Rattler Roundup Week 3
Rattler Roundup - Sunrise, FL
Three weeks into the regular season, your Ariat Texas Rattlers are still working on finding our groove. Things are still looking good for the reigning world champs, though, with a recently-announced blockbuster trade welcoming a new teammate to Texas, and some seriously solid matchups coming in hot on the Teams Series docket. Here’s What Went Down over the weekend, as well as What’s New and What’s Next across Rattler Nation:
What Went Down
Freedom Days Recap
After suffering consecutive losses to the Austin Gamblers and Kansas City Outlaws in Sunshine this past weekend, the Rattlers have fallen to ninth in the overall standings with a record of 2-5. We didn’t walk away from Freedom Days entirely empty-handed, though, with a handful of qualified rides from Marcelo Procopio Pereira, Daniel Keeping, Brady Fielder, and João Ricardo Vieira adding a cool 4K to the Chevron $800 for 8 tally.
Texas Cup Rivalry: Gamblers Take Game One
The first battle for the 2024 Texas Cup played out on Saturday night, marking the first matchup between the Texas Rattlers and Austin Gamblers since the 2023 Teams Championship. This time the Gamblers came out on top, with three qualified rides to the Rattlers’ two. Brady Fielder took to the back of the chutes to help João Ricardo Viera get set for his top-of-the-game matchup against Hoka Hey, who had not been ridden since Fielder’s own 89.75-point-ride at the Unleash the Beast Finals this past spring. JRV put up an impressive effort alongside Hoka Hey, staying on for the full eight seconds, but failed to clinch a score due to a disqualifying slap at the top of the clock. Early departures from Ezekiel Mitchell (Spooky) and Brady Oleson (Mr. Wilson) made Kaique Pacheco’s 88.75-point-ride aboard Big Chili the first qualified ride of the game. Things started to heat up after this big score, and the two Texas teams traded equally competitive punches for the rest of the night. Marcelo Procopio Pereira’s energetic 86.5-point-ride aboard Cutting Edges Bandit brought the Rattlers within striking distance of the Gamblers’ lead, where they remained until a score from Ramon de Lima (Black Diamond) bested Brady Fielder’s fall from Cold Creek and pushed Daniel Keeping in a must-ride position at the close of the game. Keeping his cool in spite of the tension, Daniel put up a lively 88.5-point-effort aboard Mighty Mike to pull the Rattlers ahead to a brief lead, but it was unfortunately not enough to outweigh Jose Vitor Leme’s qualified ride aboard Cooter Brown. The Gamblers closed the game with a one-score-advantage over the Rattlers.
The Gamblers may have won this one, but we say chances are their luck won’t last. The next Texas Cup matchup will take place on the Gamblers’ home dirt on August 23rd – leaving plenty of time for the Rattlers to practice up and set our sights on leveling the score in this epic rivalry.
What’s New
Trade Me to Texas: Welcome, Mason Taylor!
Following a blockbuster trade between the Texas Rattlers and Nashville Stampede, the Rattlers are bidding a bittersweet goodbye to Cody Jesus, while extending a warm welcome to Mason Taylor. As most of Rattler Nation knows, Cody Jesus has been a Texas Rattler since day one. It’s hard to watch him go, but we know he will do great things with the Stampede. We are grateful for his years with us and we look forward to seeing him again soon.
Very soon, in fact, considering we’re slated to take on Nashville this Saturday night in New York. Mason Taylor’s impressive performance record with the Stampede is sure to add an extra layer of friendly competition to that matchup. Plus, it’s always great to add another talented Texan to our roster. We’re thrilled to welcome the Maypearl native back to the Lone Star State, and look forward to what lays in store.
What’s Next
Big Action in the Big Apple: Maverick Days
The 2024 Camping World Teams Series is taking the Empire State by storm this weekend. The Barclays Center will be trading basketball for bull riding August 9-10 as the New York Mavericks host their first home event in Brooklyn. The Rattlers will be on the hunt for some big scores in the Big Apple on Friday and Saturday, with games against the Carolina Cowboys and Nashville Stampede on the docket for our Maverick Days matchups. We’re jumping at the chance to deal the Cowboys their first defeat of the season – and the opportunity to avenge ourselves against the Stampede after our loss at Duluth.