Robson Palermo has a hard time walking without a limp. But the 27-year-old Brazilian can still ride.

Robson Palermo took a sizeable lead at the Jack Daniel’s Invitational after two rounds with a 91-point ride on Priceless and a two-bull total of 178.25 points.

He holds a 5.25-point lead over Ryan McConnel, and a 5.75-point lead over Austin Meier, who were the only other riders out of the Top 40 to cover two bulls Saturday night.

Ranked 23rd in the world standings, Palermo said he had talked to his wife about the upcoming cut and the importance of moving higher in the standings. Her advice was to just focus on riding his bulls and not look at the standings.

Palermo, who is now 5-for-7 in three of four events, may not have to worry about the cut after next week’s event in Portland, Ore., but five of the six riders making their first appearance in a short round this season are facing the prospect.

Jason O'Hearn, Harve Stewart, Justin Koon, Luke Snyder and Reese Cates are all outside the Top 30, while McConnel, 29th, and Josh Koschel, 28th, are right on the cusp. McConnel pushed himself up the standings with a fifth-place score in the opening round, and then finished second in the first short round with an 86.75-point effort on Who Dat.

Of the seven riders who had ridden in four of the six possible short rounds in the first three events, none made tonight’s short round, including world No. 1 Silvano Alves.

All three events so far this season have been won by Brazilians. Palermo will attempt to win the fourth tomorrow afternoon when the Jack Daniel’s Invitational concludes.

The action gets underway at 1 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC. Check local listings for show times in your area.

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright