After more than 40 rodeos and five performances of the Canadian Finals Rodeo, less than half a dollar separates three time Canadian Bareback Champion, Kyle Bowers; and nine time CFR qualifier Matt Lait. While Bowers holds onto that slender margin heading into Sunday’s Championship finale, Lait has the upper hand in the aggregate which pays the same as a go-round. Lait sits at 423 points on five rides with Bowers right behind at 419.5 on his five efforts.

After his Saturday night go-round win, Bowers talked about the race and his 86.5 ride, “Kesler Rodeo’s Western Star is not big but he has a lot of heart and try. I’m happy it worked out tonight. I watched Matt (Lait) earlier this week on the horse. I think he made it look easier than I did but he bucked off just after the eight seconds too.” Bowers went on to say, “If I can beat Matt tomorrow, I’ll have a shot at the title. The fact that it’s a race gets the competitive juices flowing. I can’t say I wouldn’t like to have the championship wrapped up tonight but I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

Another tight race heading into the final day of the CFR is in the saddle bronc riding where Bracken, Saskatchewan cowboy Rylan Geiger clings to a slender lead over hard-charging two time world champion Taos Muncy of Corona, New Mexico. Geiger has won $34,000 to date at the finals and leads Muncy by just 2.25 points in the aggregate total. Muncy has made the biggest move of any competitor at this finals, having climbed from twelfth coming in, to second place overall, courtesy of two firsts, a second and a third for $37,000 in CFR earnings.

Saturday night saw the crowning of three champions in rodeo’s youth events. Kody Lamb, the novice bareback rider from Sherwood Park, Alberta, added a Canadian novice title to his earlier Calgary Stampede championship.

Second generation novice saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston, from Big Valley, Alberta, added the 2013 novice title to his steer riding championship of a few years ago.

And Barrhead, Alberta’s Kagen Schmidt, made it two in a row in the steer riding with a dominating Canadian Finals Rodeo performance to capture the 2013 title.

A fourth championship was clinched tonight, when three time Canadian Barrel Racing Champion, Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, South Dakota, continued her run-away dominance by adding a fourth go-round win in five performances. Her $44,000 earnings to date, have lifted the talented American cowgirl to over $68,000 in season earnings in Canada alone.

Complete results for the fifth performance of the Canadian Finals Rodeo included:

EDMONTON, AB – The following are the results of the fifth performance of the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) held at Rexall Place at Northlands on Saturday, November 9, 2013.

BAREBACK 1. Kyle Bowers, Brooks, AB, 86.50, $11,467.84; 2. Clint Laye, Cadogan, AB, 85.50, $8,527.37; 3. Michael Solberg, Sunnynook, AB, 84.25, $5,586.90; 4 Matt Lait, Cayley, AB, 82.50, $2,646.42; 5. Logan Hodson, Telkwa, BC, 81.00, $1,176.19.

Total Season Earnings 1. Kyle Bowers, $51,392.01; 2. Matt Lait, $51,391.53; 3. Jake Vold, $48,107.71; 4. Logan Hodson, $28,734.93; 5. Clint Laye, $28,258.50.

STEER WRESTLING 1/2. Straws Milan, Cochrane, AB, 3.7, $9,997.60; 1/2. Clayton Moore, Pouce Coupe, BC, 3.7, $9,997.60; 3. Morgan Grant, Granton, ON, 4.0, $5,586.90; 4.Cody Cassidy, Donalda, AB, 4.1, $2,646.42; 5. Harley Cole, Cochrane, AB, 4.4, $1,176.19.
Total Season Earnings 1. Clayton Moore, $47,980.96; 2. Hunter Cure, $39,308.25; 3. Justin Miller, $37,966.61; 4. Straws Milan, $36,779.74; 5. Cody Cassidy, $35,717.56

NOVICE Bareback 1. Philippe Harvey, Cochrane, AB, 77.00, $1,200; 2.Jacob Stemo, Calgary, AB, 75.00, $800.

Total Season Earnings 1. Kody Lamb, $10,735.65; 2. Philippe Harvey, $10,130.98; 3. Jacob Stemo, $5,928.24.
* KODY LAMB - 2013 CANADIAN CHAMPION BAREBACK RIDER

NOVICE Saddlebronc 1. Jake Watson, Hudson Hope, BC, 78.00, $1,200; 2. Kale Mckenzie, Rocky Mountain House, AB, 68.00, $800.

Total Season Earnings 1. Zeke Thurston, $8,734.10; 2. Kale Mckenzie, $8,621.26; 3. Jake Watson, $5,790.32.
* ZEKE THURSTON - 2013 CANADIAN CHAMPION SADDLE BRONC RIDER

Boys STEER RIDING 1.Dawson Hay, Wildwood, AB, 83.00, $750.01; 2. Cameron Brown, Cremona, AB, 79.00, $450.00; 3.Kagen Schmidt, Barrhead, AB, 73.50, $300.00.

Total Season Earnings 1. Kagen Schmidt, $8,169.87; 2. Dawson Hay, $7,046.62; 3. Cameron Brown, $5,793.27; 4. Connor Faucher $4,491.74; 5.Griffin Smeltzer $4,221.03.
* KAGEN SCHMIDT - 2013 CANADIAN CHAMPION STEER RIDER

TEAM ROPING 1. Clay Ullery, Two Hills, AB, $5,660.01 & Matt Fawcett, Stettler, AB, $5,660.01, 5.6; 2. Dale Skocdopole, Big Valley, AB, $4,208.73 & Stacy Cornet, Brant, AB, $4,208.73, 8.5; 3. Clint Buhler, Okotoks, AB, $2,757.44 & Brett McCarroll, Camrose, AB, $2,757.44, 10.5; 4.Braidy Davies, Medicine Hat, AB, $1,306.16 & Chase Simpson, Clareshold, AB, $1,306.16, 20.4.

Total Season Earnings Header 1. Clint Buhler, $27,529.26; 2. Kolton Schmidt, $25,921.37; 3. Jesse Sheffield, $21,209.03; 4. Roland McFadden, $20,351.49; 5. Clay Ullery, $19,909.04.

Total Season Earnings Heeler 1. Tyrel Flewelling, $28,093.70; 2. Brett McCarroll, $24,980.70; 3. Rhen Richard, $21,209.05; 4. Matt Fawcett, 19,726.34; 5. Trent Tunke, $18,422.95.

SADDLE BRONC 1. Taos Muncy, Corona, NM, 83.00, $11,467.84; 2. Rylan Geiger, Bracken, SK, 82.75, $8,527.37; 3. Jim Berry, Rocky Mountain House, 81.00, $5,586.90; 4. Sam Kelts, Millarville, AB, 80.75, $2,646.42; 5. Dustin Flundra, Pincher Creek, AB, 78.50, $1,176.19

Total Season Earnings 1. Rylan Geiger, $51,578.03; 2. Taos Muncy, $47,799.18; 3. Cort Scheer, $39,612.65; 4. Chet Johnson, $39,284.48; 5. Tyler Corrington, $36,920.21.

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Ryle Smith, Oakdale, CA, 8.1, $11,467.84; 2. Dean Edge, Rimbey, AB, 8.5, $8,527.37; 3/4. Alwin Bouchard, Scandia, AB, 8.7, $4,116.66; 3/4. Timber Moore, Aubrey, TX, 8.7, $4,116.66; 5. Morgan Grant, Granton, ON, 9.5, $1,176.19.

Total Season Earnings 1. Timber Moore, $42,244.06; 2. Morgan Grant, $39,302.77; 3. Curtis Cassidy, $33,012.76; 4. Chad Johnson, $32,261.89; 5. Nate Baldwin, $28,934.39.

LADIES BARREL RACING 1. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, SD, 14.556, $11,467.84; 2. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, OR, 14.692, $8,527.37; 3.Deb Guelly, Okotoks, AB, 14.711, $5,586.90; 4. Britany Diaz, Mandan, ND, 14.791, $2,646.42; 5. Nancy Csabay, Taber, AB, 14.830, $1,176.19.

Total Season Earnings 1. Lisa Lockhart, $68,654.56; 2. Brenda Mays, $35,870.37; 3. Kim Schulze, $33,782.78; 4. Britany Diaz, $28,900.01; 5. Nikki Steffes, $31,304.85;
BULL RIDING 1. Chad Besplug, Claresholm, AB, 86.50, $11,467.84; 2. Scott Schiffner, Strathmore, AB, 84.00, $8,527.37; 3. Jordan Hansen, Okotoks, AB, 83.50, $5,586.90; 4/5. Beau Brooks, Cochrane, AB, 82.50, $1,911.31; 4/5. Tyler Thomson, Black Diamond, AB, 82.50, $1,911.31.

Total Season Earnings 1. Scott Schiffner, $48,541.31; 2. Dakota Buttar, $43,667.54; 3. Chad Besplug, $43,064.29; 4. Tanner Girletz, $42,192.61; 5. Tyler Thomson, $41,732.31

ALL AROUND 1. Travis Reay, $20,022.43; 2. Ky Marshall, $19,945.96

HIGH POINT 1. Morgan Grant, $73,825.22; 2. Chad Johnson, $45,710.50; 3. Curtis Cassidy, $44,737.64; 4. Rhen Richard, $34,720.53; 5. Logan Hodson, $29,530.06


Other Information:

Nicole Briggs was crowned Miss Rodeo Canada 2014 at the November 9 CFR matinee performance.

Rexall Place was sold out for the Saturday, November 9, 2013 evening performance of the Canadian Finals Rodeo with attendance at 16,638.

For more information and full results on Canadian Finals Rodeo, visit cfr.ca.