Round four is in the books, and at first glance one would think that this was the eliminator pen. Of the 40 bull riders who tried to cover their bulls, only 10 were able to do so. Five of those rides came in the sixth and last flight, which included a re-ride for Austin Meier. The only man to not ride his bull in this section was Guilherme Marchi, and who would have guessed that? He came into these Finals so hot, but now finds himself 0 for 4 after four rounds.
The final cowboy to ride and the leader in the race for the PBR World Championship was Kody Lostroh, and he turned in a 90.25 on Mission Accomplished, owned by 4L & Diamond S Rodeo Company. Second was J.B. Mauney, with a score of 89 on the little bull Fire Plug, owned by K & K Cattle Company. Camaraderie or not, Mauney must be wondering just what it will take to make that move on Lostroh, who continues to match him ride for ride.
Third was Valdiron de Oliveira. He scored an 88.25 on the Lightening C Cattle Company bull Copp Hou. Aaron Roy grabbed the fourth spot with an 87.5 after riding Migraine, owned by Silverado Rodeo Company. Fifth was Caleb Sanderson. He covered Neon Ghost, owned by Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls/Bryan for an 87.
Going into the fifth round there are three men who have ridden all of their bulls; de Oliveira, Mauney, and Lostroh. Robson Palermo would have been the fourth, but was called for a slap during his ride on Keepsake and received no score.
By winning the round, Lostroh gets first pick in the draft for tomorrow’s performance. When asked whom he might take, he replied, “Leah (Garcia) just reminded me that Troubadour is in there, so I’ll probably take him. I get along with that bull as good as any of them. I haven’t looked at the whole list, but he’s at the top of mine right now.”
When asked about J.B. riding his bulls, Kody said, “I expect J.B. to stay on every time he nods his head, so I’m not even watching him. I get in a zone when I’m in the chutes, that’s my job. I’ve trained myself mentally to block stuff out. I’m basically aware of all the energy when guys make a good ride, but my head is all clear.”
If left to his own choice, Lostroh would rather ride right after the introductions than ride last, but he has had to be last almost all year, due to his ranking.
“This is awesome,” Lostroh said. “I’m living a dream, it’s something I love to do and I praise God that I have a chance to do it.”
Besides Marchi, five other bull riders that came here in the top 10 have not ridden one bull yet during these Finals. They are Chris Shivers, Sean Willingham, Wiley Petersen, Renato Nunes, and Zack Brown. That is beyond incredible. All 10 of these men covering all four bulls as of now would have been a much better bet here in Las Vegas than the alternative, but that is what is happening. With the pen of bulls we will see tomorrow, the riding percentage should be less than tonight.
Kody Lostroh at press conference.
Linda Peterson photo
Be safe and God Bless,
Viva La Raza,
Barb.
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