LAS VEGAS – After three days off, the top 45 bull riders of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) showed up to show how they qualified for the PBR World Finals, underway in Las Vegas.
To the benefit of some riders – and the detriment of others – the bulls evidently made the most of their time off as well, and were ready to buck for buck against the riders.
When the arena dust finally settled on Thursday night’s Round 4, no one had covered all four bulls, only about a dozen scores were posted for the night and world title points leader Justin McBride showed he was back and would not let Guilherme Marchi or JB Mauney steal the points lead without a fight.
World Finals action resumed Thursday, moving to the Thomas and Mack arena, on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and where the bulls and bull riders go, the fans followed. After three days of nothing more stressful than a blackjack tournament, shopping in the PBR Fan Zone and a little Halloween madness, it was back to business on Thursday.
What that meant for the riders was facing some of the rankest of the rank PBR bulls. Those bad attitude bucking machines that sent so many riders to the dirt Saturday night were back and they were just as determined to repeat the process. In the end, just 13 scores went into the books.
Probably the most anticipated score was McBride’s. The 2005 PBR World Champion, looking to hold onto his points lead in route to his second world title on Sunday, was the last one out of the chutes – aboard Sports Machine (Page/Buck/Watts) – and his 90 pointer was enough to follow right behind Australian Brendon Clark and Idaho’s Wiley Petersen, who tied for the win with 90.75 point rides.
Petersen took his share of the win aboard Bad Medicine (Berger Bucking Bulls) and Clark conquered Evil Forces (Chad Berger/Clay Struve). It was Clark’s second score of the Finals and Petersen’s third. Petersen came into the round with 176 points, and this score ties him with Colorado’s Kody Lostroh in the overall points lead, with 266.75 points. Lostroh had his first buck off of the finals on Thursday, failing to cover Mean Machine (Chad Berger/Ryken/Rosen).
Along with McBride, several of those putting up scores Thursday night posted their first qualified rides of the finals. They included: Ned Cross with an 89.25 aboard Jersey Joe (Kelly Bowcutt); Dustin Elliott on Train Wreck (Tino Martinez) with 87.25 points; Tyler Smith putting up an 86.75 on Gnash (Rafter 7R); and Sean Willingham with 88.5 points on Far North (Corey & Horst Rodeo Co.). Willingham had entered the PBR Finals in one of the top positions in the points chase, but going rideless last week at Mandalay Bay has dropped him to eighth in the overall standings.
Marchi, who had seemed untouchable last week, couldn’t close the points gap between himself and McBride on Thursday, bucking off Cochise (Klein/Tutt) in 5.6 seconds. Mauney couldn’t find a way to take advantage of Marchi’s stumble – or keep McBride from widening the points gap a little further – when Flat Creek (Loudamy/McKeethan) sent Mauney to the dirt. Cochise, with a 46.25 bull rating, shared top bull honors of the round with Chicken on a Chain (Robinson/Tedesco/Larry the Cable Guy) which made quick work of Clayton Williams.
Other qualified rides in Thursday’s mayhem in the arena included Virginia’s Billy Robinson, who impressed the crowd by making his third qualified ride of the Finals, this one aboard Sand Trap (Beutler & Son Rodeo Co.) for 87.25 points. That leaves him about six points off Lostroh and Petersen’s points lead in the Finals average. Fan favorite Ross Coleman got his second qualified ride of the World Finals, with 89.75 points on Cooper (Chad Berger/Ryken/Rosen) for fourth in the round. Renato Nunes has three scores in four rounds, getting an 83 pointer on Billionaire (Bailey Rodeo Co.). Matt Bohon had a lively ride on Live Wire (Chad Berger/Larry Ryken) for 88.75 points, his second Finals score.
There were several hang ups and a few of the bulls turned back and went after the riders after the rides. Several bull riders, including Jared Farley and Valdiron de Oliveria, had to be helped out of the arena. With early reports of a cracked vertebrae, Farley is doubtful to finish the World Finals. Oliveira escaped with a bruised shoulder, and is expected to compete Friday. Missouri’s Luke Snyder left under his own power, after a short but nasty hang up, but had a bloody chin to show for his ride which fell 1.3 seconds short of a score on Savage Shaker (Page & Buck).
Reigning world champion Adriano Moraes, who is too far off the points lead to pull out a fourth world title this year, had a low-scoring ride aboard Blue Boy (Berger/Ward), but took the points off the board in accepting a re-ride option, on Sharp Dressed Kid. That decision went to the Kid, not the champ, as Moraes was bucked off in 2.5 seconds on the re-ride.
Round five, on Friday evening, promises exciting rides with match-ups including the still scoreless Jason Bennett against Blueberry Buckle; Guilherme Marchi aboard Barbosa; and Justin McBride looking for his second score on Walk the Line.
(All photographs by Mary Rudloff)
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