Sage Steele Kimzey in his spot, right on top. He delivered when it mattered most Saturday night at Progressive PBR Jacksonville. He rode 3 bulls to his second Unleash The Beast victory of the season. This win helped him to take over the No. 1 spot in the 2026 world standings.
It was a sold out crowd in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Kimzey sealed the win with a 90.75 point final round ride aboard Lights Out. This was the highest marked ride of the weekend and the only score to crack the big 90 points.
It was a familiar matchup. Kimzey had previously won on Lights Out in New York City earlier this season. He drafted fourth for the Championship Round, and he elected to climb aboard the same bull again. Kimzey knew this was the one he needed to make that 90 point ride. That decision paid off.
Kimzey’s ride finished off what was a very consistent performance across all 3 rounds. He scored 87.4 in round 1, 83.75 in round 2 and then that 90.75 in the Championship round for a 261.90 aggregate total.
The victory added 138 Unleash the Beast points to his season total. Kimzey entered the Jacksonville event ranked fourth in the world, trailing Crimber by roughly 82 points. Sage now sits 24 points ahead of John Crimber in the standings.
For the first time in his PBR career, the 7 time PRCA World Champion, sits atop the Unleash The Beast standings. Of course, knowing Sage and his history, this is no surprise. Kimzey is in the conversation for the greatest of all time on a bull. He has a controlled but deadly style that is tough to beat.
Young gun, John Crimber opened strong in Jacksonville with two qualified rides but failed to get a score in Round 3. That no score proved costly in a race this tight.
The 2026 World Championship race remains narrow. Kimzey becomes the second rider this season to earn multiple event wins, joining Dalton Kasel, who previously won in Manchester and Milwaukee events.
While Kimzey stole the show, he wasn’t the only rider to go a perfect 3 for 3 in Jacksonville. Alex Cerqueira and Bob Mitchell also covered all three of their bulls and moved up in the standings themselves.
With nine regular season Unleash The Beast events remaining, the margin for error continues to shrink more. Kimzey now holds the lead, but in a season where the Top 3 riders have been separated by mere points week after week, anything can happen.
Kimzey sure struck gold in the Sunshine State, that World Title conversation just got a little more interesting.