In Greensboro, Matt Triplett wins first PBR event of the season

World No. 1 Kaique Pacheco finishes third and continues to outpace the competition

In only his sixth PBR (Professional Bull Riders) premier series event of the season, seven-year veteran Matt Triplett earned his first win of the year at the 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast, Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride at Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

Triplett was second on the weekend going into the championship round and with a score 85.75 points became just the second man to go 3-for-3 during the two-day event.

Triplett began the night by riding Dang It (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Fogle) for 86.5 points before conquering Hart Breaker (Davis Rodeo Inc.) in the championship round.

The victory helped the Montana cowboy surge from No. 23 in the PBR world standings to No. 15. He earned 555 world points along with $37,200. Thanks to the tremendous effort in North Carolina he is now 3,766 points away from world No. 1 Kaique Pacheco despite not competing most of the year after shoulder surgery.

“It feels so good to be back,” Triplett said. “I feel really good and I’m happy to be back riding. I want to thank everyone for sticking by me while I was out, and I appreciate all the support from the fans and my family.”

Round 1 winner, young gun Cannon Cravens, finished in second place in his premier series debut. The 18-year-old went into the championship round as the leader in the event after covering Rebel Call (Torres Brothers Bucking Bulls) for 87.5 points.

Cravens was unable to seal the deal after bucking off Udder Lover (D&H Cattle Co./Bob & Jeri Adams) in 4.26 seconds in the final round.

With 380 world points earned, he made a huge jump in the world standings, going from No. 51 to No. 37. Cravens also earned a big payday in his first-ever UTB event, taking home $19,660.

The top bull rider in the world, Pacheco finished in third place earning 340 points towards the world standings. He continues to outpace the competition and is now 1,933 points ahead of No. 2 Claudio Montanha Jr. 

Pacheco went 3-for-3 in the two days, making the whistle aboard Corn Star (Owens/Wyatt/Smith) in Round 2 for 84.25 points before covering Jack Shot (D&H Cattle Co./David Huffman) in the championship round for 87.5 points. 

Matt Triplett 

Pacheco and Jack Shot have met a total of 12 times in their careers with the two athletes splitting the series at six apiece.

Fellow Brazilian Ramon de Lima  took fourth place, earning 165 world points along with $9,185.

Lima bucked off In For Life (Hart Cattle Company) in Round 2 before going 8 on Jaywalker (Torres Brothers Bucking Bulls) in the championship round for 86.75 points.

Lima is fifth in the world standings and is a little over 2,300 points behind Pacheco.

In his best finish since winning in Nashville in August, Cody Teel finished in fifth place, earning 87.50 points towards the world standings along with $4,265.

Teel rode Calm Intentions (Torres Brothers Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 for 82.5 points but could not capitalize in the championship round aboard Short Pop (D&H Cattle Co./Shaw Enterprises).

The YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event was Udder Lover with a 45.5-point score after dispatching Cravens in the championship round on Sunday. It’s the first Bull of the Event award for the bovine this season.

The top bull riders in the world return to action for the last regular-season event next weekend in Nampa, Idaho, at the Dewalt Guaranteed Tough Invitational presented by Cooper Tires. The two-day event begins on Oct. 20 at 6:45 p.m. MT and concludes on Oct. 21 at 1:45 p.m. MT.

In other PBR action this weekend, Rubens Barbosa won his first PBR Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour (RVT) event of the 2018 season Saturday night at the Rapid City Rumble inside Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in South Dakota.

Barbosa covered Shishkabob (Bob Whisnant/Good Ol’ Boys) for 86 points in Round 1. In the championship round, he recorded the highest score of the night with an 89-point ride aboard Red Dawn (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls). The win earned him 120 world points and a $6,500 paycheck.

With the win, the seasoned Brazilian bull rider has also earned an invite to Nampa next weekend.

                                                                                                                                     ~ PBR Media