Game Notes – Brandon

BUCKING INTO BRANDON – This weekend, for the second time in history, PBR Canada’s elite Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, will buck into Brandon, Manitoba. The PBR Mazergroup Chute Out, the third elite tour event of the season, will be held at Westoba Place at Keystone Centre on Saturday, May 27. Action will begin at 7:00 p.m. CDT.   

RELATED: Click here for the complete Brandon Game Notes.

THIS WEEKEND’S FORMAT – The PBR Mazergroup Chute Out will feature two rounds of bull riding and is a Tier 1 Challenger Series event. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 on Saturday. The 10 bull riders with the best scores will then advance to the championship round, where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to be crowned the event champion. This weekend, one rider will have the chance to earn 120 national points, in addition to ride score points.

TETZ JOINS RIDGE RIDERS AT WORLD FINALS DEBUT – After winning the second Cup Series event of the season in Lethbridge, Alberta, reigning PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz turned his attention stateside as he attempted to reach a key career milestone – qualify for his first PBR World Finals. And not only did Tetz actualize that goal, but in the process, he was also signed by a contingent in the PBR Team Series. Tetz’s journey to the World Finals began strong, logging three consecutive Top-15 finishes on the Unleash The Beast, including a season’s-best fifth-place result in New Orleans, throughout the month of March. Tetz, however, was mired in a slow end to the regular season as he dealt with a minor groin injury, leaving him the second alternate to World Finals via the Unleash The Beast standings. The young Canuck, however, had another pathway via the Velocity Tour Finals. Invited to ride at the event as the 2022 PBR Canada Champion, Tetz was one of four riders in contention to reach the World Finals as the top-finishing international invite, going head-to-head with the riders representing Australia, Brazil and Mexico. Rising to the occasion, Tetz went 2-for-3 at the Velocity Tour Finals, finishing third to clinch the invite and earn his first berth to the PBR World Finals. Once inside Dickies Arena, despite a Round 1 buckoff dealt to him by Younts Brody’s Pet in 2.16 seconds, Tetz found his footing in the second round. Conquering the previously unridden Bandito Bug for an impressive 89 points, Tetz finished second in Round 2. Throughout the final five long rounds of competition, Tetz was shut out, leading him to finish his first World Finals 16^th, ranked a career-best No. 46 in the world. During his time in Fort Worth, Tetz also inked an important deal with the Arizona Ridge Riders, signed to the team’s practice squad by leadership Colby Yates and Paulo Crimber.

Just days after the World Finals concluded, Tetz returned home to Canada to continue his quest to become the first back-to-back PBR Canada Champion in history. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, 132 points back of No. 1 Jared Parsonage. In Round 1 of the Cup Series event in Brandon, Tetz will take on a rematch in Rust Bucket.  

LET’S RECAP TPD ACTION – Since the last bull bucked at the most recent Cup Series event in Lethbridge, Alberta, three Touring Pro Division events have been held on Canadian soil. Here is a look back at those events:

Marwayne: In Marwayne, Alberta, Coy Robbins and Cody Fraser rode supreme, tying for the event win at the Garnier Custom Silage Marwayne PBR, presented by Obvious Enterprises. Robbins began his march to victory on a high note, logging the top score in Round 1 inside the Marwayne Multiplex when he covered Firestone for 84 points. The 2017 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year remained atop the event leaderboard when he topped Dealing After Midnight for 83.5 points in Round 2. Robbins’s efforts earned him a crucial 33.5 national points in the race to be crowned the 2023 PBR Canada Championship. He rose one position in the standings from No. 4 to No. 3, inching within 23 points of then-No. 1 Jared Parsonage. Australian sensation Fraser also went 2-for-2 to tie for the victory alongside Robbins, garnering 32.5 national points. After riding Times A Wasting for 81 points in Round 1, Fraser delivered the high-marked ride of the event in Round 2, dominating Sure Shot for 86.5 points to surge to the top of the leaderboard. Fraser rose from No. 7 to No. 6 in the Canadian standings, climbing within 55.5 points of No. 1 Parsonage.

Brooks: In Brooks, Alberta, Coy Robbins remained red-hot, going a perfect 2-for-2 to win the Koye Larson Memorial PBR and surge to the No. 1 rank in the race for the national championship. Robbins got off to a quick start in Round 1, delivering the fourth-best score when he rode Sileage Pig for 83 points. The 2017 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year then surged to the top of the event leaderboard when he dominated the championship round, covering OMB Legal Issues for 86 points. Compliments of the win, Robbins earned a crucial 36 national points. He surged from No. 3 to No. 1 in the battle for the 2023 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $50,000 bonus, pulling 13 points ahead of then-No. 2 Jared Parsonage.

Camrose: As the lone rider to go a perfect 2-for-2 in Camrose, Alberta, Jared Parsonage won the Rose City Invitational, recapturing the No. 1 rank in the heated battle to be crowned the national champion and earn the accompanying $50,000 bonus. Parsonage set the tone early in Round 1 when he delivered the fourth-best score, topping Bull Dozer for 85 points. The reserved Saskatchewan man then took on Wild Time in the championship round. Remaining in perfect time with the animal athlete, Parsonage posted the top score of the round, marked 86.5 points, clinching the event victory. Compliments of the golden finish, Parsonage netted a crucial 124 Canadian points. He leap-frogged Coy Robbins for the No. 1 rank in the national standings, now 90.34 points out front.

WELCOME BACK THE CHAMP … DAYLON SWEARINGEN – After he was sidelined for the majority of the 2023 individual season and unable to defend his gold buckle due to injury, 2019 PBR Canada Champion, two-time PBR Canada National Finals event winner and 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen will continue his return to competition on Canadian soil at the Brandon, Manitoba, Cup Series event. Since undergoing surgery, Swearingen has ridden at just one event, the 2023 Velocity Tour Finals, where he went 0-for-2. With the PBR Team Series season on the horizon and Swearingen again slated to be a key force on the Carolina Cowboys, he will face Edge of Tomorrow in Round 1 in Manitoba.

PAST BRANDON EVENT WINNERS – When the elite Canadian Cup Series debuted in Brandon in June 2022, young gun Blake Smith delivered a flawless 2-for-2 performance to win the event. In Round 1, Smith was in perfect time with Confused Mind, reaching the requisite 8 for 83.5 points and tying for the round win. Smith then used his early pick in the Round 2 bull draft to select Crossfire’s Black Jack, a decision that paid dividends. Smith matched the powerful animal athlete jump-for-jump, and the electric crowd erupted in cheer as he reached the whistle for an event-best 87 points. Edging past the runner-up contender by a mere 2 points in the aggregate, Smith’s score clinched the victory. Smith will face Wicked Water in Round 1 of this season’s Brandon Cup Series tour stop as he looks to defend his event win.

2022: Blake Smith

FAMILIAR WATERS – Round 1 of the PBR Mazergroup Chute Out will feature five rematches. Those riders facing familiar opponents are:

• Chad Hartman will climb aboard Look At This Dude for the second time in his career. The two first met in September 2022, when the powerful animal athlete tossed Hartman in a close 6.4 seconds during the Touring Pro Division event in Armstrong, British Columbia.
• Dakota Buttar will attempt to replicate his past success with Trump Card. In October 2021, Buttar rode the bull for 87.5 points during the 5/5 Bucking Battle in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
• Jake Gardner will renew his rivalry with Devils Dues. During the 2022 Cup Series stop in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Devils Dues upended Gardner in a quick 1.83 seconds during the championship round.
• Michael Ostashek will face Finning JB Muley for the second time. At the 2020 Touring Pro Division event in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Ostashek was unable to make the 8 atop the Flying Four Bucking Bulls’ athlete, tossed in 4 seconds.
• Reigning PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz will face the final rematch when he squares off with Rust Bucket. Last season, Rust Bucket proved too much for Tetz, bucking him off in a swift 1.3 seconds during the Touring Pro Division event in Ponoka, Alberta.

NEXT UP – The 2023 PBR Canada Sup Series, presented by Wrangler, will next travel to London, Ontario, and Budweiser Gardens for the PBR London Classic on Wednesday, May 31. Action will get underway at 7 p.m. EDT.   

PROVIDING PROTECTION – The bullfighters on hand for this weekend’s event in Brandon, Manitoba, are Tanner Byrne, Ty Prescott and Brett Monea.

2023 5/5 BUCKING BATTLE SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Each 5/5 Bucking Battle features the Top 5 riders from the event following Round 1, competing against the five highest-ranked bulls at the event for extra bonus points and an additional purse. Here are the winners of the special rounds thus far in 2023:

March 3 in Lethbridge, Alberta -- Coy Robbins, 89.5 points on Positively Bangin

 

 

BRANDON COMPETITORS BY COUNTRY

Australia (2) – Cody Fraser, Callum Miller

Canada (21) – William Barrows, Dakota Buttar, Cody Coverchuk, Tyler Craig, Weston Davidson, Jake Gardner, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Jordan Hansen, Chad Hartman, Tim Lipsett, Keaton Martz, Micheal Ostashek, Jared Parsonage, Brock Radford, Coy Robbins, Aaron Roy, Carter Sahli, Cauy Schmidt, Blake Smith, Nick Tetz.

Paraguay (1) – Fabian Dueck

United States (1) – Daylon Swearingen

BREAKDOWN BY PROVINCE –

Alberta – William Barrows, Tyler Craig, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Jordan Hansen, Keaton Martz, Micheal Ostashek, Brock Radford, Coy Robbins, Carter Sahli, Cauy Schmidt, Nick Tetz; British Columbia – Jake Gardner; Saskatchewan – Dakota Buttar, Cody Coverchuk, Weston Davidson, Chad Hartman, Tim Lipsett, Jared Parsonage, Aaron Roy, Blake Smith.