When Brock Radford left for Music City, USA on the weekend, he was no. 1 on the bull riding charts in Okotoks.
However, the DeWinton bull rider dropped to No. 3 when a pair of bull riders spun a pair of magical rides on the final two trips of the Okotoks Pro Rodeo on Aug. 25 in Millarville.
Zane Lambert and Thor Hoefer shared first place with scores of 87.5 in the bull riding on Sunday. Radford finished third with an 84 on Wayne Vold’s bull All Access Friday night.
They were the only riders to cover their bulls as Vold’s ornery crew came out way ahead.
Lambert knew that if he could stay on Devour for eight seconds, he’d be cashing a nice cheque.
“I had a really good bull and I just had to do my part,” Lambert said. “They have been 88, 89 on this bull a lot, so I knew he was a bull I could win on.”
Lambert had a flair for the dramatics. He was the final rider of the rodeo and while he was trying to get comfortable on a 2,000-pound bull who wanted to toss him further than a Bo Levi Mitchell pass to Eric Rogers, another bull got loose at the back of the chutes (no one was in danger).
“They had me get off my bull to go rope the bull and bring him back in,” Lambert said with a laugh. “That put me on hold, I got a drink of water and I reset… I took my time and made sure everything was right.”
Hoefer had ridden just before Lambert and hung on for eight seconds on Strong Arm for an 87.5, to drop Radford, briefly to second.
Ironically, Hoefer and Lambert were sitting 17th and 18th in the Pro Rodeo Canada standings going into Okotoks. They both took home $1,328 from Okotoks, while Radford, who was in 20th spot, picked up a $937 cheque.
But the Foothills Comp grad didn’t exactly go home.
Radford, who rode on Friday night in Millarville, competed in the Unleash the Beast PBR event in Nashville on Aug. 25.
Radford’s third-place was tops among Foothills area athletes at the Okotoks rodeo.
However, several cashed a cheque.
Hometown girl Jenna O’Reilly from Millarville was fourth in the barrel racing, winning $782, while Longview’s Suzanne DePaoli was seventh. Toni Dixon of Millarville was 10th.
The cash will help O’Reilly, a Holy Trinity Academy grad, as she tries to qualify for her first Canadian Finals Rodeo. She was ninth going into Okotoks. The top 12 go to the finals.
In the saddle bronc, Kole Ashbacher from Arrowwood was fifth on Vold’s bronc Comeback Red with a 77.5.
Clint Buhler of Okotoks teamed up with Chase Simpson of Claresholm to finish eighth in team roping in Okotoks.
Two of the most prominent Foothills folks in the infield were pick-up men Jim Kelts, from Millarville, a Canadian Rodeo hall of fame bronc rider, and Tyler Thomson, the 2008 Canadian Bull Riding champion from Black Diamond.
To see full standings and results for Okotoks Pro Rodeo go to rodeocanada.com
Champions at 2019 Okotoks Pro Rodeo in Millarville Aug. 23-25.
Bareback — Ky Marshall, 86, Mucho Dinero
Steer wrestling — Chad Anderson, 3.9s
Saddle bronc — Dawson Dahm, 84.5, Shorty
Team Roping — Brett Buss/Klay Whyte, 5.1s
Tie-down roping — Alwin Bouchard, 7.9 s
Barrel racing — Lynette Brodoway, 15.643s
Bull riding — 1. Zane Lambert, Devour; Thor Hoefer, Strong Arm, 87.5
