By Gail M. Williams
Muleshoe Journal Correspondent

Dalton Kasel, the 20-year-old bull rider from Mulesehoe, recently rode to victory in an Unleash the Beast event in Nampa, Idaho, at Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride.
Kasel is now No. 1 in the 2019 Rookie of the Year standings, leading No. 2 Mason Taylor by 556 points.
The event was Kasel’s first Unleash The Beast event win, earning him $37,600 and 550 world points. He is No. 7 in the overall world rankings right now.
According to a press release from Professional Bull Riders, “The 20-year-old Texan had the crowd at the last regular-season UTB event of 2019 on its feet with a deafening roar as he made the 8 seconds aboard Fearless (D&H Cattle/ Buck Cattle/ Tommy Julian) for an eventual 92-point winning ride. This is the second time this year that Kasel has recorded this score on the bull.
“Earlier in the evening, the young gun rode Saint Joe (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls) in Round 2 for 87.75 points.”
“Current world leader Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas Do Rio Pardo, Brazil) took home second place for the weekend and would have won the event if Kasel had not made a qualified ride on his final bull.”
 The Top 35 bull riders in the world will now head to Las Vegas, Nevada for PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals at the T-Mobile Arena November 6-10.
The son of Tim and Kristin Kasel of Muleshoe, Kasel graduated from Farwell High School.