Bulls, Nash & Birks

Bulls Steal the Show in Eatonia

StartFragment

Eatonia, Saskatchewan - In one of the most stellar Bull Riders Canada Inc. bull pens of the season, it was in fact the bulls that stole the show. Bull riders from across Canada, Australia and Brazil were featured in the highest paying event of the Bull Riders Canada Inc. regular season.

Winning the long round with a solid 82 point effort was Chris Young, Bullsbrook, Australia. Riding CS Bucking Bulls' Bucket List, proved to be the eventual winning ride as no rider managed to weather the outstanding bulls featured in the Short Round. Young earned over $4400.00 and picked up a whopping 600 points; moving the Australian from twelfth place to inside the top five in the Bull Riders Canada Inc. National Standings.

Events that feature $7500.00 or more in added money also trigger a Double Points system to encourage more riders to enter and compete for the cash and valuable points towards the Finals event. Other riders who capitalized on the opportunity were Will Purcell, Merrijig, Australia and Sangudo Alberta’s own Jerett Nash.

Purcell moved from third to second while Nash jumped from tenth to fourth in the National Standings.

For many years, Eatonia has been a favorite stop for bull riders from all over the world and is known for the intimate setting and extremely passionate fans. This year, the fans were brought into the action when one of the bulls went through a gate and in to the crowd. The bull was loose for under one minute and was handled in expert fashion by Safety Man/Bull Roper, Brett Thompson. Sparks could be seen in the beer gardens as Thompson efficiently went to work and roped the animal to lead it back into the arena.

Two years ago, Bull Riders Canada Inc. advised all Committees that a Bull Roper would become mandatory in the 2015-2016 season. There was some pushback from some committees across Canada. However, the events that took place in Eatonia are validation enough.

“We took some grief from Committees that didn't want to bear the extra cost of having a bull roper on site.” exclaimed BRC President Russell Friend. “We (Bull Riders Canada Inc.) agreed as a group that a bull roper was an essential safety component given the breeding and overall increased athleticism displayed on a weekly basis, at ALL levels of rodeo and bull riding events across Canada. The events in Eatonia proved that a mandatory bull roper is required and we are thankful that nobody was seriously injured."

Nash Rolls on in Midale

Midale, Saskatchewan - Fresh off a great bull ride the night before in Eatonia, SK., Jerett Nash, Sangudo, AB. lit up the 10th Annual Midale Bull Bash & Cabaret with an 87 point effort on the back of Muddy View Bucking Bulls' Single Payment. Single Payment sure paid off pocketing Nash over $1600.00 for the single ride. Winning the second round and the overall event title earned Nash 300 points which moved him from fourth into third place in the BRC National Standings.

Everett Fairlie, Warren, MB won the first round of the event by posting a solid 81.5 point ride on the back of Rafter KO/Johnson Bucking Bulls' Wolf Bait. Earning over $1200.00 for the ride was great, however the valuable 180 points for that ride and his total event points of 280 really helped Fairlie make a move onto the BRC National Standings tied for 32/33.

A special note of Congratulations to the Midale Committee, surrounding communities, local fans and businesses for reaching the ten-year mark for their event! In today's world not too many things become an institution or an event that is anticipated and supported year round. Wishes for continued success for another ten years!

Three Way Tie for Second and the Winner is...

Ralston, Alberta - The Bull Riders Canada Inc. Contestants landed in Ralston, AB for the final tour stop of the three-day action packed weekend. It is typical for rodeos and bull riding events to see a decline in the number of contestants going hard down the road this time of year. As a result, Committees often choose to run a two-head event where every bull rider competes twice and the money is paid out based on the average (total on two head).

The winner of the first long round was Dayton Johnston, Milk River, AB with an 80.5 score on the back of X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle's Water to Wine.

Not to be outdone, Johnston’s travelling partner Chase Thielan, also from Milk River, posted an 80.5 score in the second round to tie for the round win with Chris Gaudion, Tatong, Vic, Australia. Thielan captured the round win riding Thompson Rodeo's Renslip, while Gaudion tamed Thompson Rodeo's Original Sin.

In the end, there was one man who rode both his bulls (one in each round) and claimed the event title. Josh Birks, Merriwa, NSW, Australia, was a total of 151 points on two bulls and walked away with over $1400.00 while increasing his lead in the BRC National Standings as Season Leader.

With each rodeo and bull riding season, there are always a few things that really seem to stand out. This year it is the bull power - by far!

Bull Riders Canada Inc. will be reviewing the season's activities over the next two months to ensure a level, consistent pen of bulls that cowboys can ride and compete on. The result of these actions will be a Season IV Finals event in Lloydminster, SK October 21st & 22nd that has never been done before.

For more details, be sure to stay tuned in through the press releases as BRC continues to engage stakeholders and evolve the industry.

Enjoy these highlights from the past weekend events:

Visit Bull Riders Canada website for complete Event Results and to view the current BRC Standings.

EndFragment