Barbosa wins second career PBR event with perfect performance in Chicago

• Veteran Brazilian Rubens Barbosa (Iacaira, Brazil) ran the table on his way to victory in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Chicago Invitational Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena.
  

Barbosa turned in a 90.25-point ride on Cooper Tires Brown Sugar (Dakota Rodeo-Berber/Struve) to win the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and cap a perfect 4-for-4 performance. It was the first time Barbosa has covered all his bulls at a Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event as it was his first BFTS event win since 2015 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Barbosa leaves Chicago the second ranked bull rider in the PBR World Standings after earning a total of 745 world points Sunday along with a $40,330 paycheck.

19-year-old phenom Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) continued to pick up points after finishing fifth in Chicago. Lockwood went 3-for-4 in the Windy City and capped his weekend by gritting through an 81.25-point ride on Modified Clyde (Dakota Rodeo-Berger/Struve) in the championship round. Lockwood earned 115 points toward the world standings and leads Barbosa by 205 points.

Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) finished in second place after his own 4-for-4 performance in Chicago. Pacheco rode Jailhouse Jr. (Rocking I Rodeo Co.) for 86.75 points to finish third in championship round, he rode Tractor Tippin (Rocking I Rodeo Co.) for 85.75 points in Round 3 earlier in the afternoon.

Pacheco earned 380 total world points and $18, 990 over the weekend and moves to fourth in the world standings.

Brady Sims (Holt, Missouri) made the most of his trip to Chicago this weekend by finishing third in the event. Sims, who competed as an alternate this weekend, went 3-for-4 including an 85.75-point ride on Ante Up (K-C Bucking Bulls) in Round 3. Sims went on to be bucked off by Naughty List (Jenkins Cattle Co.) in 4.94 seconds in the championship round.

Sims earned 275 points toward the world standings along with $11, 875 for the effort and leaves Illinois the ninth ranked bull rider in the world.

Guilherme Marchi (Itupeva, Brazil) finished fourth in Chicago after going 3-for-4 on the weekend. Marchi covered Wicked Stick (Dakota Rodeo-Berger/Struve) for 83.25 points and was the first to ride the 2016 ABBI Classic Champion in the BFTS since 2015. By adding three more rides to his career total, Marchi now has 585 qualified rides and ranks #1 all-time in the PBR.

Marchi earned 125 points toward the world standings for the performance as well as $6,600.

Bad Beagle (Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team) earned high-marked bull honors after a 44.5-point performance during his 4.01 second buckoff of Stetson Lawrence (Williston, North Dakota) in the championship round.

Following a strong start to the 2017 BFTS season at Madison Square Garden in New York City last weekend, the Chicago Invitational set a local attendance record with more than 20,000 fans coming to see America’s original extreme sport at Allstate Arena this weekend.

The BFTS now moves on to the Sooner State where the Top 35 bull riders in the world will put it all on the line in Oklahoma City for the Express Employment Professionals Invitational Jan. 21-22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. ~ PBR