a bull that spins in the direction of his riding hand, because the bull tends to help the rider make the right move. Bulls that are “welly” or want the rider inside the spin, like Ricky Bobby, are an exception to the rule, and require more discipline to ride. It’s a matter of staying in the perfect spot, and if a bull is trying to pull you to the inside, it’s arguably a little easier to counter if the bull is going away from your hand. A welly bull into your hand is also a little scary, because once you start to go to the inside, you have little leverage to get out. One of the more famous bulls from rodeo history, Beutler’s 018 Cowtown, was this kind of bull, and he whacked a lot of guys that tried him going into their hand. As a friend of mine once put it: One minute you are sitting in the middle, and the next you’re in a clothes dryer full of baseball bats.
If Austin can stay up, stay centered, and stay disciplined, he has a great shot at topping Palermo in this round.
L.J. Jenkins on 75 Hill Country:
I don’t know anything about this bull, except that he is making his PBR debut here. Unlike most bulls appearing for the first time, this one comes with a little history from the rodeo circuit, where he was unridden in 11 outs, scored 45 points or more five times, and threw off Cody Whitney and Corey Navarre at the National Finals Rodeo in December. I’m expecting him to be a pretty good bull.
J.B. Mauney on 520 Smooth Criminal:
This bull has been missing in action since Nashville, Tenn., in August of last year. Wiley Petersen rode him for 86 points in St. Louis in 2009, which may not be enough to do well here, but a young bull can come off a long rest much stronger than he was before.
Jody Newberry on 90 Hypnotized:
Hypnotized is another bull that hasn’t appeared on the Built Ford Tough Series before, but he carried Ned Cross to a 88-point score in Pueblo, Colo., and logged a 45-point bull score in Denver just last month.
Mike White on T18 Chance:
This is an excellent draw for Mike White. L.J. Jenkins was 90.5 in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Shane Proctor was 87.75 last week in Arlington, Texas, on Chance. He should spin into Mike’s hand, could reverse it, and is enough bull to place high in this round.
J.C. Navarro on 6 Backyard Big Rig:
Anytime anyone draws Big Rig, they are automatically one of the favorites in any round. He’s a great little bull with a long history, and is ridden almost half the time for very solid scores. Very few bulls have as long a career and travel as many miles as Big Rig has. He’s spent a lot of his life on a big rig.
Valdiron de Oliveria on 10S Chin Music:
Oliveira rode this bull for 86.5 points at a West Plains, Mo., Touring Pro event back in November. Chin music also appeared at Oklahoma City and had the best outing of his short career.
Dusty Ephrom on 43S Dirty Duty:
Dirty Duty has been ridden twice recently by left-handed riders for 88 and 89 points. One of those was by Beau Hill, but he also threw Hill off at Oklahoma City.
