ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – As Round 1 of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) Ty Murray Invitational, presented by The Downs Racetrack & Casino concluded on Saturday night, Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) remained victorious and was joined in the Round 1 victory by Flavio Zivieri (Balsamo, Brazil).
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 that did not compete on the opening night finished out Round 1.
In Round 2 on Sunday, all seeded riders and riders with exemptions are guaranteed to ride, plus any of the additional riders who recorded a qualified ride in Round 1. This will be 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). Catapulting from the chutes aboard the muscular animal athlete, Kasel 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. Paired with Detroit Lean (Blake Sharp/ Henry Wilson), the Brazilian rider recorded a matching 88.75 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 now sits a mere 84.5-points behind Leme, who is not competing in Albuquerque. Zivieri, who also collected 23 UTB points, began the weekend at No. 41 in the UTB standings and moved to No. 39 with his shared round win.
2022 Kansas City Outlaws rider Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) had the Duke City crowd at a full roar as he clinched third place with his 88.25-point ride aboard Moonlight Party (Jane Clark/ Gene Owen) on Saturday night.
On the eve of the third and final day of the event, Mast held tight to his No. 36 spot in the UTB standings, collecting 17 UTB points.
Not far behind Kasel on Friday night was Brazilian cowboy Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil). As the dust settled on Saturday night, Aparecido netted fourth place.
The 2022 Arizona Ridge Rider originally climbed aboard Falcon Eddie (Lari Crane/Gene Owen) for his Round 1 matchup on Friday, but was awarded a re-ride by judges. The 32-year-old was then paired with Skippy (Skippy & Linda Johnson/Hookin’ W Ranch). The seasoned veteran matched his bovine partner jump-for-jump to record an 88-point score and sail into championship Sunday.
Aparecido, who began the weekend at No. 15, now sits at No. 13 in the UTB standings after collecting 16 UTB points.
Rounding out the Top 5 of Round 1 in a shared fifth place finish was 2022 Missouri Thunder man Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado) and Josh Frost (Randlett, Utah).
Frost clinched the spot on the leaderboard after his 87.25-point ride aboard Ah Hell (Copper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls) on Friday night.
Fritzlan recorded his matching score on Saturday after his energetic out aboard Pearl’s Ghost (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger).
Both cowboys collected 14.5 UTB points.
Fritzlan, who began the weekend at No. 35 in the UTB standings, moved to No. 33, while Frost clings to No. 59.
Round 2 of thePBR Ty Murray Invitational, presented by The Downs Racetrack & Casino continues on Sunday, March 26, at 1:45 p.m. MT, immediately followed by the championship round.
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.
PBR Unleash The Beast – PBR Ty Murray Invitational, presented by The Downs Racetrack & Casino
