Fort St. John, B.C. native, Jake Gardiner went a perfect 3 for 3 and captured his first career elite Cup Series event win in Grande Prairie this weekend. Dakota Butter of Kindersley who is looking to become the first back-to-back PBR Canada champion in 2021 was hoping to continue his momentum on Championship Saturday but was bested by both of his draws.
Below is the media release from PBR Canada:
PEACE COUNTRY CONTENDER JAKE GARDNER WINS ELITE PBR CANADA CUP SERIES
EVENT IN GRANDE PRAIRIE
GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – After beginning his 2021 season stateside, Peace
Country contender JAKE GARDNER (Fort St. John, British Columbia) made
his return to home soil in triumphant fashion. As the lone rider to go a
perfect 3-for-3, Gardner captured his career-first elite Cup Series
event win, victorious at the PBR Grande Prairie BuckWild.
In Round 1 Friday evening, Gardner was quick to strike, covering
OLDSMOBILE (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Leitch Cattle Co.) for 82 points.
Positioned sixth on the event leaderboard ahead of Championship Sunday,
Gardner returned determined as he readied to go head-to-head against
BLUE BLOOD (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Rank Pen Cattle Co.).
Gardner erupted from the chutes, matching the bull jump-for-jump en
route to the 8-second whistle and an 83-point score.
With the second pick in the championship-round bull draft, Gardner
selected 2021 PBR Canada Bull of the Year contender LILâ€
HOOCH (Flying
High Rodeo Co.), a decision which would prove dividends.
Gardner, in picture-perfect form, covered the striking bovine athlete
for a championship round-best 89 points, clinching him the event win and
leading the crowd inside Bonnetts Energy Centre to erupt in raucous
cheer.
In addition to his success in the main event, Gardner also finished
second in the PBR Grande Prairie BuckWild’s accompanying 5/5 Bucking
Battle. As one of two riders to record a score in the special round,
Gardner outlasted WOLF BAIT (Vold Rodeo) for an 84.5-point score.
Collectively, Gardner earned 96 national points for his efforts,
allowing him to crack the Top 10 in the Canadian standings after
beginning the second Cup Series event of the year ranked No. 26. Rising
17 positions, Gardner is now No. 9 in the feverish title race, 109.83
points behind No. 1 DAKOTA BUTTAR (Kindersley, Saskatchewan).
Since making his debut on home soil last weekend on the Touring Pro
Division in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Gardner has been perfect in
Canadian competition, making the 8 aboard all eight of his bovine
athlete opponents. The record for longest ride streak held by any one
rider on Canadian soil is 11, last seen in 2020 when Buttar achieved the
feat at the start of the campaign.
Buttar, who is attempting to become the first back-to-back PBR Canada
Champion in 2021, was unable to continue his momentum on Championship
Saturday for the PBR Grande Prairie BuckWild, bested by both of his
draws.
The 1-for-3 showing in the main event led Buttar to conclude the tour
stop tied for seventh. Despite the less-than-ideal finish, Buttar
notably won the accompanying 5/5 Bucking Battle courtesy of an
87.5-point score on TRUMP CARD (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Lazy S Bucking
Bulls)
The stoic Saskatchewan native left Grande Prairie having netted a
combined 29.5 national points to further his stronghold on the No. 1
position in the battle for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship. Buttar now
leads the No. 2-ranked rider by 40.66 points.
JORDAN HANSEN (Okotoks, Alberta) parlayed a perfect 2-for-2 outing on
Championship Saturday into a runner-up finish.
Following an uncharacteristic 2.68-second buckoff dealt to him in Round
1 by MR. LEGIT (Vold Rodeo/Prescott), Hansen was back to his
title-contending form in Round 2, topping the field when he rode NORSE
GOD (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls) for 88.5 points.
Hansen then selected a new opponent for the championship round in AL
CAPONE (Wild Hoggs/Sure Fire). Poised, Hansen reached the requisite 8,
earning a score of 88 points to cement the silver finish.
Marking just his second PBR event of the season on home soil, Hansen
netted 77 national points to surge from No. 17 to No. 11 in the Canadian
standings. The 28-year-old trails the Top 10 by a mere 2 points and is
within 113.16 points of No. 1 Buttar.
Three-time PBR Canada Champion AARON ROY (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan)
was third, earning 59 points.
Roy dominated the opening round of action for the Alberta Cup Series
event, surging to the top position on the leaderboard via his 84.5-point
ride atop STUTTER STEP (Vold Rodeo).
In Round 2, Roy remained the No. 1 man in the race for the event title
when he went the distance on BIG CHILL (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls) for 81
points.
Roy’s string of successes, however, came to an abrupt halt in the
championship round when he was brought down in 3.62 seconds by GIFTED
(Vold Rodeo).
Seeking an unprecedented fourth national title in 2021, Roy is now No.
12 in the Canadian standings, 131.33 points behind No. 1 Buttar.
CODY COVERCHUK (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) was fourth.
Going 1-for-3, the 2018 PBR Canada Champion earned the Top-5 finish
compliments of his 86-point ride on NIGHT BLOOD (Vold Rodeo/Robinson) in
Round 2.
Earning 42 national points, Coverchuk climbed three positions in the
national standings, now the No. 2-ranked rider in Canada. Also
attempting to earn his second PBR Canada Championship this season,
Coverchuk is within 40.66 points of No. 1 Buttar.
Should either Buttar or Coverchuk win the 2021 PBR Canada Championship,
they would become just the third multi-time Canadian national champion
in league history. To date, three-time title holder Roy and two-time
Champion ZANE LAMBERT (Ponoka, Alberta) are the only two riders to have
achieved the feat.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was LOGAN BIEVER (Claresholm, Alberta),
collecting 29 national points.
Advancing to the championship round on time, Biever made the most of his
second chance, covering SPOOKY LUKIE (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) for 85.5
points to cement his fifth Top-10 effort of the year in Canadian
competition.
Biever is now ranked No. 14 in the heated race for the 2021 PBR Canada
Championship, which will come to a climatic end Nov. 12-13 in Edmonton,
Alberta, at Rogers Place at the 2021 PBR Canada National Finals,
presented by Command Tubular Products.
In the bull pen, MUZZLE BLAST (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle) was the
high-marked bull of the event. The powerful bovine athlete, who has
previously been selected to buck stateside on the elite PBR Unleash The
Beast, bested Coverchuk in 4.99 seconds in the championship round to
earn a 44-point score.
Following a one-week break, the 2021 PBR Canada Sup Series will travel
to Medicine Hat, Alberta, and Co-op Place for the PBR Thunderbuck in the
Badlands on October 16. Action will get underway at 7:00 p.m. MDT.
Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com [3] and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR
Canada [4]), Twitter (@PBRCanada [5]), and Instagram (@PBRCanada [6])
for the latest results, news, stats and more.
