PBR Canada’s Elite Cup Series Returns to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Oct. 28-29

By: Kacie Albert

SASKATOON, Sask. – For the 15th time in history, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada will buck into Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as the elite Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, will take over SaskTel Centre for two days of competition on Oct. 28-29 for the PBR Saskatoon Classic, presented by Redhead Equipment and Case IH.

PBR Canada’s Cup Series regularly features Canada’s best riders alongside some of the sport’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation.

For two performances only, fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents.

The Saskatoon event will mark the ninth event of the 10-event 2023 season for the PBR Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, and final stop for the nation’s premier series prior to the National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, on Nov. 17-18 in Edmonton, Alberta. Before travelling to the Saskatchewan city, the Cup Series will visit eight towns across the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Last season in Saskatoon, Lonnie West (Cadogan, Alberta) went a perfect 3-for-3 to win the Saskatoon Classic and catapult to No. 7 in the heated battle to be crowned the 2022 PBR Canada Champion.

West first put points on the board in Round 1, conquering Time Marches On (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for 84 points.

Positioned second on the event leaderboard, West drafted Look At This Dude (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) as his Round 2 opponent and recorded a 85.5-point score to punch his ticket to the championship round.

The then 26-year-old elected to climb aboard Phantom Fury (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls) as his final matchup in Saskatoon and logged the high-marked ride of the event, scored 89.5 points to clinch the event victory.

West collected a crucial 90.5 Canadian points and rose from No. 9 to No. 7 in the national standings, moving to within 101.5 points of the No. 1 rank.

Atop the standings, when the dust settled inside SaskTel Centre, a new man stood atop the standings in the battle for the 2022 PBR Canada Championship. Dakota Buttar (Eatonia, Saskatchewan) also went 3-for-3 to finish second and leap-frog Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) for the No. 1 rank in Canada.

The event in Saskatoon contributed to one of the most intense national title races in Canada’s history. Following a riveting regular season, nine riders traveled to the 2022 PBR Canada National Finals in contention to win the honor and accompanying $50,000 bonus.

Mounting a come-from-behind surge, Tetz emerged the 2022 PBR Canada Champion, surpassing regular-season No. 1 Buttar and holding off a hard-charging Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta) in the final outs of the season.

When the season ended, Tetz finished 26.5 points ahead of runner-up Radford.

Thus far in 2023, Tetz is on pace to make history as the first rider to win the PBR Canada Championship in consecutive seasons. Courtesy of an event win at the second tour stop of the season in Lethbridge, Alberta, Tetz is No. 2 in Canada, eight points behind the top position.

Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) currently holds the No. 1 rank in the nation, a position largely earned via his Cup Series event win in Red Deer, Alberta, and a second-place result at the latest tour stop in Lethbridge.

The bull riding action for PBR Canada Cup Series’ Saskatoon Classic, presented by Redhead Equipment and Case IH, begins at 7 p.m. CST on Saturday, October 28 and 2 p.m. CST on Sunday, October 29.

Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, April 14 at 10 a.m. CST, and start at $25, taxes and fees not included, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.ca.

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

Photo courtesy of Covy Moore/CovyMoore.com

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