2023 Canadian Global PBR Canada Bull of the Year Contenders Announced Ahead of Canadian National Finals Nov. 17-18

By: Kacie Albert

EDMONTON, Alta. – PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada today announced the Top 11 contenders for the coveted 2023 Canadian Global Bull of The Year honor and accompanying $10,000 bonus to be awarded at the PBR Canada National Finals on Nov. 17-18 in Edmonton, Alberta, at Rogers Place.

The 2023 Canadian Global PBR Canada Bull of the Year will be the animal athlete with the top average score when combining his Top 5 outs from the regular season across all levels of competition and his top out at the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products.

The rank contingent is led by Thompson Rodeo Livestock’s Built Tough, currently 0.2 points ahead of the No. 2 contender Langham Kid. After making his PBR debut in 2019, Built Tough has had a career year in 2023, concluding the season with a 44.6-point average score. Bucking 10 times on home soil throughout the season, Built Tough has bucked to five Bull of the Event titles, three of which were earned via a career-best 45-point bull score.

Built Tough first lit up the scoreboard on the Cup Series in Regina, Saskatchewan, marked a tour-stop best 45 points for his 2.68-second buckoff of current Canadian No. 5 Coy Robbins (Camrose, Alberta). The powerful animal athlete again posted the marks at the Touring Pro Division stop in Czar Lake, Alberta, awarded the commanding marks for his 2.44 seconds of work against 2022 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year Cauy Schmidt (Coronation, Alberta) and most recently at the Cup Series event in Grande Prairie, Alberta, when he upended Jake Maher (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) in a quick 2.75 seconds.

Built Tough is unridden throughout 2023, last covered at the 2022 PBR Canada National Finals by Garrett Green (Meeting Creek, Alberta) for 88 points.

While Built Tough leads the standings, he is followed closely by No. 2 Langham Kid, who earned a PBR Canada-best eight Bull of the Event titles throughout the 2023 campaign.

Langham Kid concluded the 2023 regular season with a 44.4-point average. Hailing from Two Bit Bucking Bulls, Langham Kid’s season was headlined by his career-best 45-point bull score delivered in London, Ontario, when he teamed with 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen for a monstrous 91.5-point score en route to his event win.

A rider favorite amongst the Canadian ranks, Langham Kid also propelled Jordan Hansen (Okotoks, Alberta) to the event win in Medicine Hat, Alberta, as the two teamed for an 89.5-point score in the final round, and most recently helped teenage phenom John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) clinch the event win in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as the two danced to the whistle en route to a mammoth 91.5-point score.

Looking down the standings, two-time PBR Canada Bull of the Year Happy Camper will attempt to make further history in Edmonton, winning an unprecedented third year-end honor.

Happy Camper is currently No. 4 in the Canadian Global Bull of the Year standings with a 43.9-point average, 0.7 points behind No. 1 Built Tough.

Pen mate to Langham Kid, Happy Camper, dubbed the “Bucking Sensation from the Two Bit Nation,” began the season strong, crowned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event at the season-launch Cup Series tour stop in Red Deer, Alberta. There, he posted a 44.5-point score as him and Jake Gardner (Fort St. John, British Columbia) logged a behemoth 90.5-point score.

Throughout 2023, Happy Camper has logged just six outs, four of which were marked 44 points or more.

At the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, Happy Camper will look to make history and then retire on a high note, bucking for the final time in his illustrious career.

Since making his PBR debut in 2017, in addition to earning the distinction as the only multi-time PBR Canada Bull of the Year, Happy Camper is a five-time PBR World Finals qualifier, six-time PBR Canada National Finals qualifier and has twice been named the PBR Canada Bull of the National Finals.

The complete list of contenders for this year’s Canadian Global PBR Canada Bull of the Year honor are:

No. 1 Built Tough (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) – 44.6 points
No. 2 Langham Kid (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) – 44.4 points (-0.2 points)
No. 3 Blue Magic (Outlaw Buckers Rodeo Corp.) – 44.35 points (-0.25 points)
No. 4 Happy Camper (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) – 43.9 points (-0.7 points)
No. 5 Time Marches On (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) – 43.8 points (-0.8 points)
No. 6T The Remedy (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/B2 Braithwaite Ranches) – 43.7 points (-0.9 points)
No. 6T Son Of A Sinner (Eno Bucking Bulls/Gaume Farms) – 43.7 points (-0.9 points)
No. 8 Ain’t About Fame (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) – 43.5 points (-1.1 points)
No. 9 Times A Tickin (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) – 43.4 points (-1.2 points)
No. 10T Chico (Vold Rodeo) – 43.3 points (-1.3 points)
No. 10T Master of Puppets (Eno Bucking Bulls/LS Johnson) – 43.3 points (-1.3 points)

The 2023 PBR Canada National Finals will mark the richest iteration of the year-end event ever held. The two-day event inside the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers will pay out an unprecedented $225,000, including a historic $100,000 bonus to the 2023 PBR Canada Champion.

The bull riding action for 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, begins at 7:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18 at Rogers Place.

The 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, will feature four rounds of bull riding. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 and Round 2 on Friday and Round 3 on Saturday.

The 12 bull riders with the top combined ride scores will then advance to the championship round on Saturday where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to win the PBR Canada National Finals event and earn crucial points to be crowned the 2023 PBR Canada Champion. During the event Round 2, Round 3 and the championship round will feature a rider drafted draw, while Round 1 will be pre-determined.

Tickets are still available, and start at $40, standard fees may apply. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.ca.

Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results, news, stats and more.

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