MANCHESTER, N.H. – Courtesy of a perfect 3-for-3 effort inside SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, including the high-marked ride of his career, Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) won his career-first PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event Sunday afternoon at the PBR Manchester Invitational. The golden finish vaulted the charismatic Texan inside the Top 5 of the 2023 PBR World Championship race as he chases his career-first gold buckle.
As the action got underway in the opening round, Alvidrez tied for the round win when he covered Valentine (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) for 87.25 points.
Alvidrez then delivered his second score of the event in Round 2, conquering Ponotoc (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 84.25 points. While he was surpassed for the event lead, Alvidrez held firm at second on the event leaderboard to have an early pick in the championship round bull draft.
The 25-year-old then elected to go head-to-head with Canadian-born Yellowknife (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd). In a decision that paid dividends, Alvidrez matched the mammoth animal athlete jump-for-jump en route to the whistle.
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As the raucous crowd erupted in cheer, Alvidrez was awarded a career-best 91.75 points to reclaim the event lead. After the final rider out bucked off, Alvidrez clinched his career-first Unleash The Beast victory.
In addition to collecting a check for $44,643, Alvidrez also earned a crucial 140 Unleash The Beast points. He catapulted eight positions in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings, surging from No. 11 to No. 3. He is now within a mere 55 points of the No. 1 rank.
Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) reclaimed the No. 1 rank in the early 2023 PBR World Championship race compliments of a sixth-place finish in New Hampshire, which garnered him 49.5 Unleash The Beast points.
The 2016 PBR World Champion first struck in Round 1 when he tied for fifth via an 86.25-point effort atop Moon Taxi (Blake Sharp/CB & Traci Lee).
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Davis the rose to the top of the event standings when he split the Round 2 victory thanks to his 88-point ride atop Don’t Come Easy (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Garrett Carey).
With the pick of the pen for the championship round, Davis selected a familiar opponent in Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/High Voltage/Wetzel/Knott). The reserved veteran, however, was unable to replicate his past success, upended in 3.56 seconds and denied his second premier series victory of the season.
Despite the disappointing end to the event, Davis leaves Manchester as the No. 1-ranked rider in the 2023 PBR World Championship race, now 21.5 points ahead of Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas).
Keeping was shut out in Manchester, going 0-for-2.
After Smokestack (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson/Knott/C-M) got the better of him in 2.69 seconds in Round 1, he was unable to rebound in Round 2, bucked off by Star of The Show (Painted Pony Championship Rodeo) in a swift 1.48 seconds.
As the only other rider to go 3-for-3, defending PBR Manchester Invitational event winner Jesse Petri (Dublin, Texas) was second.
Petri punched his ticket to the championship round after riding Pneu-Dart’s Rocky Malcoma (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for 84.75 points in Round 1 and Red Man (Generations Pro Rodeo) for 84.5 points in Round 2.
The rising Texan then cemented his silver finish courtesy of a commanding 89.25-point ride atop Mr. Excavator (Cornwell Bucking Bulls/PCP Bucking Bulls) in the final round.
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Petri will return to Texas having earned $16,800 and a much-needed 83.5 Unleash The Beast points.
In the standings, Petri climbed 24 positions, rising from No. 35 to No. 11.
Third was 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas).
While his event began in less-than-ideal form, bested in 4.68 seconds by Hard Eight (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Garrett Carey) in Round 1, Kasel was quick to regain his championship-contending form on the final day of competition.
Kasel first put points on the board in Round 2 when he went the distance on Sicilian Kiss (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Garrett Carey) for 86.75 points.
He then architected a rematch in the championship round, selecting UTZ BesTex Legend (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Garrett Carey), who had bucked him off in 2.75 seconds ago two weeks prior in St. Louis.
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Kasel, however, emerged the more dominant athlete Sunday. Keeping time as the bull delivered on-dirt acrobatics, he reached the whistle for a monstrous 90.5 points.
The podium finish earned Kasel $12,356 and 70 Unleash The Beast points. He rose from No. 28 to No. 12 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings.
Rafael Jose de Brito (Potirendaba, Brazil) was fourth, earning 56 Unleash The Beast points.
Brito bookended his efforts in Manchester with qualified rides. In Round 1, he rode Safety Meeting (Hruby/Kainz/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 87 points.
In the championship round, Brito then went to work against Bull Named Sue (Blake Sharp/Utz/Farris/Lecure/Findley), capping his outing in the Granite State with a 90-point ride.
While he began the event No. 8 in the standings, he is now No. 4, 101.5 points back of No. 1 Davis.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Rinopolis, Brazil).
His 86.25-point ride on Skeeter Peter (Dakota Rodeo/Mark Baker/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) in Round 2 and 88.25-point outing on The Undertaker (Cornwell Bucking Bulls/Riley Bucking Bulls/PCP Bucking Bulls) in the final round earned him 46 Unleash The Beast points.
Video Courtesy: PBR
In the bull pen, Mike’s Motive and Hoka Hey (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Garrett Carey) tied for the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honor, each marked 44.75 points in the final round.
Mike’s Motive earned the score during his trip with Davis, while Hoka Hey was awarded the top points when he dispatched Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) in 4.79 seconds.
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to MVP Arena in Albany, New York, for the PBR Albany Invitational. The event will be on Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30 at 7:45 p.m. EST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Unleash The Beast PBR Manchester Invitational SNHU Arena – Manchester, New Hampshire Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Andrew Alvidrez, 87.25-84.25-91.75-263.25-140 Points.
