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By: Justin Felisko
LOS ANGELES – 2017 PBR Mexico champion Francisco Morales sat inside the auxiliary locker room at Crypto.com Arena and began to take out his gear from his bag just a few feet away from reigning two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme.
Morales is 14 years older than Leme, the consensus leader of Team Brazil for the upcoming PBR Global Cup USA on March 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and towers over him at 5-foot-11 inches.
Leme was only 12 years old when Morales went 4-for-6 for Team Mexico at the inaugural PBR World Cup 15 years ago (2007) in Gold Coast, Australia, to help Mexico finish fourth. To this day, the fourth-place showing remains tied for Mexico’s best finish in any PBR international bull riding team competition.
Morales knows the chances are pretty slim the underdog squad from Mexico will be able to unseat the bull riding global powers such as Team Brazil and Team USA next week at the Global Cup. He also knows he is unlikely to challenge Leme for a PBR World Championship.
Regardless, it is a love for the sport and a passion when he grabs his bull rope that keeps bringing Morales back to the arena year after year. It is the dream of one day finally qualifying for the World Finals that burns deep in his heart.
“Man, I am still loving it,” Morales said. “I don’t know. I just am not happy if I am not riding bulls. I still love this sport. I see guys like Joao (Ricardo Vieira) at 37 and (2002 World Champion) Ednei (Caminhas) and think, ‘Why not me?’
“Yes, of course, making the Finals is my goal. I am excited I have started the year off on the right foot. Thank God nothing hurts. My groins are good. My elbow is good.”
Morales earned his first qualified ride on the premier series in more than three years Tuesday evening at the PBR Pluto TV Invitational when a delayed instant-replay review showed Morales had ridden 4B Special for 82 points.
The Irapuato, Mexico, native is the highest-ranked Mexican bull rider in the PBR world standings. He will head into this weekend’s PBR Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown in Little Rock, Arkansas, ranked No. 39 in the world.
Morales was named to the 2022 Team Mexico squad earlier this month by coach Gerardo Venegas, and his eighth selection to an international bull riding team is a PBR record. Morales has only missed one World Cup/Global Cup in his career (2020).
“I understood the decision (in 2020),” Morales said. “The coach told me I wasn’t good enough to be on the team. It sucked. I had to watch it on TV, but I also understood. I wasn’t upset, but I also wasn’t happy. I am happy to be back this year.”
Team Mexico is a veteran-heavy team this year (average age of 31), with all four riders so far named to the team having previously competed at a PBR Global Cup – Alvaro Alvarez Aguilar, Javier Garcia, Jorge Valdiviezo and Morales. 2019 Canadian Pro Rodeo Association bull riding champion Edgar Durazo was initially named to the team, but he broke his ankle at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
Venegas has yet to publicly announce who will replace Durazo on the team.
Losing Durazo is a blow to Mexico’s already slim chances, but Morales says the team has to believe in themselves regardless of their opponents’ situation.
“You always have to be positive,” Morales said. “I think we can do good. Edgar got hurt, so he is out for the team. So we will see who Gerardo picks, but we will be OK. Man, it is just not the same caliber of bulls (in Mexico) and the same level of competition compared to here. Most of the guys that Gerardo picked this year, though, are riding up here this year.”
Morales also sees the squad’s age and experience as a benefit compared to past years where some riders on the team were riding on the Global Cup stage for the first time.
This year’s unit will not be starstruck or as worried about competing inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
“When you bring a guy from Mexico and they see all the cameras and all their heroes, walking elbow to elbow, it puts a lot of pressure on them,” Morales said. “These guys have been here and know what to expect. It is going to be alright.”
MORALES STILL HAS WORLD FINALS ASPIRATIONS
Morales grew up trick roping, riding horses and climbing aboard bucking bulls in Mexico. His family loved Mexican rodeo, and it was only a matter of time before he competed at his first professional rodeo at around 15 years old. Borrowing a bull rope and riding glove, Morales placed third at his first event, taking home 650 pesos ($32).
The adrenaline rush of his first rodeo sticks with him to this day, and he still believes he can achieve his childhood dream of competing at the PBR World Finals. Morales has competed in the United States for 17 years, but he has never once qualified for, or competed as an alternate at, the PBR World Finals.
He may be able to change that this year.
While he is 10.5 points outside of the Top 35 heading into Little Rock, Morales is also ranked No. 5 in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour standings courtesy of his victory on Feb. 5 in Lexington, Kentucky. Therefore, he will likely qualify for the Velocity Tour Finals on May 6-7 in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he will attempt to punch his ticket to the first World Finals being held in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 13-22 at Dickies Arena.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media
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