(Editor's note: PBR media release)
TULSA, Okla. –Two veteran riders with a combined five PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Championships made big rides and even bigger statements Sunday afternoon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take substantial steps forward in their quests to qualify for the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 12-15 at AT&T Stadium.
Three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) delivered a flawless 3-for-3 showing at the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops, to win the crucial stretch-run event, netting critical world points as he seeks his 11th consecutive qualification to the PBR World Finals. The come-from-behind victory was Alves’ first Unleash The Beast victory in four years.
Another stalwart veteran, two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina), significantly improved his chances for qualifying to the PBR World Finals, winning Round 2 with an event-high 90.5-point ride atop Concealed Carry (Gene Owen/Jerry Rush).
Mauney is now No. 30 in the world, and for now, locked into a bid to the 2020 PBR World Finals, where the Top 35 will compete for the coveted gold buckle and $1 million bonus.
Alves, the stoic Brazilian who is the only rider in league history to win a PBR World Championship in back-to-back seasons, got off to a quick start in Round 1, snapping a five-out buckoff streak when he made the 8 aboard Cosmic Crazy (Richard & Teri Braun/Jenkins Cattle Co.) for 85.25 points.
Alves then punched his ticket to his sixth elite tour championship round of 2020 when he rode Harold’s Genuine Risk (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) for 85 points in Round 2.
With the third pick in the championship round bull draft, the 32-year-old veteran architected a surprising rematch, selecting Viper (Cord McCoy/Big Sky Bulls, LLC) as a smile overtook his face. The duo of accomplished athletes first met in March 2019 at the premier series event in Little Rock, Arkansas, when Viper made quick work of Alves, dispatching him in 3.58 seconds.
In the months since, the bovine athlete only continued to improve, surrendering just three rides in 26 outs across all levels of competition, including Brennon Eldred’s (Sulphur, Oklahoma) 89-point ride aboard him to win the Unleash The Beast event two tour stops prior in Des Moines, Iowa.
Poised in the chutes, Alves matched Viper jump-for-jump, going the distance to earn an 86-point score.
As the only rider to go a perfect 3-for-3 inside the BOK Center, Alves, who began the event No. 39 in the world and in desperate need of points to qualify to the PBR World Finals in mid-November inside the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, earned a check for $30,500.88 and 99 world points.
He surged 14 positions in the world rankings to No. 25 and now leads No. 36 Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas) by 92 points.
Alves’ last Unleash The Beast victory was in Eugene, Oregon, in October 2016.
Historically, seven of the past 11 PBR World Champions have won the Tulsa event en route to capturing the season’s coveted gold buckle. Alves is now within 1,139 points of current standings leader, and world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil).
Leme went an uncharacteristic 0-for-2 in Tulsa, unable to further his stronghold on the No. 1 ranking. He was bested by Dodge 6117 (Halpain Bucking Bulls) in 2.16 seconds in Round 1, before Ominous (Cord McCoy/Grin/Jacobson) got the better of him in 3.76 seconds in Round 2.
The former semi-professional soccer player now leads No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) by 563.09 points as the elite PBR Unleash The Beast heads for Nampa, Idaho and the Ford Idaho Center for the PBR Cooper Tires Take The Money and Ride, presented by Union Home Mortgage, on Oct. 16-17.
The event will mark the penultimate, regular-season premier series stop of 2020, with only a subsequent event in Pensacola, Florida, remaining prior to the 2020 PBR World Finals on Nov. 12-15 in Arlington, Texas.
Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) finished second to collect $13,757.68 and 69.5 world points.
Davis, who had won the most recent elite tour event in Lincoln, Nebraska, continued his momentum in the Sooner State when he tied for the Round 1 win, his sixth of the season, compliments of his 89-point effort aboard Blessed (Nothin’ But Try Ranch/’Diggers Bucking Bulls).
The 2016 PBR World Champion retained his position atop the event leaderboard in Round 2 when he covered the boisterous Mr. Majestic (Cord McCoy/Bruce Wold/HR Bulls) for 86 points, securing the top pick in the championship bull draft.
Ascending the Can-Am Cage with a clear vision, Davis was quick to make his selection, picking Hocus Pocus (D&H Cattle/Almand/Lone Star/Outlaw) as the socially-distanced crowd inside the BOK Center erupted in cheer.
In what was a déjà vu moment for many, the Texan selected the very bull who propelled him to victory the previous weekend. Also teaming up with Hocus Pocus in Lincoln, Davis reached the 8-second whistle for a monstrous 92.25 points, the third-best score of his career on the elite tour.
Hocus Pocus, however, evened the score with Davis in Tulsa, sending him to the dirt in a swift 2.33 seconds.
Despite falling short of his second consecutive event win, Davis gained critical ground in the world standings, rising from No. 8 to No. 7, now within 827 points of No. 1 Leme.
Third was Marco Eguchi (Poa, Brazil), who capped his 2-for-3 effort with his first championship round win of 2020 with an 87.75-point ride
The 2018 PBR World Finals event winner, who bucked off Drago (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) in 2.71 seconds in Round 1, faced a must-ride moment in Round 2 Sunday afternoon. Rising to the occasion, Eguchi rode Scarface (Paradigm Bull Company) for 86 points to reach the final round.
Keen to continue his momentum, Eguchi drafted a bull who had bucked him off previously in 2020, American Gangster (Jane Clark/Gene Owen).
The fierce bovine athlete, who had been ridden just four times in 20 outs across all levels of competition ahead of the matchup, bucked off Eguchi at the first of three closed premier series events held in Guthrie, Oklahoma in late April. In their one showdown on record, Eguchi was dealt a heart-breaking 7.66-second buckoff inside the iconic Lazy E Arena.
Willing to accept nothing less than a qualified ride, Eguchi avenged his bitter defeat from earlier in the season as he reached the requisite 8 for a championship-round best 87.75 points.
Eguchi left the BOK Center having earned a paycheck for $12,640.12, along with 60.5 world points.
The 31-year-old gained five positions in the world rankings, now No. 18 after beginning the 16th consecutive edition of the Tulsa premier series event No. 23.
For the third consecutive Unleash The Beast event, Mauney experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, falling just short of winning the event to make further history, yet inching closer to his 15th consecutive career qualification to the PBR World Finals.
Finishing fourth overall, Mauney remains tied with two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Oklahoma) for most career Unleash The Beast event wins with 32. However in earning 46 world points and $8,100.20 he was able to crack inside the current world Top 35.
Mauney, who began the event No. 38, is now No. 30 and within the threshold of qualifying to the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast on Nov. 12-15 in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium. He leads No. 36 Toves by 39.5 points.
The $7-million man’s qualified rides were earned aboard FIrin’ (Bob & Jeri Adams/BS Cattle Co.) for 83 points in Round 1, and atop Concealed Carry (Gene Owen/Jerry Rush) for a monstrous, event-high 90.5 points in Round 2. The 90-point score, Mauney’s first of 2020 on the elite tour and 75th of his career across all levels of competition, propelled him to his third round win of 2020.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil).
The “Ice Man” went 2-for-3, covering Constant Sorrow (Blake Sharp/Buckwild Bucking Stock/Frantz Cattle Co.) for 86.5 points in Round 1, and 90 Proof (Paradigm Bull Company) for 71 points in Round 2. While Pacheco was awarded a re-ride in the second round, he declined, a decision which proved dividends.
Despite being bested by Night Hawk (Martinez Bucking Bulls, LLC) in 4.13 seconds in the championship round, Pacheco left the BOK Center with 26 world points and a $4,329.64 paycheck.
Seeking his second PBR World Championship, Pacheco gained one position in the world rankings, now No. 3 and within 713.5 points of No.1 Leme.
In the bull pen, Blue Crush (Cord McCoy/Chad Reese) earned his second YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honors of 2020. The powerful bovine athlete was marked an impressive 46 points as he bucked off Cody Nance (Paris, Tennesse) in 2.51 seconds in the championship round.
The out allowed Blue Crush to rise two positions in the YETI PBR World Champion bull standings, now No. 8 and within 1.18 points of No. 1 Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co.).
Elsewhere in the PBR, the league’s riders competed at double-header events on both the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour in Casper, Wyoming, and on the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour in Mackay, Queensland.
In Velocity Tour action, rookie Andre da Cruz de Souza (Brazil) and eleven-time PBR World Finals qualifier Valdiron de Oliveira (Balcimo, Brazil) were victorious at the PBR Casper Invitational, driven by Wyoming Ford Dealers, to earn berths to next weekend’s Unleash The Beast event in Nampa, Idaho.
The events were also stops on the 2020 Million Dollar Bull Team Challenge, with Tom Baker Bucking Bulls and Lee/Praus/Thompson notching victories.
The Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will next travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Nov. 6-7 for the 2020 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard.
In addition to marking the season-culminating event for the league’s expansion series, the tour stop will earn four riders berths to the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast on Nov. 12-15 in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium.
On the opposite side of the world, World Finals qualifier Kurt Shephard (Mareeba, Queensland) and Lane Mellers (Mundubbera, won the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour’s Mackay Invitational at BB Print Stadium, in Mackay, Queensland.
Australian No. 1 Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, New South Wales) parlayed a runner-up finish in the evening edition of the double-header to cement the nation’s international invite to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals. At the event, the veteran rider will attempt to earn one of four berths to what would be his eighth career PBR World Finals.
Fans can relive all the action from the PBR Unleash The Beast’s Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops, along with the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and PBR Australia events on demand on RidePass at 8:00 a.m. ET on Monday, October 12. RidePass is available at RidePass.com or via the RidePass app available on iOS, Android and Roku.
PBR Unleash The BeastPBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops
BOK Center – Tulsa, Oklahoma
1. Silvano Alves, 85.25-85-86-256.25-99 Points.
2. Cooper Davis, 89-86-0-175.00-69.5 Points.
3. Marco Eguchi, 0-86-87.75-173.75-60.5 Points.
4. J.B. Mauney, 83-90.5-0-173.50-46 Points.
5. Kaique Pacheco, 86.5-71-0-157.50-26 Points.
6. Stetson Lawrence, 0-89.5-0-89.50-22 Points.
7. Ezekiel Mitchell, 89-0-0-89.00-21 Points.
8. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-88-0-88.00-14 Points.
9. Derek Kolbaba, 87.75-0-0-87.75-12 Points.
10. Alex Cerqueira, 0-87.75-0-87.75-11 Points.
11. Cole Melancon, 0-87.25-0-87.25-8 Points.
12. João Ricardo Vieira, 0-86.75-0-86.75-6 Points.
(tie). Cody Nance, 85-0-0-85.00-6 Points.
14. Cody Teel, 0-85.5-0-85.50-3 Points.
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Colten Jesse, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Joao Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Amadeu Campos Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyler Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00
2020 PBR World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 40, 17, 25, 1,336.00, $520,328.35
2. João Ricardo Vieira, 28, 3, 11, 772.91, $232,551.52
3. Kaique Pacheco, 28, 1, 10, 622.50, $143,642.69
4. Daylon Swearingen, 41, 4, 13, 602.66, $240,545.37
5. Jess Lockwood, 20, 1, 10, 596.00, $219,947.63
6. Lucas Divino, 29, 2, 11, 552.50, $144,898.53
7. Cooper Davis, 24, 4, 16, 509.00, $129,794.25
8. Colten Jesse, 42, 4, 12, 472.00, $124,971.29
9. Dener Barbosa, 16, 2, 7, 323.41, $81,457.49
10. Ezekiel Mitchell, 35, 1, 6, 317.00, $73,940.90
11. Derek Kolbaba, 39, 3, 10, 316.00, $60,344.93
12. Eduardo Aparecido, 23, 0, 4, 311.00, $74,272.67
13. Cole Melancon, 33, 2, 6, 310.50, $218,267.02
14. Mason Taylor, 34, 2, 7, 266.75, $56,080.98
15. Alex Cerqueira, 25, 1, 6, 259.50, $56,422.26
16. Fabiano Vieira, 23, 3, 6, 258.50, $48,203.97
17. Brennon Eldred, 27, 1, 4, 257.50, $72,791.38
18. Marco Eguchi, 25, 3, 11, 254.75, $78,533.76
19. Ramon de Lima, 19, 1, 2, 248.16, $86,362.79
20. Cody Teel, 24, 0, 4, 246.25, $110,250.95
21. Matt Triplett, 30, 3, 8, 241.50, $122,496.48
22. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 35, 4, 11, 221.83, $59,020.90
23. Andrew Alvidrez, 32, 2, 7, 217.66, $58,934.11
24. Stetson Lawrence, 31, 1, 8, 203.00, $71,045.93
25. Silvano Alves, 35, 1, 5, 197.00, $55,271.95
26. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 24, 3, 9, 193.00, $76,597.38
27. Claudio Montanha Jr., 22, 0, 3, 185.00, $48,522.84
28. Aaron Kleier, 25, 2, 9, 171.33, $41,322.36
29. Joao Henrique Lucas, 30, 1, 4, 151.91, $32,289.26
30. J.B. Mauney, 8, 0, 3, 144.50, $27,538.61
31. Lachlan Richardson, 13, 3, 6, 135.00, $48,913.43
32. Dakota Buttar, 16, 4, 8, 134.50, $36,053.05
33. Tye Chandler, 10, 1, 3, 123.33, $29,556.67
34. Boudreaux Campbell, 18, 1, 6, 120.66, $99,617.23
35. Ryan Dirteater, 13, 0, 6, 120.00, $56,661.41
36. Taylor Toves, 25, 1, 2, 105.00, $42,600.92
37. Amadeu Campos Silva, 31, 0, 4, 104.66, $31,025.29
38. Dakota Louis, 38, 1, 7, 103.00, $46,937.23
39. Marcus Mast, 37, 0, 7, 99.16, $34,198.99
40. Junior Patrik Souza, 30, 0, 5, 97.50, $25,562.27
41. Paulo Ferreira Lima, 28, 1, 6, 93.00, $28,514.15
42. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 23, 1, 6, 92.00, $27,712.57
43. Cody Casper, 40, 1, 3, 89.00, $25,468.93
44. Jake Lockwood, 26, 1, 1, 87.16, $25,636.14
45. Brock Radford, 23, 2, 8, 84.66, $28,774.17
