ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After an exhilarating weekend inside of The Pit, Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado) stood on the dirt Sunday evening alongside PBR co-founder and event namesake Ty Murray after capturing the second Unleash The Beast (UTB) event win of his career at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Ty Murray Invitational.
Sitting in a tie for fifth place after Round 1 ended on Saturday night, courtesy of his strong 87.25-point ride aboard Pearl’s Ghost (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger), Fritzlan knew that in Sunday’s Round 2 he had to get past a rank pen of bulls that were thrashing, launching and stomping riders on the first two days of the three-day event.
Paired with Prime Tested (Blake Sharp/ Koe Wetzel/ Travis Austin/Henry Wilson) as Sunday afternoon began, the talented 22-year-old exploded from the chutes and made the 8. The solid 85-point ride solidified fifth place in the round and put him atop the leaderboard entering the championship round.
The 2022 Missouri Thunder standout during the inaugural PBR Team Series then selected UTZ BesTex Smokestack (Blake Sharp/ Chris Utz/ Carey Brothers) as his final bovine opponent on the weekend.
As the very last out of the night, having already won the event after each of his fellow competitors failed to record a score, the young Coloradan readied in the chutes.
To the New Mexico crowd’s disappointment, UTZ BesTex Smokestack dispatched Fritzlan after 4.88 seconds, but his two previous scores still put him on the victor’s podium, allowing him to collect 109.5 UTB points.
Fritzlan’s 2-for-3 first-place finish moved him from No. 35 to No. 20 in the UTB standings, and he earned a check for $41,656.67.
Earlier in the weekend during Saturday night’s special 15/15 Bucking Battle, the energy inside of The Pit had the elite tour’s most intimate building rocking as two Brazilian cowboys registered monster 90-point rides.
Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil), who began the weekend in the No. 11 spot in the UTB standings, was paired with UTZ BesTex Smokestack (Blake Sharp/ Chris UTZ/Carey Brothers). In a special round where the bulls dominated, his technically superb 92-point ride was barely enough for him to win his first 15/15 Battle in 2023, moving him to No. 9.
Not far behind was fellow countryman and veteran rider Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil), who earlier in the round, paired with 2022 World Champion Bucking Bull Ridin’ Solo (Cord McCoy/ Bill McCarty/ McCoy Rodeo), put up 91.5 points. Vieira moved from No. 16 to No. 12.
While world leader Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio, Brazil) was out recovering from an injury sustained in New Orleans the week prior, 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) had the chance to gain ground, and overtook Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) for the No. 2 spot.
Pacheco, who began the event as the No. 3 ranked man sitting 135.5 points behind Leme as the race for the world title heats up, is now just a mere 61.5 points behind the two-time World Champion.
After a less than ideal opening round where he finished in 12th place courtesy of his 84.5-point ride aboard Tested’s Viper (Hookin W/ LeFlore Bucking Bulls), Pacheco dialed in for Round 2.
On board Kevin (Paige Stout/ Lukas Banning Bucking Bulls), he sailed into the championship round after his 86.75-point ride.
After selecting Kid Knapper (Phillips/ Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls) in the championship round, the crowd in The Pit went wild as the 2022 Nashville Stampede’s franchise rider appeared to have a qualified ride and possible win. However, in a heartbreaking moment for the former world champion a judge’s review showed his free arm touched Kid Knapper at 7.94 seconds.
For his 2-for-3 weekend and second-place overall finish, he earned 74 UTB points.
Three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) rounded out the top three finishers.
The veteran Brazilian was paired with Hang Em High (Bryan T Smith/ Nathan Doss) in Round 1 but hit the ground after a mere 1.96 seconds.
Knowing he had to hit the gas as the weekend progressed, Alves was laser-focused on the back of the chutes for his Round 2 matchup on Sunday with Mr. Nasty (Blake Sharp/ Koe Wetzel/ Cody O’Neil). Alves’ 89.5-point ride score secured his spot in the championship round.
He then selected Centerfold (Blake Sharp/ Michael Floyd) as his matchup for the final round.
Despite being in control as the gate swung open, his ride ended after 3.28 seconds.
Collecting 64 UTB points for his 1-for-3 weekend, Alves moved from No. 18 in the UTB standings to No. 16 with only six events remaining in the regular season before the PBR World Finals May 12-21 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Three cowboys tied for fourth place as the 26th annual PBR Ty Murray Invitational rolled to a close.
Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas), Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) and Flavio Zivieri (Balsamo, Brazil) recorded matching 88.75-point aggregate scores over the three days of competition.
As Round 1 of the event concluded on Saturday night, Kasel shared the Round 1 victory with Zivieri.
The three-day event in Albuquerque showcased a unique format for UTB fans. The draw featured 60 riders competing in Round 1, which involved riders split into two groups across the first two nights of competition.
Friday’s Round 1 featured the riders who were set to compete in Saturday’s 15/15 Bucking Battle plus 20 additional riders, while Saturday night, the 25 riders who did not compete on the opening night finished out Round 1.
In Round 2 on Sunday, all seeded riders and riders with exemptions were guaranteed to ride, plus any of the additional riders who recorded a qualified ride in Round 1. This was followed by the championship round, featuring the Top 12 in the event aggregate.
On Friday night, 24-year-old Kasel, who rode for the Austin Gamblers during the inaugural PBR Team Series in 2022, was paired with Tortuga (Gene Owen Bucking Bulls) and recorded a standout 88.75 points to take the lead in Round 1.
As the uniquely formatted round continued on Saturday night, 25-year-old Zivieri was the only man to match Kasel’s momentum, recording a matching 88.75 points on Detroit Lean (Blake Sharp/ Henry Wilson) to split the win.
Starting the weekend at No. 2 in the UTB standings, Kasel’s success in Round 1 earned him 23 UTB points, inching him even closer to current No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil). Kasel, who began the weekend 107.5 points behind the world leader, sat a mere 84.5-points behind Leme as he rocketed toward Sunday.
In a twist of fate, Kasel’s Sunday took a crushing blow as he was unable to make the 8 aboard his Round 2 partner Pookie Holler (Dakota Rodeo/ Brian & Ashley Pintar/ Clay Struve/ Chad Berger) being thrashed to the ground and limping off in noticeable pain.
Kasel was unable to compete in the championship round. Despite the 39.7 UTB points he collected, he moved back to No.3.
Zivieri, who also doctored out of the championship round, was also throttled by his Round 2 bovine opponent when Tortuga (Gene Owen Bucking Bulls) whipped him to the ground. Beginning the weekend at No. 41 in the UTB standings, he now sits at No. 38 after his awarded 39.7 UTB points.
Campbell’s tumultuous weekend started with a Round 1 buck off by bovine opponent Raven (M Rafter E/ Rockin’ L Bucking Bulls) after just 3.97 seconds. The 2022 Carolina Cowboys athlete then focused in on his Round 2 partner, Drago (Jeb Fredericks/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) and went on to put up a solid score of 88.75.
Confidently selecting Domino (D&H Cattle Co/ Buck Cattle Co) in the championship round, Campbell was then slung to the ground after 2.7 seconds and left the arena in noticeable pain. Collecting 34.7 UTB points, Campbell moved from No. 6 to No. 5.
In the bullpen, the impressive 47.25-point buck off by PBR World Champion bull Ridin’ Solo in his matchup with Josh Frost (Randlett, Utah) earned the esteemed animal athlete the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR UTB event and is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the PBR First PREMIER Bank/ PREMIER Bankcard Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires on Friday, March 31, at 7:45 p.m. CST, Saturday, April 1, at 6:45 p.m. CST and Sunday, April 2 at 2:45 p.m. CST.
Elsewhere, 19-year-old Brady Turgeon (New River, Arizona) triumphantly clinched the first-ever event title of his newly-rocketing career at the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s (PWVT) Oakland Classic on Saturday night.
Turgeon first landed on the leaderboard in Round 1 earlier in the night, splitting first place after making the whistle aboard Mr. Priefert (Flying U / Cindy Rosser) for 82.5 points.
The young Arizonan continued the momentum into the Championship Round by conquering Regulator (Humpz and Hornz / Frances Dandy) with the highest score of the night at 85.5 points.
The young gun left Oakland with 131 Velocity Global points.
The talented bull riders of the PBR PWVT will next travel to Casper, Wyoming, for the PBR Casper Invitational at Casper Events Center on April 1.
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) – Oakland Classic
