Saturday, November 4th was moving day at CFR 49.
A doubleheader with performances four and five taking place at noon and 6pm respectively offered the opportunity for the competitors to try and surge to the top of the aggregate standings for the week and the total earnings leaderboard for the season.
Taylor Manning from Yellowhead County took full advantage by winning both performances in barrel racing thanks to times of 13.51 seconds, and 13.45 seconds. 13.45 seconds was the fastest time of the week. Manning will head into Sunday in second place and withing striking distance of Lynette Brodoway from Brooks who remains in first place.
It will also come down to the six and final performance at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in bareback where Orin Larsen from Manitoba was second and then first on Saturday. His Night 4 day money winning score was 86.5 points Kesler Rodeo’s Payday. Larsen trails Clint Laye from Cadogan by just over $2,000 dollars in the total season earnings.
Scott Guenthner from Provost was first in round 4 with a 3 and 6, while Stephen Culling from Fort St. John, B.C. was first in steer wrestling in the evening with a 3 and 7. Guenthner has a huge lead with nearly $56,000 dollars in earnings this season. Harley Cole from Okotoks is second in steer wrestling with just over $39,000 dollars.
Brady Tryan from Montana and Calgary Smith from Oregon have also constructed a massive lead in team roping. They have gone second, tied for second, tied for first, and then first, and first again in the first five performances of the week. Their winning times on Saturday were 4 seconds flat in the afternoon and 4.1 seconds in the evening.
Zeke Thurston from Big Valley won round 4 in saddle bronc with an 88.25 point ride on Legend Rodeo Stock’s Woodstock. Round 5 belonged to Ben Anderson from Eckville who rode Calgary Stampede’s Weekend Departure to the tune of 88.75 points. However, Anderson will head into today’s final performance over $20,000 dollars back of Thurston in the total earnings standings for the season.
Beau Cooper from Stettler had an 8 and 2 to win round 4 in tie down roping, while Clayton Smith from Eckville was first in round 5 with a time of 7.6 seconds. Going into Sunday’s finale, Hayden Meged from Montana is ahead of Cooper by more than $10,000 in season earnings for 2023.
Jared Parsonage from Maple Creek, Saskatchewan is first in bull riding for the season with just over $60,000 dollars in earnings, Mexico’s Edgar Durazo is second with more than $59,000, Coy Robbins from Camrose is third with over $58,000 dollars, and Jacob Gardner is fourth with a little over $56,500. So it will all come down to Sunday. Gardner – who is from Fort St. John, B.C. – won day money for Saturday afternoon’s action thanks to an 88 on Kesler Rodeo’s Down with the Devil. Wyatt Gleeson from Sundre picked up his second go round victory of the week on Saturday night with an 86 point effort on Kesler Rodeo’s Flight Risk.
The first two rounds for the breakaway ropers took place on Saturday with Macy Auclair from Ponoka winning in the afternoon with a time of 1.9 seconds. In the evening, first and second place money was split between Shaya Biever from Claresholm and Shelby Boisjoli from Nanton. They both got it done in 2.3 seconds. Aubrey Ross from Botha enters the final performance of the week at CFR 49 with a very slim lead of less than $500 dollars over Biever.
The 2023 Canadian Finals Rodeo concludes with the winners being crowned on Sunday, November 5th at noon.
For tickets and more details on all that is planned for CFR week at Westerner Park go online to CFRRedDeer.ca.