It has been said that the road to the Canadian bronc riding championship runs through Big Valley, Alberta. And it’s true. That central Alberta community is the home of the man who has won six of those titles in a row—Zeke Thurston.
And at the start of this Canadian Finals Rodeo, Thurston was in his customary spot atop the Canadian standings. And he padded that lead Wednesday with a win in round one of the CFR.
Now, with three of the five CFR performances complete, one challenger has stepped to the forefront as Thurston’s biggest challenger. That man is Eckville, Alberta cowboy, Ben Andersen. With wins in each of the last two go rounds, Anderson has climbed to within a few hundred dollars of Thurston, the #2 ranked cowboy in the world and has the lead in the lucrative aggregate standings as well where Thurston has fallen to second place.
In Friday night’s third round, Andersen rode H-51 Heated Western from the Calgary Stampede to an 88.5 score and his second go-round win to date. “I’ve never been on that horse,” Andersen acknowledged. “I’ve seen him a lot this year. They put him in the Broncs right after Calgary and ever since it’s been awesome. I was pretty excited to get on him and it worked out for me.”
“You’ve got to be prepared,” Andersen added. “As I’ve matured, I do a little more homework, look at my horses and make a game plan. But really, I’m just having fun getting on bucking horses and hanging out with my friends.”
What all that comes down to is a heavyweight fight between two of Canada’s best during Championship Saturday’s two performances that will ring down the curtain on CFR 52.
Bareback riding: Caldwell, Idaho bareback rider Jacob Lees enjoyed a rematch with Duane Kesler’s 81 Felton Angus Hot Shot, and weathered a giant move out of the chute to win Round 3 with an 88.00 point score. Lees won the Lethbridge Pro Rodeo in August aboard the 8-year-old red roan. 2019 Canadian Champion, Orin Larsen remains at the top in the standings and the aggregate, with Ethan Mazurenko sitting right behind him in both races.
Tie-down roping: Marwayne tie-down roper, Austin Hines, stopped the clock in 8.2 seconds to make his second victory lap of the week. With the round win, he moved to the lead in the tie-down standings, while also adding a few tenths to his lead in the aggregate.
Steer wrestling: Ryan Shuckburgh dodged a bullet with a round winning run on a slow-moving steer that makes it easy to break the barrier, a fate Schuckburg escaped. The Innisfail cowboy threw his steer in 3.9 seconds for the go-round win in Round 3, having drawn the steer that Landon Beardsworth won Round 1 on. Scott Guenthner still holds a commanding lead for his sixth Canadian title, while Jonny Webb sits atop the aggregate standings.
Barrel racing: On a night with some of the fastest times to date, Montana’s Heather Crowley and Sherwood Park, cowgirl, Tammy Lee Taylor, made identical 13.63 second runs to split the victory on Friday night. With her share of the winnings, Crowley jumps back to the top of the board after entering CFR 52 as the season leader, while Austyn Tobey sits right behind her in the standings while leading the aggregate. As many as ten of the competitors still stay within the race for the event win coming into Championship Saturday.
Team roping: After back-to-back no times, team ropers Derek Hadland and Jeremy Buhler changed their fortunes with a rapid 4.4 second run to take the victory lap. Despite a barrier penalty being added to their 3.9 second run in the third round, Kavis Drake and Denim Ross still sit atop the year-end standings, while Logan and Keely Bonnett move into the lead in the aggregate.
Bull riding: Making his fifth consecutive CFR appearance, bull rider, Coy Robbins, rode Calgary
Stampede’s 185 Debt Collector for 85.50 points and the go round victory. After Grady Young
made a major recovery early in his ride to earn his third straight score, he inched closer to clinching the title heading into tomorrow.
Breakaway roping: Reigning champion Bradi Whiteside bested the field of breakaway ropers for the second straight round, this time with a 1.8 second run, the fastest of the week. She holds a commanding lead for her second consecutive title, while Kendal Pierson made another smooth run to lead the aggregate.
Two champions were declared as the Novice Bareback and Novice Saddle Bronc Riding wrapped up after three days of sudden death competition. In the final round, bareback riding stalwart Quaide Skjonsberg completed a sweep of the rounds with an 83.00 point ride on Duffy Rodeo’ 213 Blue Bananas to capture his second title. And in the novice saddle bronc riding event, Sawyer Hutchinson dominated with his third ride of the weekend, a 79.25 point effort on Duffy’s 242 Tool Time. to clinch the championship.
Junior Steer Riding: Ryder Topolinski had mathematically clinched the junior steer riding title coming into round 3 before padding his lead with a 77.00 point score on Lazy 2’s #88. With steer riders competing in one more round Saturday afternoon, the young cowboy left the arena pretty gingerly, but will likely grit it out to finish off his second consecutive championship season.
Today is a big day at Rogers Place with two performances, the matinee starting at 11:00 am and the final performance with a 6:30 pm start time.
For complete unofficial results go to rodeocanada.com
For CFR ticket information and a schedule of CFR events happening around the city, visit cfr.ca
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About CPRA
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) with headquarters in Airdrie, Alta. is the official sanctioning body for Professional Rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves 60+ events annually with a total payout just shy of $8 million. The organization oversees the Massey Ferguson Pro Tour Finale September 2-5 in Armstrong, BC, holds their premiere event–the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB October 7-10 and sanctions the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals November 25-28 as part of Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, SK. For details, please see RodeoCanada.com
The Canadian Finals Rodeo is the premier rodeo event in Canada, bringing together the nation’s top rodeo athletes to compete for national championships. Powered by ATB and proudly produced by Explore Edmonton, the Canadian Finals Rodeo is where the best rodeo athletes come together to compete, celebrate, and make history. Held annually in Edmonton, the CFR is a celebration of Western heritage, sport, and community. The Canadian Finals Rodeo takes place at Rogers Place Arena from October 7-10, 2026.
Explore Edmonton is the Destination Marketing and Management Organization for Edmonton, connecting experiences, events, venues, and stories to attract visitors and elevate the city’s profile. The organization drives economic, cultural, and community impact through the visitor economy, while stewarding key venues and producing iconic events.
Photos and video footage of tonight’s events are available for media. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an interview:
Tya Waterman, Carissa Barke
CFR Media Centre e. cfrmedia@exploreedmonton.com
p. 587-930-8198
or
Barb Poulsen
CPRA Communications and Media
Phone: 403 625-9225
Email: media@rodeocanada.com