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Mandi McCary | PBR
BILLINGS, Mont. – With the top two riders in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) world title race heading into championship Sunday without a qualified ride in the previous two rounds, veteran rider Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) stepped up to win the Unleash The Beast (UTB) Wrangler PBR Billings, presented by Cooper Tires, by going 3-for-4 across the weekend.
After being protected by the Arizona Ridge Riders for last week’s 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft, the 33-year-old Brazilian won his second UTB event of the 2024 season and 10th of his career, earning 171 Unleash The Beast points and advancing from No. 4 to No. 2 in the world, overtaking rookie phenom John Crimber (Decatur, Texas).
Aparecido spoiled Wyatt Rogers’ (Hulbert, Oklahoma) bid for his first career elite series win. Rogers had been a perfect 3-for-3 going into the championship round and seeded first in the short go but couldn’t convert for the win.
Aparecido trails world leader Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil) by 525.33 points with three events remaining before the 2024 PBR World Finals, beginning May 9 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The three-day event at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark marked the 29th time the elite tour has visited Billings and the 20th Unleash The Beast event of the 2024 season. The draw featured 38 riders competing in Rounds 1 and 2. Every athlete with a qualified ride in the first two rounds was then eligible to compete in Round 3 on Sunday. The 12 bull riders with the top combined ride scores following Rounds 1, 2, and 3 advanced to the championship round Sunday afternoon.
With just three events remaining in the regular season, the hunt for world points was more heated than ever.
As the clock ticks down on the 2024 season, the top riders in the world had a rough weekend in Billings, while the now No. 4-ranked Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) sat out to rest from aggravated pre-existing injuries.
Now sitting 610.5 points behind world leader Dias, Crimber slid to the No. 3 spot in the standings courtesy of Aparecido’s win and frustrating buckoffs on Friday and Saturday night. Crimber’s ankle was stepped on in his Round 2 buckoff, and he was out of action on Sunday.
Dias, who earned his sixth event victory of the season last weekend in Sioux Falls, had equal trouble as the weekend began, coming down hard short of the whistle in both Rounds 1 and 2. On Sunday, Dias sought redemption. Paired with Woody (Flinn Cattle Co), the world leader and Kansas City Outlaws star in the separate PBR Teams league recorded a solid 88.25-point score to proceed into the final round.
Cassio Dias rides Woody for 88.25 points in Round 3 of the 2024 PBR Unleash the Beast Season Wrangler PBR Billings Presented By Cooper Tires in Billings, MT
Selecting Cool Whip (Julian/ Staci Addison/ D&H/ Crooked W) as his championship round opponent, Dias again faltered, coming down hard at 1.67 seconds, landing him in 11th place overall for the weekend.
Apparecido started the weekend by conquering Wild Card (Blake Sharp/ UB Bucking Company) for 88.5 points to win Round 1. When Saturday’s second round began, he had his eyes set on Benjamin Ranklin (Farris Cattle/ Big Schott Rodeo), a bull making its debut on the premier tour, who he flawlessly rode for 85.25 points for a fifth-place round finish.
On Sunday in Round 3, the 33-year-old Brazilian was dispatched by Cy Young (Blake Sharp/ Robbie Ray/ Doug Wilson) in 5.67 seconds — his only buckoff of the weekend.
Heading into the championship round, the steadfast Brazilian cowboy set his sights on Flyin Wired (Tommy Julian/ BS Cattle Co).
Eduardo Aparecido rides Flyin Wired for 89.25 points in the Championship Round of the 2024 PBR Unleash the Beast Season Wrangler PBR Billings Presented By Cooper Tires in Billings, MT
Launching from the chutes aboard the high-flying animal athlete, Aparecido received 89.25 points, securing the No. 1 spot in Magic City. Aparecido’s fate then rested on the final out of the weekend, Rogers’ matchup with Dark Thoughts (Blake Sharp/ Henry Wilson). However, Rogers was bucked off at 5.67 seconds, securing the win for Aparecido.
The veteran rider left Montana with a check for $58,033.14 and the No. 2 spot.
Rogers did nab second place for the weekend, moving from No. 37 to No. 26 after his 3-for-4 weekend and down-to-the-wire loss to Aparecido.
Starting the three-day event paired with Shake n Bake (Burch Pro Rodeo/ Nixon Bucking Bulls) for 83.75 points, Rogers started what was to be a string of sixth-place round finishes across the weekend.
Matched with Electric Kitty (Moore Cattle/ D&H Cattle Co.) in Round 2 on Saturday, he came back with a vengeance, recording a solid 84.25-point ride to again capture sixth place in the round.
Drawing Buffalo Heifer (Sterk Bucking Bulls) as his Round 3 partner, his hopes of advancing to the championship round were fulfilled when he rode the talented bovine for 85.75 points, his third sixth-place finish of the weekend, securing the No. 1 pick.
Missouri Thunder man Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (Colorado, Brazil) claimed third place in Billings after going 2-for-4.
Matched with Let’s Roll (Stoltzfus/ Bob & Jerry Adams/ BS Cattle Co), Rossetto earned 88.25 points for his Round 1 ride for a good start to the weekend leaderboard at No. 2.
Fire Magic (D&H Cattle Company) showcased his bull power when matched with the 26-year-old in the second round, dispatching him after 6.11 seconds.
Rossetto resumed his momentum in Round 3, matched with Down Payment (Joe & Nina Webb/ Zane Walker/ BS Cattle Co), earning a crowd-pleasing 88-point ride for second place in the round.
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto rides Down Payment for 88 points in Round 3 of the 2024 PBR Unleash the Beast Season Wrangler PBR Billings Presented By Cooper Tires in Billings, MT
He then came into the championship round second in the aggregate. With the second overall pick in the draft, he chose the resilient Ricky Vaughn (WinRock/ D&H Cattle/ Buck Cattle). Despite the momentum of the full house, the bull twisted in midair and Rossetto was dispatched after 7.3 seconds.
His 2-for-4 weekend earned him 81 Unleash The Beast Points to put him in a tie with Rogers at No. 26.
Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) kept the 2-for-4 streak going for a fourth-place finish.
The Florida Freedom rider hit the ground hard on Friday night when Border Crisis (Hart Cattle Co/ Hale) tossed him to the ground in 4.39 seconds in Round 1.
Saturday brought renewed luck as Cerqueira bested Tijuana Two-Step (Blake Sharp/ Michael Floyd) for 87.25 points to claim second place in Round 2.
Matched with High Class (Flinn Cattle Co) as Sunday began, the 31-year-old Brazilian sailed through the arena, earning 86 points and punching his ticket into the final round.
Alex Cerqueira rides High Class for 86 points in Round 3 of the 2024 PBR Unleash the Beast Season Wrangler PBR Billings Presented By Cooper Tires in Billings, MT
His Sunday luck stopped there as his championship round opponent, Flapjack (Parker/ OK Corralis/ Gordon/ D&H Cattle), unseated him at 6.89 seconds.
With the fourth-place finish, Cerqueira earned 60 Unleash The Beast Points to move from No. 23 in the standings to No. 17.
Newly-drafted New York Maverick Leonardo Castro (Cassilandia, Brazil) rounded out the Top 5 of the Wrangler PBR Billings.
After a solid 83.5-point ride on Friday night aboard Dream Walkin (Conaway/ Ogden/ Hart Cattle Co) in Round 1, the 20-year-old cowboy fired from the chutes in Round 2 aboard Let’s Roll (Stoltzfus/ Bob & Jerry Adams/ BS Cattle Co) but was bucked off at 6.68 seconds.
Going into Sunday’s Round 3, Castro was paired with Dangerous Medicine (Hart Cattle Company).
Blasting into the air clinging to the muscular bovine, he recorded an 85.25-point score to move into the final round.
Despite his Round 2 buckoff, the Brazilian young gun made the championship round cut and selected his partner to be Hell Right (McGuire Cattle/ D&H Cattle/ Buck Cattle).
The hard-bucking bull exploded from the chutes as Castro tried to hang on. Despite his best attempt, he flipped to the dirt at 5.19 seconds.
Earning 49 Unleash The Beast points, Castro, who began the weekend at No. 17, now sits at No. 15 in the world.
In the bull pen, Rustic Pearl (Blake Sharp) earned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honors with a 46.25-point bull score by bucking off Callum Miller (Warwick, Queensland, Australia) after 2.79 seconds in Sunday’s championship round.
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, for the PBR Everett, the 21st event of the 2024 season and a rare midweek UTB, on Wednesday, April 17, at 7:45 p.m. PDT, and Thursday, April 18, at 7:45 p.m. PDT.
Elsewhere in the PBR, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour held events in both Eugene, Oregon, and Lincoln, Nebraska.
In the Cornhusker State, Dalton Krantz (Somers, Iowa) rode supreme, delivering the high-marked ride of the event to win the PBR Lincoln inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Krantz was sensational in Round 1, riding lights out when he conquered Sweet John (Campbell Cattle Co./Cannon Cattle Co.) for 87 points to surge to an early event lead. While he was upended by Shakira (Campbell Cattle Co./Cannon Cattle Co.) in a hard-fought 4.38 seconds in the championship round, his first 8-second effort was enough to clinch the win.
In addition to garnering 108 Velocity Global points, Krantz also earned the coveted chance to take on the Larry the Cable Guy’s Git-R-Done Bounty Bull, presented by Morgan & Morgan. In the bounty showdown, Krantz readied to take on the multihyphenate entertainer’s bull, Mr. Koolie (Whitney/A Lazy J Rodeo Bulls/Cornwell Bucking Bulls), for the chance at $10,000 but was brought down in a quick 2.01 seconds, denied the cash bonus. Via the out, Mr. Koolie has now been ridden just twice in 48 outs on record, boasting a 95.83% buckoff rate.
In Matthew Knight Arena at the PBR Eugene, Shane Scott (Molalla, Oregon) rode supreme to take the win in front of his home-state fans.
In Round 1, Scott recorded the first qualified ride of the weekend, sitting tall aboard Maximum Velocity (Big Bend/Flying Five) for a round-winning 85.5 points. Paired with Timmy (Corey & Lange Rodeo) for his second out of the night, Scott rocketed out of the chutes but was unseated after 2.26 seconds.
Bouncing back, the Oregonian posted another 85.5-point outing on Smoke Show (Big Bend/Flying Five), becoming the only rider to make the 8 on Saturday evening.
Despite being bucked off by Nuff Said (Corey & Lange Rodeo), Scott’s 2-for-4 performance was enough to take home the event buckle. The victory netted the Oregon cowboy 136 Velocity Global points.
The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour next travels to Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday, April 20. Action for PBR Wichita at INTRUST Bank Arena begins at 7:00 p.m. CT.
PBR Unleash The Beast– Wrangler PBR Billings
First Interstate Arena at MetraPark -Billings, Montana
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Eduardo Aparecido, 88.5-85.25-0-89.25-263.00-171 Points.
2. Wyatt Rogers, 83.75-84.25-85.75-0-253.75-105 Points.
3. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 88.25-0-88-0-176.25-81 Points.
4. Alex Cerqueira, 0-87.25-86-0-173.25-60 Points.
5. Leonardo Castro, 83.5-0-85.25-0-168.75-49 Points.
6. Cort McFadden, 0-83.25-84.5-0-167.75-41 Points.
7. Ednélio Almeida, 0-82.5-85-0-167.50-34 Points.
8. Callum Miller, 0-78.75-87.5-0-166.25-32.5 Points.
9. Brady Fielder, 84.25-73-0-0-157.25-21 Points.
10. Thiago Salgado, 0-89.25-0-0-89.25-31 Points.
11. Cassio Dias, 0-0-88.25-0-88.25-30 Points.
12. Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-87.5-0-87.50-16.5 Points.
13. Andrew Alvidrez, 86.75-0-0-0-86.75-17 Points.
14. Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-86.5-0-0-86.50-17 Points.
15. Sage Steele Kimzey, 0-85.75-0-0-85.75-16 Points.
16. Conner Halverson, 84-0-0-0-84.00-15 Points.
17. Daylon Swearingen, 0-83.75-0-0-83.75-13 Points.
18. José de Castro, 0-83-0-0-83.00-11 Points.
John Crimber, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alan de Souza, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Julio Cesar Marques, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaiden Loud, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Felipe Furlan, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Vitor Losnake, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Rizzo, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dawson Branton, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ben Bode, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alvaro Ariel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
2024 Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points)
1. Cassio Dias, 20, 6, 8, 1,395.33
2. Eduardo Aparecido, 18, 2, 5, 870.00
3. John Crimber, 18, 1, 7, 784.83
4. Dalton Kasel, 17, 1, 7, 776.00
5. Alan de Souza, 18, 0, 5, 613.50
6. Koltin Hevalow, 21, 1, 6, 541.50
7. Austin Richardson, 8, 2, 3, 533.50
8. João Ricardo Vieira, 16, 1, 4, 491.00
9. Brady Fielder, 20, 2, 5, 446.66
10. Caden Bunch, 17, 2, 3, 430.83
11. Kaique Pacheco, 14, 0, 3, 389.33
12. Julio Cesar Marques, 20, 0, 3, 358.32
13. Thiago Salgado, 11, 1, 2, 357.00
14. Cody Jesus, 12, 0, 3, 327.00
15. Leonardo Castro, 9, 1, 2, 326.50
16. Cort McFadden, 13, 0, 2, 317.00
17. Alex Cerqueira, 19, 0, 3, 305.00
18. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 14, 0, 3, 296.66
19. Daylon Swearingen, 19, 0, 1, 278.50
19. Kaiden Loud, 18, 0, 2, 278.50
21. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 15, 1, 3, 272.83
22. Felipe Furlan, 17, 0, 2, 256.00
23. Vitor Losnake, 17, 0, 2, 252.50
24. Clay Guiton, 10, 0, 3, 238.66
25. Boudreaux Campbell, 18, 0, 1, 233.50
26. Wyatt Rogers, 13, 0, 2, 225.50
26. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 20, 0, 2, 225.50
28. Ednélio Almeida, 19, 0, 2, 211.00
29. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 17, 0, 0, 206.00
30. Jose Vitor Leme, 6, 0, 1, 200.00
31. Bob Mitchell, 20, 0, 1, 196.00
32. Conner Halverson, 19, 0, 1, 180.50
33. Sage Steele Kimzey, 9, 0, 1, 177.00
34. Jesse Petri, 17, 0, 0, 153.50
35. Marco Rizzo, 7, 0, 2, 147.83
36. Callum Miller, 10, 0, 1, 147.50
37. Ezekiel Mitchell, 13, 0, 1, 142.50
38. Luciano De Castro, 14, 0, 0, 137.33
39. Andrew Alvidrez, 10, 0, 1, 113.33
40. Silvano Alves, 15, 0, 0, 112.50
41. Eli Vastbinder, 15, 0, 0, 105.83
42. Mason Taylor, 9, 0, 0, 100.00
43. Braidy Randolph, 5, 0, 0, 92.50
44. JaCauy Hale, 2, 0, 0, 81.00
45. Kyler Oliver, 7, 0, 1, 72.33
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour – PBR Lincoln
Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Dalton Krantz, 87-0-0-87.00-108 Points.
2. Marco Eguchi, 85.5-0-0-85.50-60.5 Points.
(tie). Dakota Warnken, 85.5-0-0-85.50-60.5 Points.
4. Dener Barbosa, 84.5-0-0-84.50-34.5 Points.
(tie). Paulo Ferreira Lima, 84.5-0-0-84.50-34.5 Points.
6. Zane Cook, 83-0-0-83.00-26 Points.
7. Ednei Caminhas, 82.5-0-0-82.50-19 Points.
8. Ramon de Lima, 81-0-0-81.00-17 Points.
9. Wade Marshall, 80.5-0-0-80.50-15 Points.
Grayson Cole [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Jean Fernandes Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Brandon Chambers, 0-0-0-0.00
Leandro Machado, 0-0-0-0.00
Quincey McDonald, 0-0-0-0.00
Leandro Zampollo, 0-0-0-0.00
Thor Hoefer II, 0-0-0-0.00
Jake Morinec, 0-0-0-0.00
Douglas Lino de Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Nicholas Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Elijah Mora, 0-0-0-0.00
Elizmar Jeremias, 0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Lyons, 0-0-0-0.00
Devin Hutchinson, 0-0-0-0.00
Bruno Jose Barros, 0-0-0-0.00
Ben Wood, 0-0-0-0.00
Bub Steele, 0-0-0-0.00
Tom Harmon, 0-0-0-0.00
Merle Yoder, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Collins, 0-0-0-0.00
Mitchell Flaming, 0-0-0-0.00
Jordan Wenger, 0-0-0-0.00
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour – PBR Eugene
Matthew Knight Arena – Eugene, Arena
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Shane Scott, 85.5-0-85.5-0-171.00-136 Points.
2. Pokey Houghton, 84.5-0-0-0-84.50-68 Points.
Qynn Andersen, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Eaton, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Matt Hennelly, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Davis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Edgardo Figueroa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ray Mayo, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Justice Forsythe, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Borland, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Tommy Denny, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Caylan Biddy, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Joshua Spears, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Bonifer, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Greg Shannon, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Chance Thomas, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lonnie Thomas, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Weston Grant, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Darnell Bahe, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Armstrong, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ky Bothum, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Isaiah Tom, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media
