RENO, Nev. (September 13, 2009) - Just 24 hours earlier J.B. Mauney talked about the importance of doing well in the opening round to set up a good weekend, especially when it’s a three-day event like the Copenhagen Bull Riding Invitational.
Saturday night he added 87.25 points to his 89.25 from the night before.
His 176.50 combined effort is 2.25 points better than L.J. Jenkins’ two-round total of 174.25 and three points better than Daisy Rookie of the Year leader Cody Nance.
Nance had guaranteed at the draft that he’d end the day with the high score, and he came through. The Paris, Tenn., native, who likes bulls around to the right and away from his hand,
said Bird Creek had “the trip I was hoping he would have.” The two combined for 90.25-points.
The 19-year-old said he knew he was going to win the round “when I put my boots on.”
“I knew it before I ever got here. … I got two under my belt and two more to go.”
Saturday night at the Lawlor Events Center, fans experienced just two rides in the first 19 outs before witnessing a rash of 11 rides in the final three flights, including a 90-point effort by Kody Lostroh.
Lostroh, who is leading one of the tightest races for a world title by just 1,113.50 points over Mauney, had the 17th pick in the draft.
What started out looking like another grim night for the riders turned completely around in Flight 4, with five rides in seven outs. There were another four in the fifth flight before Ryan McConnel and Lostroh capped off the sixth and final flight with the last two qualified scores of the night.
Guilherme Marchi has bucked off twice this weekend.
The defending World Champion came down off of Electric Slide on Friday night in just 1.8 seconds and didn’t fare much better Saturday when the aptly named Down Time brought him down in only 2.4 seconds.
Coming into this weekend, the 27-year-old was 5 for his last 13 attempts in the past five BFTS events, which now puts him at 5 for 15, for an average of just 33 percent in that stretch.
With two rounds remaining on the final day and 18 riders with at least one qualified score on the leader board, anything could happen between Round 3 and the short go.
There are three riders – Mauney, Jenkins and Nance – with two scores, and another 15 spread out with anywhere from 90 to 82.25 points.
The final day starts Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT and can be seen later this evening on Versus.
News and Notes
Kasey Hayes would have had his first qualified ride at a BFTS event since Worcester, Mass., but was called for a slap 2.7 seconds after nodding his head. He challenged the call, but it cost him $500 when – much the dismay of the crowd – the replay judge upheld the ruling. He is now 0-for-15 during that stretch.
During the Saturday morning draft, Brandon Bates joked that Brendon Clark would be Twittering his pick, Tight Rope, in the next 3.2 seconds. Clark, who can be followed at www.twitter.com/brendonclark80, then pointed that Bates created a Twitter account the next day and said, “You automatically have one follower. He had negative one.” Bates can be followed at www.twitter.com/batesoutdoors and, as always, the PBR can be followed at www.twitter.com/teamPBR.
Edvaldo Ferreira consulted fellow countrymen Ednei Caminhas and Valdiron de Oliveira as to which bull he should draft. They convinced the newcomer to select Rip & Dip, telling him that he would spin to the right, but when they showed a video of his selection, the bull came out and immediately turned back to the left. Incidentially, Ferreira finished the round ninth out with an 85.50 when Rip & Dip did, in fact, come out of the chute and go to the right.
Matt Bohon announced that after borrowing gear for the opening round, the airline delivered his luggage to the hotel at approximately 2:30 a.m.
Mike Lee was at the draft, saying, “I should be OK.” He also said he hadn’t consulted Dr. Tandy Freeman, who told him the night before he shouldn’t drive back to the hotel, so he went ahead and drafted Hootie. Between the 11 a.m. draft and the 6 p.m. start for Round 2, Lee met with Freeman, and the two decided it was in the best interest of the former World Champion to doctor out of the event because of the effects related to a concussion.
