A vintage ride from Eatonia's Dakota Buttar at the Calgary Stampede on Thursday vaulted him into first place in Pool C of the bull riding competition with two rides still left to go.
Going eight seconds on OLS Tubs Big River, Buttar scored an 85.50 to just edge second place finisher Luke Mackey's score of 85.00. The first-place performance also came with a nice $7,750 payout.
Widely considered a favourite headed in, Buttar will look to join a fellow West Central bull rider on championship Sunday, Grady Young from Leader. The 19-year-old stole headlines with two wins in three performances in Pool B, locking himself in for the final round and a chance at the grand prize of $100,000.
With some work left to do to join him, Buttar is the fourth rider listed on Friday's draw, riding Stanleyville Terror as we enter the final few days of the 'Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth'.