Sage Steele Kimzey Lights Up Cowtown with 92.60-Point Ride at PBR World Finals
FORT WORTH, Texas — Hang on to your hats, bull riding fans. Sage Steele Kimzey has come charging out of the chutes at the 2026 PBR World Finals like a cowboy who can see the gold buckle shining at the end of the arena.
The No. 3-ranked rider from Strong City, Okla., won his second straight round Friday night at Cowtown Coliseum, posting a career-best 92.60 points aboard Lights Out in Round 2 of the PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
For Thunder Bay and Canadian rodeo fans following the international bull riding trail, the world title race has tightened in a hurry. Kimzey now trails No. 1 John Crimber by 179.50 points, with No. 2 Brady Fielder only 10 points ahead of him.
Kimzey Goes Big Again in Fort Worth
Kimzey opened the World Finals with a 90.50-point win on Short Fire. One night later, he turned up the heat again, matching Lights Out jump for jump and putting the judges to work with a 92.60-point score.
The ride marked Kimzey’s tour-best seventh round win of the season and delivered another 59 Unleash The Beast points.
“What an awesome bull. I’ve bragged on him all year long and Blake Sharp’s got an awesome one in him. He’s just a bull rider’s dream and anytime you can get on him is a special day,” Kimzey said on the Paramount+ telecast.
“At the end of the day, I don’t know how many PBR World Finals I have left in me, so to be able to come in here and kick it off with two round wins, it’s all good, man.”
That pairing of Kimzey and Lights Out has become must-watch bull riding. Friday’s ride was the fourth straight 90-point trip the duo has produced.
World Title Race Gets Tighter
Kimzey is now sitting on 805 points in the season standings, just 10 behind Fielder and 179.50 behind Crimber.
That matters because Crimber, Fielder and No. 4 Leandro Zampollo have all bucked off in both opening rounds in Fort Worth. Kimzey has made them pay for every miss.
No. 5 Paulo Eduardo Rossetto is the only other top-five rider to post a qualified ride through the first two rounds.
In rodeo terms, the gate is open and Kimzey is not just riding — he is gaining ground with both spurs swinging.
Luciano De Castro Keeps His Streak Alive
Luciano De Castro of Guzolandia, Brazil, kept his own hot hand rolling, extending his 2026 premier series-best streak to 11 straight qualified rides.
De Castro covered Bex Red Eye for 89.25 points and moved into second place in the event aggregate with 177.70 points through two rounds.
Keyshawn Whitehorse of McCracken Spring, Utah, stayed perfect in Fort Worth as well, riding Richard Slam for 90.20 points. Whitehorse now sits third in the event aggregate with 177.15 points and collected 27 Unleash The Beast points for his Round 2 effort.
Bolton and Barbosa Stay in the Hunt
Hudson Bolton of Milan, Tenn., continued to ride like a young gun who is not blinking under the bright lights. The 20-year-old covered Eyes On Me for 86.40 points after opening the finals with an 89.65-point ride on Blonde Bomber.
Bolton has now ridden 10 of his last 11 bulls and stands fourth in the event aggregate with 176.05 points.
Dener Barbosa of Paulo de Faria, Brazil, doubled down inside Cowtown Coliseum. After scoring 87.70 points in Round 1, he matched that number in Round 2 aboard Splash Tide. Barbosa climbed to fifth in the event aggregate with 175.40 points.
The Bulls Are Winning Plenty, Too
Make no mistake, this has not been an easy pen. The bulls ruled much of Round 2, allowing only nine qualified rides on the night. Through two rounds, riders have converted just 17 times.
Seven of the top 10 bulls chasing the YETI World Champion Bull title were in action Friday.
Ransom delivered the top bull score of the World Finals so far, marked 47.15 points after sending 2024 PBR world champion Cassio Dias to the dirt in 6.70 seconds.
Pegasus answered later in the night, reclaiming the top spot in the bull race with a 46.80-point score after bucking off 2022 PBR world champion Daylon Swearingen in 3.67 seconds.
The round featured seven bull scores above 45 points.
Magic Potion Extends Historic Buckoff Streak
Magic Potion added another chapter to a record that keeps getting more impressive.
The bull dispatched Andy Guzman in just 1.84 seconds, extending his PBR-record streak to 60 consecutive buckoffs. Magic Potion is now 65-0 all-time.
That is the kind of record that makes every rider nod, take a breath and double-check the rope before the chute opens.
Event Leaders After Round 2
Kimzey leads the event aggregate with 183.10 points and 118 event points.
De Castro sits second with 177.70 points, followed by Whitehorse at 177.15, Bolton at 176.05 and Barbosa at 175.40.
Julio Cesar Marques posted a major Round 2 ride with 91.10 points, while Claudio Montanha Jr. scored 90.90, Thiago Salgado earned 90.60 and Callum Miller remains in the top 10 after his 90.25-point ride in Round 1.
Cowtown Coliseum – Fort Worth, Texas
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
1. John Crimber, 19, 2, 7, 984.50, $209,990.00
What Comes Next
The 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast continues Saturday, May 9, at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. Round 3 is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CT, with coverage beginning on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. CT.
All eight days of World Finals competition are available on Paramount+.
For now, the story is simple: Crimber still owns the lead, Fielder is still in the fight and Kimzey is closing fast. Two rounds are in the books, and the cowboy from Oklahoma has turned the World Finals into a full-throttle buckle chase.
