Night One of PBR's Cowboy Days Full of Walk-Offs and High-Point Rides

The first night of PBR's Cowboy Days did not disappoint after multiple 90-point rides and walk-off wins occurred.

Isabelle Brown | Sep 23, 2023

Night One of PBR's Cowboy Days Full of Walk-Offs and High-Point Rides /

The first night of PBR's Cowboy Days Team Series in Greensboro, North Carolina was charged with passion, grit, and overflowing with adrenaline.

The Oklahoma Freedom and Kansas City Outlaws got things started Friday night with the first game.

Kansas City's first rider set the tone for the rest while also getting the fans engaged in the action early. Kyler Oliver took the lead and busted out of the gates on Buster obtaining an 87-point ride.

Koltin Hevalow followed up on Cactus Jack pulling out an 86-point ride.

Finally, Cassio Dias on Out of Control solidified the win for the Outlaws witth an 88.25 ride. That ride also moved Dias into third place for the PBR Team Series MVP award.

While Oklahoma Freedom didn't earn the outcome they were hoping for against the Outlaws, newly acquired Dawson Gleaves made his first qualified ride as a part of Oklahoma Freedom. Gleaves made his first outing on Grande Patron earning 69.75 points. While it wasn't t the smoothest ride, Gleaves was successful on getting his team on the board.

With each ride, the young, eye-catching Caden Bunch is proving to be the next big star. Bunch ended the night for Oklahoma with his first PBR Teams career 90-point ride on Hoka Hey with a score of 90.50. Bunch went 3-for-3 last weekend at Thunder Days. All eyes on if he can continue his streak through Cowboy Days.

Still sitting in first place, Austin Gamblers had a rough first night out on the dirt. Despite the slow start, it did not stop Rafael Dos Santos from getting his first PBR Teams season ride on Wicked Ways for 87.25 points.

Opponents Missouri Thunder weren't far behind with the bad luck. With just one qualified ride, Missouri's Felipe Furlan broke his 14-out buck-off streak while taking on Sugar Smack scoring a soaring 88.75 points.

With the game on the line between the Thunder and Gamblers, it came down to one man - Jose Victor Leme. The Gambler got his rematch with Pelican Punch and pulled off an incredible walk-off win, his sixth, with an 87.50 ride.

The Texas Rattlers brought the patented Texas heat to North Carolina on Friday. The Brady Bunch shined in the Rattlers' incredible 342.5 team performance.

Brady Olsen got things started with an 87 point ride to set the tone. The other part of the Brady Bunch, Brady Randolph, stopped at nothing to pull off another qualified ride for the Rattlers. Randolph rode Red Rocket for a total of 77.75 points.

However, the storyline for Texas heading into the evening was the newly acquired Eli Vastbinder. While the veteran didn't have the ride he was hoping for, he was allowed a re-ride which set-up Trace Redd for a memorable evening.

At just 18 years old, Redd took on the bull Hunter for a monstrous 91-point ride. Not only was this Redd's first 90-point career ride, but he is now just one of three riders to ever qualify on Hunter.

Much like Vastbinder, Nashville Stampedes' newest rider Chase Outlaw drew plenty of attention. Outlaw was given the honor of the first ride of the game for the Stampedes and did not disappoint. The 31-year-old earned his first qualified ride for Nashville on Dang Thang for a total of 85 points. But it wouldn't be enough as Outlaw's ride would be the only point for the Stampede on the evening.

Wrapping up the first night of Cowboy Days was Arizona Ridge Riders and the hometown Carolina Cowboys.

Luciano De Castro on Roc Solid put Arizona on the board early by scoring a hefty 87.75. Keyshawn Whitehorse followed up with some magic of his own on Magic Carpet riding for a total score of 86 points.

However, the Carolina Cowboys weren't going to let their opponents take the win on home dirt.

All-around favorite Sage Kimzey is back and better than ever making money moves on Mike's Motive for a behemoth of a score of 91 points.

Perhaps even more exciting was Cooper Davis on Black as Coal as he earned his first career walk-off ride, in front of the home crowd no less, for a bulky score of 87.25 points putting them just 4.5 points ahead for the win.

It was a wild first night at Cowboy Days filled with incredible rides, walk-offs and drama.

Final Scores of Friday Night

Kansas City Outlaws (261.25) vs. Oklahoma Freedom (160.25)
Missouri Thunder (88.75) vs. Austin Gamblers (174.75)
Texas Rattlers (342.50) vs. Nashville Stampede (85.00)
Arizona Ridge Riders (173.75) vs. Carolina Cowboys (178.25)

Published Sep 23, 2023

ISABELLE BROWN

Isabelle is from a small town in southern Illinois where she grew to love her family, friends, and small-town community. Growing up in a small town, she learned and started her background in agriculture and knowledge of equine and barrel racing. Isabelle spent many years riding and training with her uncle, this allowed her to work with many young futurity prospects. Barrel racing brought her some of her closest friends and her to some of the best opportunities she has been presented in her life. She was a part of 4-H from the time she was in the 3rd grade till her graduating year of high school which allowed her to broaden her knowledge outside of equine. After graduating high school in 2019 Isabelle moved to Murray, Kentucky where she continued her education at Murray State University. Although she wasn’t a participant on the rodeo team she traveled with the team to most of their events. She also continued to individually compete in barrel racing until 2022. At the start of 2022, she decided to take a break from school to travel and to find what her passion was. She found herself in north Texas. This led her to the opportunity to start and grow with Sports Illustrated Rodeo Daily. She plans to use this opportunity to spread her knowledge and love for the animals and the sport(s) they allow us to engage in. Instagram: izzyb_brown01