EVERETT, Wash. – As the only mid-week PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) event of 2023 concluded on Thursday night at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) captured his first event win since 2018 at the PBR Great Northwest Invitational.
With just two events now remaining until the PBR World Finals at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 12-21, the world title race has become the epicenter of focus as the top bull riders in the world put it all on the line in the hunt for a world title.
Two-time PBR World Champion and current No. 2 man in the standings Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) remained sidelined in Everett due to a groin injury, giving current world leader and 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) the potential to gain further ground.
While the opportunity was there, Pacheco faltered across the two weeknights in the Pacific Northwest.
Pacheco came down hard at a mere 2.92 seconds after Sellout (Blake Sharp/ Koe Wetzel/Cody O’Neil) tossed him in Wednesday’s Round 1. He then went 0-for-2 on Thursday night, with Tall Boy (Blake Sharp/ Chris Utz/ Carey Brothers) tossing him aside in Round 2 to begin the evening.
Punching his ticket into the extended 15-man championship round based on world standings, Pacheco selected Charmer (D&H Cattle Co./ Buck Cattle Co) as his partner in the final round but was again dispatched. The less-than-ideal two nights earned Pacheco no UTB points and kept his lead over Leme to 118.5.
In addition to Leme, who is expected to return this weekend in Tacoma, No. 3 Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) also remained out of competition in Washington due to a leg injury.
Where Pacheco fell short, fellow Brazilian Aparecido flourished.
Aparecido, who began the weekend at No. 10 in the UTB standings, started off in less-than-ideal fashion in Wednesday night’s Round 1. His bovine partner OLS Tubs Hot Pants (Vold Rodeo/ Outlaw Buckers) dispatched him in a mere 2.46 seconds.
Paired with War Department (Rockin T Ranch) in Thursday’s Round 2, the 2022 Arizona Ridge Rider in the separate PBR Team Series stood calmly on the chutes before his ride.
Launching from the chutes, the seasoned veteran made the 8 aboard the talented animal athlete to the tune of 89 points, as his fellow athletes cheered from the back of the chutes.
Aparecido then selected Blood Moon (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Mark Baker/ M Rafter E.) as his final opponent in Everett.
Standing quietly on the chutes again, he watched as the animal athletes of the sport dominated all but two of his fellow competitors.
Climbing aboard Blood Moon, Aparecido was in a must-ride situation.
The raucous crowd inside of Angel of the Winds arena roared as Aparecido rocketed from the chutes and confidently clung to his opponent.
The roar reached deafening levels when his 91-point score was announced, clinching the walk-off victory.
The 32-year-old Brazilian collected 137 UTB points and picked up his first event win of the season. In fact, Aparecido’s last premier-series victory was in March of 2018 in Glendale, Arizona.
Aparecido’s 2-for-3, first-place finish moved him from No. 10 to No. 7 in the UTB standings and earned him a check for $46,403.81.
For video highlights of Round 2 and the championship round in Everett, including Aparecido’s rides, courtesy PBR, click here.
Braidy Randolph (Jonestown, Pennsylvania) claimed second place overall.
Starting things off in Everett full steam ahead, the 2022 Texas Rattler was paired with Dr. Campbell (Nancy Haverty/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) on night one. Launching from the chutes halfway through Round 1, the 22-year-old received an 85.5-point score.
Thursday started of a bit rocky for Randolph as Cold Chill (D&H Cattle Co/ Futrell) dispatched him after 3.39 seconds in Round 2.
Punching his ticket into the championship round based on his night one ride, the Pennsylvania man selected Cherry Bomb (Flinn/ D&H Cattle Co.) in hopes of climbing the leaderboard.
He did just that with his 89-point score, sitting in the No. 1 spot in the aggregate until Aparecido’s winning ride.
While his score wasn’t enough to push him to the win, his 2-for-3 performance earned 85 UTB points and a check for $21,132.67.
Beginning the week at No. 37 in the standings, the second-place finish moved Randolph to No. 25.
Putting it all on the line to move into the Top 5 in the standings before leaving Washington this week, and keeping the 2-for-3 streak going, 2022 Carolina Cowboy Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) rounded out the Top 3 finishers in Everett.
Starting Wednesday night in the No. 7 spot in the standings, Campbell’s 83.5-point ride aboard WSM’s Sun Country (WSM Auctioneers/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) earned 16 UTB points, which was just enough to push him into the No. 6 position in the standings by the end of Round 1.
Stumbling in Round 2 on Thursday when his re-ride pairing with Whatever (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Ken Barnhart) ended in 6.67 seconds, Campbell knew he had to ride in the final round.
Selecting Drago (Jeb Fredericks/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) in the championship round, Campbell was unstoppable as the gate flew open, receiving an 88.5-point score.
Campbell collected 69 UTB points and $13,386.67 for his third-place finish, allowing him to hold tightly to No. 6 in the standings as he heads to Tacoma with his sights set on breaking into the Top 5.
Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) collected a fourth-place finish in Everett.
After being bested by Devil’s Revenge (M Rafter E/ Rockin’ L Bucking Bulls) in Round 1, he came back with a vengeance in Round 2.
Paired with Hard Not to Get (Vold Rodeo), Divino showed the heat he has been noted for over the years as the 29-year-old 2022 Austin Gambler persevered for 88 points.
His final-round pick of Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/ High Voltage/ Wetzel/ Knott) didn’t go as planned, as the talented bovine won the matchup.
Although his 1-for-3 weekend was less than hoped for, he collected 39 UTB points.
Starting the week at No. 44 in the standings, Divino’s fourth-place finish helped him move to No. 41 as the PBR World Finals nears.
Rounding out the Top 5 in Everett was rookie Tate Pollmeier (Ft Scott, Kansas).
On the heels of a Round 1 win on Wednesday night for his 87-point ride aboard Skeeter Peter (Dakota Rodeo/ Mark Baker/ Clay Struve/ Chad Berger), the 19-year-old 2023 PBR Rookie of the Year contender was laser-focused on Thursday.
Pollmeier, a rookie from Kansas who made his league debut during the inaugural PBR Team Series season in late 2022 as part of the Oklahoma Freedom, began the weekend at No. 14 in the standings and No. 3 in the Rookie of the Year race and is among many making the charge to close in on the Top 5 as the regular season comes to a close.
While night two in Everett was a bust for Pollmeier, dispatched from Sock Monkey (D&H Cattle Company) in Round 2 and then hitting the dirt after 3.64 seconds in the championship round when Top Shelf (P. Ro Ranch/ OK Corralis/ Gordon/ D&H Cattle) unseated him, his Round 1 win catapulted him to the fifth-place finish.
Pollmeier earned 45 UTB points to move from No. 14 in the standings to No. 13.
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 south in “The Evergreen State” to Tacoma, Washington, for the PBR Ariat Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, on Saturday, April 22 at 6:45 p.m. PT and Sunday, April 23 at 1:45 p.m. PT at the Tacoma Dome.
PBR Unleash The Beast – PBR Great Northwest Invitational
Angel of the Winds Arena -Everett, Washington
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-89-91-180.00-137 Points.
2. Braidy Randolph, 85.5-0-89-174.50-85 Points.
3. Boudreaux Campbell, 83.5-0-88.5-172.00-69 Points.
4. Lucas Divino, 0-88-0-88.00-39 Points.
5. Tate Pollmeier, 87-0-0-87.00-45 Points.
6. João Ricardo Vieira, 86.25-0-0-86.25-30 Points.
7. Guilherme Valleiras, 0-86-0-86.00-23 Points.
8. Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-85.25-0-85.25-21 Points.
9. Wyatt Rogers, 0-84.75-0-84.75-19 Points.
10. Dakota Louis, 0-82.5-0-82.50-16 Points.
11. Dener Barbosa, 80.5-0-0-80.50-6.83 Points.
(tie). Colten Fritzlan, 0-80.5-0-80.50-13.33 Points.
(tie). Lane Lasley, 80.5-0-0-80.50-14.83 Points.
14. Kyler Oliver, 80-0-0-80.00-13 Points.
15. Ramon de Lima, 78.25-0-0-78.25-4 Points.
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Jose de Brito, 0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Wingson Henrique da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0.00
Flavio Zivieri, 0-0-0-0.00
Nick Tetz, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0.00
Brady Turgeon, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0.00
Aaron Williams, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Briggs Madsen, 0-0-0-0.00
Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0.00
Ednélio Almeida, 0-0-0-0.00
PROVIDED COURTESY OF PBR TO TENN TEXAS MEDIA
