Austin Gamblers’ two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme extends lead atop 2023 World Championship race with ninth-place effort in opening round of the PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational
By Kacie Albert
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – As a boisterous Friday night crowd in Little Rock, Arkansas, watched on, the Oklahoma Freedom’s Tate Pollmeier (Ft. Scott, Kansas) reached a crucial career milestone, recording his first 90-point ride on the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast to win Round 1 of the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational inside Simmons Bank Arena.
As the second rider to burst from the chutes, Pollmeier brought the electric Natural State crowd to its feet when he conquered Huckleberry (Buckin Fun Group/Twisted Horn Ranch) for a monstrous 91.25 points.
The golden marks garnered Pollmeier 29 Unleash The Beast points, elevating him two positions in the race for the season’s gold buckle, from No. 23 to No. 21.
Austin Gamblers sensation and two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) extended his lead atop the Unleash The Beast standings as he chases his record-tying third world title courtesy of a Top-10 finish in the opening round.
Leme covered Ain’t No Joke (Harrison Cattle Co.) for 80.5 points to conclude the opening night of action ninth, netting 3 Unleash The Beast points. He now leads No. 2 Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas), who bucked off John 14:6 (Jenkins Cattle Co./CIL Cattle) in a swift 1.1 seconds, by 105.5 points.
Returning to the top of the event leaderboard, Luciano de Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) was second in Round 1, collecting 18 Unleash The Beast points.
Castro made the whistle atop Sonny B (Less Than 8 Cattle Co.) for 88 points.
Seeking his first World Championship at season’s end, the reserved Brazilian remained No. 9 in the Unleash The Beast standings.
Two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) parlayed an 87.5-point score aboard Pearl Snap(BlueRidge Bucking Bulls) into a third-place finish and 17 Unleash The Beast points.
Lockwood gained three positions in the standings, climbing from No. 27 to No. 24.
Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) will begin Championship Saturday of the PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational fourth compliments of his 87-point ride on Joker’s Alibi (Harrison Cattle Co.), which garnered him 16 Unleash The Beast points.
The Texas Rattlers staple remained No. 22 in the title race.
Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil), Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) and Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Rinopolis, Brazil) tied for fifth, each netting 14 Unleash The Beast points for their 85.5-point rides.
Pacheco dominated Whiplash (Blake Sharp/Floyd Lowry/CB & Traci Lee), while Kasel topped Old School Cool (Tom Baker Bucking Bulls) and Pereira outlasted Diamond in the Ruff (H Bar E/Squirrel Creek/Robison).
The evening also included the American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) Classic Round featuring the top 3- and 4-year-old up-and-coming bulls. An ABBI Classic competition is the next step in a young bovine’s competitive career that involves bucking with a rider.
Fastfire (Glover / D&H Cattle) posted a 94-point score while bucking off Arkansas’ own Chase Outlaw (Hamburg, Arkansas) to win his first Classic event title and a check for $10,759. Top-ranked Flapjack (Parker/OK Corralis/Gordon/D&H Cattle) finished second via his 92-point effort. Top Dollar (Peggy Vancleave/DeHoff Family/Hookin W), DirtyBru (OK Corallis/Gordon/D&H Cattle) and Flyin Wired (Julian/BS Cattle Co.) rounded out the Top 5 in the Classic competition.
Action for the PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational will conclude with Round 2 and the championship round on Saturday, March 4. Action gets underway at 6:45 p.m. CST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational
Simmons Bank Arena – Little Rock, Arkansas
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
- Tate Pollmeier, 91.25-0-0-91.25-29 Points.
- Luciano De Castro, 88-0-0-88.00-18 Points.
- Jess Lockwood, 87.5-0-0-87.50-17 Points.
- João Ricardo Vieira, 87-0-0-87.00-16 Points.
- Kaique Pacheco, 85.5-0-0-85.50-14 Points.
(tie). Dalton Kasel, 85.5-0-0-85.50-14 Points.
(tie). Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 85.5-0-0-85.50-14 Points.
- Dener Barbosa, 85.25-0-0-85.25-12 Points.
- Jose Vitor Leme, 80.5-0-0-80.50-3 Points.
- Elizmar Jeremias, 72.5-0-0-72.50-2 Points.
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00
Wingson Henrique da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Casey Roberts, 0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0.00
Braidy Randolph, 0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyler Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00
Sandro Batista, 0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Aaron Williams, 0-0-0-0.00
Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Jesus, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Moody, 0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Lyons, 0-0-0-0.00
