PBR Canada’s Elite Cup Series Debuts in Kingston, Ontario June 5
By: Kacie Albert
KINGSTON, Ont. – For the first time in tour history, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada’s elite Cup Series will buck into Kingston, Ontario, holding the PBR Kingston Classic at Leon’s Centre on June 5.
PBR Canada’s Cup Series regularly features Canada’s best riders alongside some of the organization’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation.
For one night only, fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the unpredictable, action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents born to buck.
The PBR Kingston Classic will mark the fifth event of the nine-event regular season for PBR Canada’s premier Cup Series in 2024. The event is one of two stops the Cup Series will make in Ontario in 2024, travelling to London on June 1.
The debut of PBR Canada Cup Series in Kingston comes on the spurs of a historic season for the organization. In 2023, PBR Canada increased the Champion’s bonus to $100,000, making the $250,000, year-end National Finals the second-richest finals event within PBR, trailing on the World Finals.
When the dust settled on the 2023 season, Dakota Buttar (Eatonia, Saskatchewan) cemented his name in history, completing a come-from-behind surge to be crowned the 2023 PBR Canada Champion, becoming just the fourth rider in history to win the title in multiple seasons.
Buttar, who won his first title in 2020, travelled to Edmonton for the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, having not competed in more than a month after suffering a broken collarbone in winning the Cup Series event in Grande Prairie, Alberta in October.
As a result of being sidelined, Buttar began the year-end event No. 3 in the standings, 95.66 points back of regular-season No. 1 Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan).
Proving he had not missed a step, Buttar first put points on the board in Round 1 when he covered Young Blood (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Legend Rodeo Stock) for 84.75 points. The reserved Saskatchewan native then delivered his second score in as many attempts as he went the distance aboard High Voltage (Wilson Rodeo) for 86 points.
Via the 2-for-2 showing on the opening night of action, Buttar rose to No. 2 in Canada, pulling within 57.66 points of the top spot.
Buttar returned to Rogers Place on Championship Sunday determined not to let another title slip through his fingers. Quick to convert, Buttar recorded the fifth best score of Round 3 when he rode Irish Rebel (Wilson Rodeo) for 85.5 points. The score earned Buttar the second pick in the championship round, an opportunity he used to select Time Marches On (Thompson Rodeo Livestock).
In a decision which proved dividends, Buttar remained in perfect time with the animal athlete, matching him jump-for-jump en route to the requisite 8 as the crowd erupted in raucous cheer. The 86.75-point score punctuated Buttar’s perfect 4-for-4 outing inside the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
Finishing the 2023 Canadian National Finals tied for second, Buttar, who earned 199 national points, vaulted to the No. 1 rank in the nation, crowned the 2023 PBR Canada Champion and earning the accompanying $100,000 bonus. Buttar concluded the campaign 38.84 points ahead of 2022 PBR Canada Champion and this season’s No. 2 Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta).
The bull riding action for PBR Canada Cup Series’ Kingston Classic, begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, January 26 at 10:00 a.m. EST, and start at $25, standard ticketing fees may apply, and can be purchased at the Leon’s Centre Box Office and online at Ticketmaster.ca.
For more information, stay tuned to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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