Team Ariat got off to a slow start in Week 1 of Division B completion, but they warmed to the task, finished the weekend strong and ultimately did enough to finish the weekend with three wins on the board.
Mackay’s Ky Hamilton made an excellent contribution for the Cooper Davis led team, covering three of his six bulls across the weekend.
Here is how it all went down inside the SouthPoint Arena:
PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge – Division B – Week 1
Saturday – Game 21 – Team Ariat v Team Lucas Oil
Qualified rides were hard to come by for most teams on opening day, and Team Ariat was able to come away with the win. Cooper Davis’ single 86.5 score in Round 1 was enough to defeat Team Lucas Oil who managed 83-points through Ryan Dirteater.
Hamilton faced a debut bull from Cottonwood Bucking Bulls called Spotted Pearl in the first round. The bull ran clear of the chutes and then turned to the left and away from his hand. Hamilton stuck with him but go a bit too far behind late in the ride, with the bull reversing direction to finish the job at 7.34-second with a bull score 41.75 points awarded.
In Round 2, Soy El Fuego got his revenge and evened the score up against Hamilton. The bucker from Stockyards Pro Rodeo, Scott Winston and Melton Bull Company put up 44.25 points in the 3.43-second matchup. After Hamilton called for the gate, the bull turned sharply to the left. The 20-year-old was raised up slightly and came down over the front before he overcorrected and came clear out the backside.
Sunday – Game 23 – Team Ariat v Team Cat
Team Ariat moved to 2-0 with a 160.75-79.25 victory over Team Cat. Ky Hamilton put up the highest score of the matchup with Captain Cooper Davis chiming in with a 75.5-point ride. Dakota Louis added the lone score for Team Cat.
In Round 1, Hamilton drew Mason’s Missouri Golden from Dakota Rodeo, Chad Berger, Clay Struve and Heald Pro Bulls. The bull turned back to the left with good speed, and power and Hamilton couldn’t stay with him, down at 2.53-seconds with the bull score coming in at 43-points.
When Hamilton climbed aboard Twinkle Toes from Kruger Bucking Bulls’ in Round 2, Team Ariat was behind by one score, but the Aussie put his team into the lead with a perfect ride. The bull turned back to the right as expected, and Hamilton made light work of him into his hand for 85.25 points.
Saturday – Game 27 – Team Ariat v Team Pendleton Whisky
Both teams entered the matchup with two wins on the board, but it was Team Ariat who emerged with the 266-173.25 victory to extend their record to 3-0. Cooper Davis put together the high marked ride of the weekend with 91-points on Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher, with Ky Hamilton also going 90+ in his Round 2 matchup.
Team Pendleton got off to a quick start, but Hamilton was able to keep his team in the game with a mistake-free 84.25 point ride aboard Holy Water from Paradigm Bull Company. The bull turned back to the right, and Hamilton made no mistakes and countered the late reverse of direction.
Hamilton then added a second score on the board and took his team a full bull into the lead when he was marked 90.75 points aboard Spotted Demon from Julio Moreno and Dallas Schott. The bull turned back to the right as expected and put together a solid out with Hamilton handling every move until the bell. He did get hung up and took a few shots on the get off and looked to be in plenty of pain as he limped from the arena.
Full results can be found here.
We did see Ky Hamilton back on the chutes for concluding rides of the matchup, but If any updates come through on his health during the week, I will post an update via the Ride The Rage Social Media channels.
Check back on Wednesday for this weeks edition of The PBR Rundown.