Two local bull riders made it to Championship Sunday at the Calgary Stampede, but only one came out on the podium, and in the money at the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth".
Related Stories:
- Leader's Grady Young tops Pool B at Calgary Stampede
- Buttar top of Pool C after first ride at Calgary Stampede
19-year-old Grady Young of Leader made headlines during the week by winning Pool B, going 2/3 during the week with ride scores of 91.00 and 87.00 before being bucked off in the third performance.
Joining him on Sunday was fellow West Central standout and PBR Canada’s top-ranked rider, Dakota Buttar of Eatonia, who also went 2/3, using an opening round leading score of 85.50 and 81.50 on Saturday to rebound and earn a spot in the finals.
On Sunday, Young earned the top score out of all nine qualifiers with an 89.5 on the back of Blue Magic. Riding Dance Monkey, Buttar wound up finishing fourth with a ride score of 87.00, earning $3500 to add to his $15,333.33 already earned in aggregate.
In between those two and earning a spot in the finals was another fresh-faced rider in 20-year-old Wacey Schalla from Oklahoma, and 33-year-old Trey Benton III from Texas, earning their way into the final with ride scores of 89.00 and 88.50 respectively. Tristen Hutchings from Idaho also earned an 88.50 but did not compete in the final round.
The final ride is where the magic would run out for Young, being bucked off by Splash Tide in his final performance at the Stampede. Young finished tied for second with Benton III who was also bucked off and took a re-ride in the final round, giving way to the one-year-his-senior Schalla who stayed on for a ride score of 86.00 to claim the event title and accompanying $50,000 final prize.
It's no champion belt buckle, but Young also took home $15,000 for his participation in the event to boost his total aggregate winnings to just under $30,000 for the weekend.
Finishing on the podium at the Calgary Stampede before your twentieth birthday is a terrific accomplishment.
Watch Young's full ride 89.50 ride before the finals below via the Cowboy Channel YouTube page, where you can also find more great content from this year's Calgary Stampede: