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This time, the Austin Gamblers want to back up their No. 1 seed with a PBR championship

alex lowe
·4 min read

For the Austin Gamblers, the entire Professional Bull Riding season has been about settling “unfinished business.”

Having just completed a dominating season tour and with a regular-season championship and a No. 1 seed in their back pockets, the Gamblers have set off for Las Vegas in advance of the PBR Team Series Championship this weekend. With the top seed for a second straight season, the Gamblers secured a bye in the first round and will start play Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center.

The regular season has been a fairy tale story for the Gamblers filled with team records, individual accomplishments for their riders and a 19-9 record that was good enough to edge out the second-place Kansas City Outlaws (18-10) for the regular-season crown.

It is a familiar story for the Gamblers. This time they hope to rewrite the script to include a happy ending in Vegas.

The Austin Gamblers' Dalton Kasel rides Pete's Dejavu during the Gambler Days competition in late August at Moody Center. Kasel's final stretch was hampered by an injury, but he should be good to ride in this weekend's PBR championships in Las Vegas. Austin is the No. 1 seed for the second straight year.
The Austin Gamblers' Dalton Kasel rides Pete's Dejavu during the Gambler Days competition in late August at Moody Center. Kasel's final stretch was hampered by an injury, but he should be good to ride in this weekend's PBR championships in Las Vegas. Austin is the No. 1 seed for the second straight year.

Last year’s regular-season championship did not translate into a championship in Vegas. Injuries and an off night led to a first-round exit for the heavily favored Gamblers, leaving the door open for an improbable Cinderella run to the title by the Nashville Stampede.

“Last year was a completely new experience for everyone. We didn’t really know what to expect,” Gamblers CEO J.J. Gottsch said. “Despite the success we’ve had this year, our riders know that doesn’t mean anything in the postseason. Every team in the tournament has a chance to win — and the bulls certainly don’t care that we were regular-season champions.”

This year, the team’s 19 wins surpassed the PBR season-best total of 16 set by the Gamblers a year ago. The team won four events, bettering the previous mark of three event wins in a season. The Gamblers amassed $1,632,749 in total winnings for the season, eclipsing their previous best of $1,015,166 last season.

Individually, PBR legend Jose Vitor Leme powered his way down the stretch to claim a second straight league MVP title. Leme set new standards for individual points in a season with 1,765.25, bettering his 2022 mark of 1,683.25. Leme set a mark for qualified rides in a season with 19, topping the 18 he had last year. Leme also raised the bar by recording five 90-point rides in a season, eclipsing his previous PRB record of four.

Leme collected the MVP check for $100,000 Thursday at the PBR Team Series Championship luncheon. That was in addition to the $166,819 he has made in PBR Teams prize money this year, not including any compensation from the team or sponsors. Leme has now earned more than $6 million in his seven-year career.

Despite all the accolades and individual glory, Gamblers riders and coaches know it won’t feel complete unless they come out of Vegas with a championship. The Gamblers hope to avoid the injury bug that affected their chances in Vegas a year ago.

“Overall, the team is healthy — or as healthy as a bull riding team can be at this stage of the season,” Gamblers head coach Michael Gaffney said. “We have been fortunate, unlike many other teams, regarding injuries. When dealing with the brutality of this sport, health is a luxury.”

This is good news for the Gamblers as their breakout second rider Dalton Kasel had been slowed down the stretch by an injury. Kasel was in the hunt for league MVP until injuries kept him out of the chute. For much of the schedule, Kasel gave the Gamblers a power, point-producing leadoff rider.

“Jose is obviously our team captain and the MVP, but the emergence of Dalton Kasel as a team leader was a game changer,” Gottsch said. “Dalton has always been a great rider, but having him buy into the team system and be there to help support Jose has been huge. The media has dubbed them our 'Pocket Aces,' and they’ve been that all year — on the dirt and off.”

The championships will get underway Friday, with the Gamblers slated to ride Saturday. All three days of competition will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports network.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Gamblers pro bull riding team carries No. 1 seed for title hunt