Mauney Wins Pool B of Calgary Stampede

CALGARY, Alberta – Pool B of the Calgary Stampede brought together two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney against two-time PRCA World Champion Sage Kimzey.

Kimzey is the reigning Calgary Stampede champion, while Mauney won the title in 2013 and 2009.

On Sunday, both will have a shot for another $100,000.

Mauney could be the first three-time $100,000 champion, while Kimzey could be the first to win the big check back-to-back.

Mauney went 4-for-4, including two round wins, this week to win Pool B.

“I haven’t known any bull I’ve been on since I’ve been up here,” Mauney said. “That was pretty much what I asked – “which one is he, what’s he look like? Point him out”, that way I know what one to hang my rope on, and I go from there.”

The preparations worked out as Mauney won the first and second days of Pool B with scores of 88 points on Heaven’s Basement and 89 points on Flight Plan.

Mauney rounded out Pool B on Thursday and Friday with matching 84.5-point rides on Huggie Bear and Kish You.

“I don’t get to see a lot of these guys, going to strictly bull ridings down there,” Mauney said. “We get to come out here and we get to hang out for a week straight. It’s a blast, I like going to rodeos and hanging out with them guys, they’re pretty good guys to be around. It’s more like a vacation when I come up here for me, it’s fun, something I don’t get to do all year, and it’s nice that you can make a little money while you’re here too.”

It’s good for sure. Mauney has already picked up $17,000 through four days of competition.

“I like it, it’s the greatest show, it’s not just a rodeo, it’s a show and they put it on really good,” he said. “They bring good bulls here, there’s good guys riding and it pays great. What I really like is the hospitality that they give the contestants, there’s nowhere else you can really go and be set up like here. They feed you and then they’ve got some cold beers for you when you’re finished working, so it works out good for me.

“The whole town gets into it here.”

Kimzey took third in the pool, bringing in $11,500, by going 3-for-4. Kimzey bucked off his first bull in two years in Calgary on Friday inside the mud covered arena.

The Strong City, Oklahoma, bull rider won the round on Thursday after a re-ride on Chip Shot (87.5 points)

Which champion from their respective organization will prevail this Sunday?

On Friday afternoon, Australia’s Josh Birks wowed the crowd with a huge 90 point-ride on a bull called Bomb Shell.

Birks, the 2015 PBR Canada Reserve Champion earned $14,500 in Pool B to reserve his spot on Showdown Sunday.

Brazil’s Fabiano Vieira joins them as the fourth man out of Pool B with $8,500 in earnings to date.

Competing on Wildcard Saturday from Pool B. is 2015 PBR Canada Champion Tanner Byrne, Robson Palermo, PRCA Champion Cody Teel, Clayton Foltyn, Stetson Lawrence and Cooper Davis.