After two rounds of Ride For Redemption competition at Fort Worth’s Cowtown Coliseum, the final roster of riders is set for this weekend’s PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship.
Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas) went a perfect 2-for-2 to win Ride For Redemption and advance to the May 18-19 Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Bob Mitchell (Steelville, Missouri), Mauricio Moriera (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil), JaCauy Hale (Ganado, Arizona) and Shane Scott (Molalla, Oregon) rounded out the top five to punch their tickets to Arlington.
Keeping, Mitchell, Moreira, Hale and Scott will join the 20 riders who advanced via Eliminations held last weekend at Cowtown Coliseum.
In the Championship competition, each rider will attempt two bulls nightly. When the dust settles, the rider with the most Unleash The Beast points will be crowned the 2024 PBR World Champion, earning the coveted gold buckle and $1 million bonus.
Keeping, known to ride best under pressure – he turned in the title-winning ride for the 2023 PBR Teams Champion Texas Rattlers – got off to a hot start in Round 1, handling Grey Fox (Universal Pro Rodeo/Rachel & Dustin Powell/Delmas/Williams) for 83.5 points. The score placed Keeping fifth on the event leaderboard.
In Round 2, as Keeping took to the chutes, he was in a must-ride position since his score left him outside the Top 5. Nodding with confidence on Mr. Right Now (Silent 7/Hilton Bull Co.), Keeping remained in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete, reaching the requisite 8 as the crowd erupted in cheers.
After the ride was reviewed, Keeping was confirmed to have made the whistle and awarded a crucial 88.5 points to cement the Ride For Redemption win and advance to the Championship.
As the only other rider to go a perfect 2-for-2, Mitchell finished second.
After covering Bubba G (Dakota Rodeo/Brian & Ashley Pintar/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) for 81.25 points on Wednesday night, Mitchell made a business decision that proved wise in Round 2, declining a re-ride after he was earned 73.5 points on Full Throttle (Classic Jack Cattle/Viducic Bucking Bulls).
Moreira, Hale and Scott all delivered Ride For Redemption-best 89-point rides in Round 2 to earn their berths to the Championship.
Moreira lit up the scoreboard on Chupacabra (Blake Sharp/UB Bucking Company), while Hale conquered Lapua (Blake Sharp/Floyd/Wilson/High Voltage) and Scott topped Trump Train (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger).
The 2024 PBR World Finals will conclude with the Championship on Saturday (May 18) at 7:45 p.m. and Sunday (May 19) at 1:45 p.m. There will be two rounds of competition nightly. Following those four rounds, PBR will crown the World Champion, World Finals event winner, Rookie of the Year and more.
Single-day tickets for the PBR World Finals – Championship are still available. They can be purchased online at ATTStadium.com, SeatGeek.com and PBR.com/WorldFinals, or by phone at 1-800-732-1727.
Before the PBR World Finals – Championship begins on May 18, fans can attend Cole Hauser’s Ultimate Tailgate Party at AT&T Stadium’s East Plaza. The Tailgate Party will include the fan-favorite Rider Arrival Show, hosted by Flint Rasmussen and Matt West, featuring all 25 competing riders, along with live music performances.
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.
Information for this article was provided by PBR.
