ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a dramatic conclusion to the PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational, Keyshawn Whitehorse secured a career-defining victory Sunday with a walk-off 90.75-point ride aboard the formidable bull Lights Out. The Navajo Nation native capped a flawless weekend at The Pit, delivering the highest aggregate score of the event and vaulting into the top tier of the world title race.
Whitehorse’s championship run was marked by consistency and high scores across all four rounds. After entering Sunday atop the leaderboard, the 28-year-old rider posted a season-high 91.60 points in Round 3 on Freightliner Fever, earning the critical first pick in the Championship Round bull draft. His final ride, a head-to-head matchup against Lights Out, provided the exclamation point on a weekend where he recorded his best four ride scores of the 2026 season.
The victory awarded Whitehorse 191 Unleash The Beast (UTB) points, propelling him from No. 20 to No. 9 in the PBR world standings. It marked a significant milestone for the rider, who described the moment as the culmination of a lifelong dream during the post-event broadcast.
A Flawless Weekend in Albuquerque
Whitehorse’s path to the buckle began Saturday night with a Round 2 win on Magic Hunter, scoring 90.15 points. That performance set the stage for a dominant Sunday, where he became one of only three cowboys to go 4-for-4 on the weekend.
Following his final ride, Whitehorse tossed his helmet to the dirt and embraced his father in a celebration that underscored the personal significance of the win. Speaking on the Paramount+ telecast, Whitehorse reflected on the support system that kept him grounded through a season marked by injuries.
“I dreamt of this moment my entire life and now we’re on track for a gold buckle. This is a great steppingstone,” Whitehorse said. “I went through trials and errors this season getting hurt, but I knew no matter what, I was loved by my family – my mom, my dad, my brothers, my aunts, uncles, my fiancé most importantly. No matter what, they had my back and at the complete of the day, I just have to supply one hundred percent, and God will accept care of the rest.”
For the bull Lights Out, the ride marked the sixth time this season the animal has partnered with a rider for an elite tour event win, highlighting the difficulty of the mount Whitehorse conquered to seal the title.
The Chase for the Gold Buckle
While Whitehorse took the top spot, the competition in Albuquerque remained fierce among the premier pack. Claudio Montanha Jr., hailing from Ribeirao dos Indios, Brazil, secured a season-best second-place finish. The veteran rider became the first man to go 3-for-3 on Sunday afternoon, scoring 87.95 points aboard UTZ BesTex Smokestack in Round 3 before closing with 90.20 points on Bowser. Montanha earned 120 UTB points, jumping from No. 29 to No. 18 in the rankings.
Bob Mitchell of Steelville, Missouri, was the third and final cowboy to achieve a perfect 4-for-4 record in Albuquerque. Mitchell punched his ticket to the short round with a fourth-straight conversion in Round 3, marked by 88.55 points. He exited his fourth showdown atop Doze You Down with an 8-second effort worth 88.05 points, earning a third-place finish and 97 UTB points to climb to No. 17.
Australian rider Brady Fielder finished in fourth place, marking his fourth Top 4 placement of the season. Even though Fielder was unable to complete an 8-second ride atop Good Riddance during Round 3, he rebounded in the Championship Round with a round-winning 91.15 points on Tigger. Fielder earned 92 UTB points and remains ranked No. 4, sitting just 2.5 points behind No. 3 Leandro Zampollo.
Three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme rounded out the Top 5. Leme bested Felix for 90.75 points in Round 3 but was unable to stay perfect in the fourth round, called for a touch on Eyes On Me at 5.75 seconds. He finished with 268.35 aggregate points, advancing from No. 36 to No. 27.
At the top of the overall standings, John Crimber of Decatur, Texas, maintains the No. 1 spot despite a 1-for-3 weekend that included an 88.50-point conversion aboard Jameson in Round 3. Crimber sits 47 UTB points ahead of No. 2 Sage Steele Kimzey, who went 0-for-3 in New Mexico.
What’s Next for the Unleash The Beast Tour
The bull riding action now shifts focus to the 2026 YETI Bull of the Year race. Three contenders—Buck Nasty, Pegasus, and Fire Zone—earned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title for matching 46-point bull scores logged in Sunday’s Championship Round. Pegasus has emerged as the new No. 1 bull heading toward the next stop.
PBR’s Unleash The Beast tour continues at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the First PREMIER Bank PBR Sioux Falls event, scheduled for April 10-12. With just three regular season events remaining before the 2026 PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, every point in Sioux Falls will be critical for contenders looking to secure their place in the premier pack.
Stay tuned to Archyde for continued coverage of the PBR Unleash The Beast tour as the race for the world title intensifies.
