UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The riders haven’t had an easy time of it since Tulsa, Oklahoma, early in August where they rode 44+ percent of the bulls. Nashville, Thackerville, Springfield, and Austin have largely gone to the bulls, with under 30 percent ridden at each. Thackerville and Springfield were both under 20 percent. 

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Expect the riders to look better here. Every Built Ford Tough Series event in the northeast is lighter on overall bull power than events in Texas or Oklahoma are, and the BFTS riders usually look way stronger when the bulls are a little nicer. The big picture here is that the PBR is set up for the very best riders to ride their way to the top. There are a lot of riders who can win on nice bulls, and events where the bulls are tougher separate the best riders from the very good ones. If you look back at the last five events you can see that two riders have separated themselves from the field – Jess Lockwood and Cooper Davis. They’ve both ridden 58 percent of their bulls over this tough run of events. Eduardo Aparecido was the world leader coming into the second half of the season, and his 53 percent over the same run wasn’t enough to hold on to the lead. Kaique Pacheco, who is currently at the top of the standings won’t be there for long if he doesn’t turn things around quickly. He’s at 32 percent, and if he stays there all three of the other guys will pass him before the World Finals.

Round 1 Matchups:

Dakota Buttar on 242 Dirt Road:

We’ve seen this bull eight times at the BFTS level, and he’s given up five qualified rides. He goes to the left as well, and he’s 2-3 against lefties in his career. This is basically an entry level bull on the BFTS, and most guys who can qualify for a BFTS event should be able to handle him. Buttar is riding at 25 percent over the last five events, but he should turn that around here.

Cooper Davis on 27 Boo Ya:

This bull doesn’t have much experience, but with four outs on his record he’s given up two qualified rides, both to right-handed riders. Davis will be the best rider he has faced by a considerable margin, and the only way Boo Ya wins this match is if Davis just gives it to him. Almost any bull can throw the best rider off if the rider makes a mistake. Davis hasn’t been making mistakes of late.

Guilherme Marchi on 9 Big Rig:

This is another bull who hasn’t faced a lot of BFTS level riders, and his job here is to throw off Marchi while spinning to the right. This is like a really good right-handed high school pitcher trying to strike out David Ortiz.

Jess Lockwood on 114 Blue Magic:

This bull can be a little out of line, but he’s been ridden two times in four outs this season. The biggest issue here is that Lockwood is not 100 percent healthy. This bull doesn’t have perfect timing, and that will complicate the situation. When a bull has perfect timing, a rider’s injuries are not as big a deal, but make that rider have to work and readjust more often and injuries come into play. Blue Magic doesn’t have much of a chance against a healthy Lockwood, but that’s not what he’s facing here.

Kaique Pacheco on 1095 Cowboy Phil:

Pacheco has ridden this bull twice before, most recently in Jacksonville, Florida, earlier this year. Cowboy Phil goes all out to the right, so there is no guessing as to what the next jump will be like. He will still be going to the right. He has a little speed, and he can be hard to keep up with, but Pacheco should be a huge favorite here.

Cody Teel on 212 Locke & Loaded:

Teel rode this bull in Tulsa for 83.25 points, but the bull can be much better than that. Stormy Wing won a round on him in Tacoma, Washington, back in the spring with 88.75 points. Loaded should go to the right, and he’s been pretty good to right-handed riders.

Ramon de Lima on 805 Ace:

This should be one of the easiest to ride bulls in this round. He’s been ridden in seven of thirteen career outs, and he hasn’t faced a lot of top level riders. Lima is a newcomer to the BFTS, but he’s made some waves already. He and Nathan Burtenshaw are two riders to keep an eye on going forward.

Derek Kolbaba on Z7 Loan Shark:

While Davis and Lockwood were both 11-for-19 through the second half of the season, Kolbaba has gone 1-for-17. He should catch a break here. This bull is 0-2 against left-handed riders, and he should offer Kolbaba a chance to get things going in the right direction.

Koal Livingston on 111 Black Rose:

Black Rose made his BFTS debut in Tulsa, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned about him it’s that he’s a pretty good draw at this level. He’s been ridden in his last three outs for anywhere from 86.5 to 89 points. Livingston should get along with him and do well here.