The Morning Line: PBR Global Cup - Day 3

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Team Brazil was the clear favorite coming in here, but Team Canada used their home field advantage last night to grab the lead after day one. Team USA is slightly ahead of Brazil as well, and Team Australia isn’t out of it yet after a solid performance yesterday. The team competition here is far from decided, and each team needs every score they can get to finish this out.

Day 2 Matchups

 

Cody Nance on 173 Mental Revenge:

Nance fought through the most miserable bull out in last night’s action and came down right at the whistle. He should have an easier time tonight and pick up a score for Team USA. He’s ridden Mental Revenge twice before in three attempts.

Nathan Burtenshaw on 819 Minion Stuart:

Although Team Australia is in fourth place here, they exceeded expectations last night and put four scores on the board. They are poised to do at least as well today if not better, as they have their riders in several favorable matchups. Minion Stuart is a quality bull, but he’s also very rideable, and Burtenshaw is more than capable of handling him. 

Jose Vitor Leme on 157 Legacy:

Leme has been getting on progressively tougher bulls since he arrived in the States, until they finally let him take a step back today. He should have a relatively easy time with this bull. Legacy has much less power than the bulls he faced last night. 

Lachlan Richardson on 02 Beaver Creek Beau:

Richardson is an extreme longshot to ride this bull, as are most riders. Beau is one of the most difficult bulls here. However, he is vulnerable to right handed riders, and Richardson has looked nothing short of perfect here so far. He’s spent only a couple of days with Coach Adriano Moraes, but the fruits of that could easily be seen last night.

Moraes is a standout coach in this competition because he views the sport in a different light than most riders of this era. In his riding days, Moraes viewed every bull as beneath him. Even when they weren’t, he wasn’t swayed. He laughed at the idea that any bull could throw him off. Where riders today may feel apprehensive about their chances against some bulls, in Moraes’ time stock contractors openly feared him. His outlook amounts to mastery of the mental game of bull riding, and every rider who even has a conversation with him will come out a better rider mentally. He is exactly the mentor that Lachlan Richardson has always needed.

RELATED: Click here for the full Day 3 daysheet 

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 267 Dusty’s Revenge:

Vieira has been on this bull twice this year and rode him once. The top bulls in the PBR tend to be better at the end of eight seconds than they were at the beginning. Look for this bull to be the opposite. He will show everything he has early, and if it doesn’t work he will even out and be easy to ride. If Vieira makes 3-4 seconds here he should go all the way. 

Cody Teel on 30 Springer Mountain:

Coach McBride must feel that Teel is the go to guy for bulls that have a lot of up and down and aren’t pretty little spinners. That’s not a bad strategy. Teel faced Beaver Creek Beau last night, and while Springer Mountain is much easier to ride, he does have a similar style. Look for Teel to get the job done here. 

Cooper Davis on 00 Set ‘Em Up Joe:

This bull gives a lot of guys trouble, but Davis is two for two on him. That makes this matchup an easy choice for McBride. While Davis has handled this bull well before, this is by no means a day off for him. Set ‘em Up Joe is never easy. 

Stormy Wing on 32 Night Vision:

Wing carried the load for Team USA last night, and he will almost get a day of rest here. Night Vision is one of the easiest bulls in the round. He should spin to the left, and Wing can probably ride him in his sleep.

Rubens Barbosa on 104 Tequila Sunrise:

Team Mexico’s Alfonso Orozco rode this bull for an eternity last night, but it turned out to be only 6.83 seconds. That is to say – the bull was extremely fast. He does have great timing, and he’s been pretty vulnerable to right-handed riders. Barbosa is two for two on him, and will probably make it three in a row here.

Tanner Byrne on 19 Herf:

Byrne has faced this bull twice and ridden him once, but this should be an automatic win for Byrne. Herf is almost tailor made for him. This bull will typically spin to the right with great timing, and he can have some up and down movement at times. It’s better for Byrne if the bull bucks more rather than staying close to the ground and trying to out spin the rider.

Cliff Richardson on 311X Blue Gangster:

Richardson looked sharp last night on a bull that threw a few curves at him. Blue Gangster should quickly settle into a well-timed right-hand spin and be a little more predictable. This bull is 0-2 against righties, and Richardson has a great chance to pick up another score for Team Australia here.