World No. 1 Kaique Pacheco wins Milwaukee and Takes Total Control of World Championship Race

With his fifth win of the season, Pacheco widens lead to 1,500+ points over No. 2 Montanha Jr. with just two events left before the 2018 PBR World Finals

 World No. 1 Kaique Pacheco punctuated the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) first elite tour event in Milwaukee in more than a decade with the fourth 90-point effort of the 25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast’s Ariat Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires to earn his fifth event title of the season. 

Entering the championship round, Pacheco was tied with Dakota Buttar  atop the leaderboard, previously making the 8 on Get Smoked (Phenom/JCL/Swalin/Goods Bucking Bulls) for 86.25 points in Round 1 and Magic Mike (Phenom/JCL/Swalin/Goods Bucking Bulls) for 85.75 points in Round 2.

The final man to erupt from the chutes inside the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, the stakes were high for Pacheco, needing a 90.75-point effort to retake the lead from Buttar. In the draw, he selected a familiar foe, choosing Stunt Man Ray (Broken Arrow Bucking Bulls) who he rode for 88.5 points during Round 5 of the 2017 PBR World Finals.

Seizing the moment, Pacheco recorded his third 90-point ride of the season, conquering the bovine athlete for 91 points.

For his fifth elite tour event win of the season, Pacheco earned 551.66 points along with $37,373.33. Notably, he widened his lead over No. 2 Claudio Montanaha Jr. in the world standings to 1,598.33 points.

Three times this season, all during his second-half surge, Pacheco has been shut out and then proceeded to win the next event. Last weekend in Austin, he went 0-for-2 before rebounding in Milwaukee with a 3-for-3 performance to capture the title. 

Kaique Pacheco

Also going 3-for-3, Buttar recorded several career milestones en route to finishing second in Milwaukee, his eighth Top-10 finish of the season.

Coming in second in Round 1, the 25-year-old continued the momentum Sunday afternoon, riding Black Label (C Check Bucking Bulls) for 84.25 points in Round 2. For the third time this season he began the championship round atop the leaderboard, splitting the standing with Pacheco during the Ariat Invitational.

Drafting Rising Sun (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls), Buttar brought the crowd inside Fiserv Forum to its feet, making the whistle atop the bovine athlete for a career-high 90.5 points. The 90-point effort is both the second of the season and his career for the 25-year-old on the elite tour.

For his efforts, the top-ranked Canadian in the world standings earned 360 world points and a check for $19,373.33.

Buttar also gained ground in the world standings, rising from No. 16 to No. 13, where he now trails No. 1 Pacheco by 3,314.16 points.

Dener Barbosa  was the third-place finisher with his own 3-for-3 effort. Barbosa rode Finish First Equine’s S&C (Richard & Teri Braun/Walgren Bucking Bulls) for 84 points in Round 2 before conquering Budakon (Hale/Braun/Grimes/Walgren) in the championship round. His 86.25 points on the bovine marks just the second time that Budakon has been ridden.

Barbosa earned 211.66 points towards the PBR world standings along with a paycheck of $8,673.33. He is currently No. 12 in the world, 3,005 points back from Pacheco.

Fourth place went to Eduardo Aparecido who also rode all three of his bulls in Milwaukee. Aparecido started the night out by covering Yosemite Sam (Flying V Bucking Bulls) for 82.25 points before making the whistle aboard Lightning Before Thunder (Jenkins Cattle Co./Emerson Cattle) for 87.75 points in the final round of the weekend.

Aparecido picked up 150 world points, solidifying his No. 9 ranking in the world standings. He also earned $7.200.00

Rounding out the Top 5 was Fabiano Vieira  who went 2-for-3 at the Wisconsin event. He rode his championship round bull, The Don (BMC Bucking Bulls/Jenkins Cattle Co.) for 87.5 points en route to his fifth place on Sunday afternoon. Vieira began the weekend No. 11 in the standings, rising to No. 10 after earning 145 world points. He is now 2,850.83 points behind Pacheco. Vieira also took home a paycheck for $6,775.00

The YETI “Built for the Wild” Bulls of the Event were Smooth Operator (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) and Big Black (K-C Bucking Bulls/Joe & Nina Webb), each recording equal 46-point scores during Saturday night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle. The No. 2 bull in the ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) standings Big Black took care of Aparecido in 3.61 seconds, while Smooth Operator handled Ryan Dirteater  in 2.88 seconds. 

As a result of their impressive performances, the World Champion Bull race heated up, with both bovines narrowing the gap over league-leading Sweet Pro’s Bruiser (D&H Cattle Co.) who has a 46.28-point world average. Smooth Operator rose from No. 4 to No. 3 in the race, with his world average increasing from 44.75 to 45.41 points, while Big Black jumped from No. 6 to No. 5 with his average increasing to 44.91 from 44.66 points.    ~PBR Media