A good team got even stronger with the return of one of its veterans.
Mark Sutherland had his right leader, Digger, back for the Strathmore Stampede for barrel 1 and 2 and it worked.
”I didn’t use him in either Ponoka or Calgary,” Sutherland said. “I was able to get him back for Strathmore and he helped us a lot for this show.”
Sutherland finished third in the aggregate in Strathmore with a four-day total of 5:00.69 from Aug. 2-5. Kurt Bensmiller won the Strathmore show for the second-straight year. Vern Nolin was second.
Sutherland was fifth overall among the 36 drivers on Day 1 from the first barrel. A slight mistake cost him from battling for day money on Aug. 2.
“The horses worked really well from barrel 1 but I made a slight bobble,” Sutherland said. “That tiny mistake cost me 2/10s of a second and that how quick it is. It just drops you from first to fifth… fortunately, I corrected that mistake and I won day money the next night.”
Sutherland topped the leaderboard with a time of 1:14.56 from the two barrel on Saturday. He led the aggregate after the second night.
His horses ran great on the third night, but they were forced to run three-wide for the majority of the race.
“We went for it off of barrel three and I was about a foot ahead of Codey McCurrach and he was running two wide,” Sutherland said. “It wasn’t safe to go, so I didn’t go for it (the inside).
“I led the race until the homestretch and they just tuckered out. I’m in the eighth heat against Cody Ridsdale, Codey McCurrach and Luke Tournier. They are there for a reason. When you are running with the big boys and you go for it, sometime you take a trip.
“The horses gave it their all, they just didn’t have enough to hang on.”
He finished 19th overall on Sunday, dropping Sutherland down to fourth in the aggregate.
He was able to rebound on the fourth night, finishing tied for second with Tournier in the aggregate.
Sutherland is sitting fourth in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association standings behind leader Vern Nolin, two-time defending world champion Kurt Bensmiller and 2019 Calgary Stampede champion Logan Gorst. He has finished in the top three in three of the past shows on the circuit, second in High River, winning the Ponoka Stampede and now third in Strathmore.
It was a strong showing for Foothills area drivers.
High River’s Jason Glass was ninth in the aggregate, followed by Jordie Fike in 10th spot.
Fike is having the best season of his career sitting in 11th spot in the world standings, Glass, a four-time world champion is 12th.
There are three more shows on the WPCA circuit, including this weekend in Dawson Creek. Those are followed by Rocky Mountain House and the finals at Century Downs near Balzac on Aug. 21-25.
Sutherland said he needs to be good and lucky to win his first world championship.
“Realistically for me to win, they have to have some mistakes or get some bad luck,” Sutherland said. “They haven’t done that this year. Kurt Bensmiller is Kurt Bensmiller he has won everything there is in this sport. Vern Nolin is leading the world and Logan Gorst, everybody just celebrated him winning the Calgary Stampede.
“I am going to need some luck to pass these guys. But I passed some guys this show, maybe I can pass some this show and my horses are running well.
“But those guys have been running very consistently all year. I just have to take it night by night.”
For more information go to wpca.com
