Latest news with #chuckwagon
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Best feeling in the world': Chanse Vigen captures first Rangeland Derby title with 'rockstar' drive
'The Rangeland Derby Rockstar' finally lived up to his nickname. Chanse Vigen did what he wasn't able to do last year and outraced Jason Glass across the finish line in the championship final heat of the 2025 Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta. 'I just feel like I've been working towards this my whole life,' said Vigen, who's originally from Grande Prairie, Alta., but now lives in Calgary with his wife Brie. 'I just feel so relieved.' And how did it feel to add a bit more punch to the nickname that track announcer Les McIntyre gave him? 'I wasn't trying to rock anything,' said Vigen in regards to winning chuckwagon's ultimate prize in his fourth trip to the final heat. 'I just wanted to win the race and I've never wanted something so bad. It's the best feeling in the world. There's a lot of emotion running through me right now. It's the best night of my life.' After finishing third one year ago, Vigen was able to execute a perfect figure-eight turn around the barrels in his wagon to secure his spot along the rail before racing around the Stampede Park track in 1:13.44 to beat Glass — the defending champion — and his Birchcliff Energy outfit across the line by 1.27 seconds. In his first time competing in the Rangeland Derby final, Jamie Laboucane (Panorama Advisory Group) hit a barrel and wound up in third spot. 'You're never comfortable when you're hooked (with) Jason Glass and Jamie Laboucane,' said Vigen, who finished third in last year's final. 'They're the two fiercest competitors out there, probably not to take anything away from anybody. They're just so tough and consistent and loaded with horsepower, and it was a tough race. I don't know if there was a favourite to win the race tonight. Anybody could have won that race, and our horses just responded and answered the bell.' Racing down the final stretch and hearing the roar of crowd at GMC Stadium was something Vigen will never forget. 'I saw my whole life flash before my eyes,' said Vigen, who looked back to make sure his outriders Rory Gervais and Ethan Motowylo were behind him, which they were. 'I knew we were going to win.' Outrider Trey MacGillivray, who also worked with the team throughout the 10-day show, also accompanied Vigen to the stage to be honoured for his efforts. Although he wasn't able to duplicate the success he had when he won his first Rangeland Derby title, Logan Gorst (International Petroleum Group) still won the Richard Cosgrave Memorial and Safety Award and a $30,000 bonus for finishing with the fastest cumulative time through 10 nights among drivers who didn't take a penalty. Besides the $80,000 payout doled out in the final heat, an additional $78,200 was paid out to the other drivers on Sunday. Aboard his STARS/De Havilland Aircraft of Canada rig, Wade Salmond finished his Stampede off strong with the fastest time of the night. Salmond recorded with a time of 1:13.18, the fastest of the first eight heats, to take home $6,000. Rory Gervais won the Atco Outrider Award and a cheque for $2,000. Ethan Motowylo finished second, while his brother Hayden Motowylo placed third. Both won $1,000 … D.J. King won the Orville Strandquist Memorial rookie driver award and received an additional payday of $3,000 … Vigen, Laboucane and Glass all had horses win Equine Athlete of Excellence Awards. Vigen's right leader Junior and Laboucane's left leader 3Score were honoured for their excellence as was Glass's outriding horse. Chad Fike's left wheeler Bro and Obrey Motowylo's right wheeler Bugsy were also given awards as was Darcy Flad's outriding horse Wade.
CBC
7 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
'Humane decision': Horse euthanized after injury during Calgary Stampede chuckwagon race
Officials from the Calgary Stampede say a horse that was hurt during a chuckwagon race on Saturday has been euthanized. A Stampede spokesperson says a horse on Chad Fike's team sustained a racing injury during the eighth heat. They say medical care was immediately dispatched, but following an assessment, the owner and the veterinary team made the "humane decision" to euthanize the horse. An entry on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association website says Fike, who lives in Cremona, Alta., is a fourth-generation chuckwagon competitor. The horse is the first reported animal death at the 2025 Calgary Stampede, which wraps today. Three horses and a steer were euthanized at last year's Stampede, and animal rights groups have long called for the rodeo portion of the event to be eliminated because of the deaths.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Ray Croteau Jr. dominates Saturday night at Rangeland Derby but falls short in bid to land in Sunday championship heat
Ray Croteau Jr. won Day 10 at the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby Saturday night, edging out defending champion Jason Glass. Ray Croteau Jr. won the night Saturday at the Rangeland Derby but he lost the aggregate. Croteau Jr. turned in a sterling time of 1:11.84 Saturday to take the day money in the chuckwagon races, defeating defending champ Jason Glass by six one-hundredths of a second. Logan Gorst finished third, followed by Laboucane and Chanse Vigen, who tied Evan Salmond for fifth. However, when all was said and done, Glass claimed third place in the aggregate, landing a spot in Sunday's championship final heat. Jason Glass, July 10, 2025 Defending Rangeland Derby champ Jason Glass moved into third place overall after winning the day money Thursday night at the Calgary Stampede. (Photo: WPCA/ShellieScott) There, he will compete against Laboucane and Vigen for the title of Rangeland Derby champ, along with $50,000 and a GMC truck. Vigen and Laboucane both built significant leads throughout the week as they dominated the top two spots. Vigen's nine-day aggregate time was 10:54.33. Laboucane finished with an aggregate time of 10:55.81, while Glass finished 10:59.07. Croteau Jr. won $6,000 for finishing with the top time Saturday night, landing him in fourth place in the aggregate, 2.16 seconds behind Glass. Obrey Molowylo finished fifth overall, 2.46 seconds back. The finals start at 7:15 p.m. Sunday night.
CTV News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
1 horse dead following Saturday chuckwagon races at Calgary Stampede
Chad Fike of Cremona had the best time on opening night of the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby. An injured horse was euthanized following the chuckwagon races Saturday night at the Calgary Stampede. A Stampede spokesperson confirmed that the horse, which was part of Chad Fike's team, suffered a leg injury in the eighth heat of the night. A decision was made to euthanize the animal. Fike pulled up during the eighth heat and received no time. This is a developing story that will be updated throughout the day. With files from CTV's Jordan Kanygin
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chuckwagon horse injured Saturday at Calgary Stampede races
A horse was injured Saturday night at the Calgary Stampede's Rangeland Derby chuckwagon races. No immediate report was available regarding the horse's condition, but it was loaded onto a trailer as announcer Les McIntyre told the crowd that the horse would get the best care and would hopefully be able to return to racing. The horse was part of the rig of Chad Fike, a fourth-generation driver who has been coming to the Stampede for more than 10 years. The Saturday night injury occurred in Heat 8 of the chuckwagon races. A time-delayed television broadcast of the race showed Fike's rig starting the race with two other competitors, but didn't make mention of why the race ended with only those two other competitors crossing the finish line. Later in the broadcast, it was announced Fike had received 'no time' in the race and had 'pulled up' in the back part of the track. Earlier this week, Fike talked to Postmedia Calgary about how important his horses are, saying he puts countless hours into their care. 'It's about a 16-hour day in the summer — getting up early, making sure they always have food in front of them, they're staying cool and hydrated,' said Fike. 'They are professional athletes, and they have to be treated like that.' The Calgary Stampede is known as a leader when it comes to rodeo and chuckwagon safety, and earlier this month held a news conference to share new research and safety protocols. Items are installed in barns including misters — to keep animals cool when the temperature rises — as well as a salt water spa to help reduce swelling of horses' joints and muscles. Importantly, the Stampede has a fitness-to-compete program, which makes sure that before any chuckwagon horses are put on the track they are in good shape. At the start of the day, veterinarians check every horse that will be used in the races, which includes a check of their temperature, heart rate and overall wellness. Vets do another check around 5 p.m. daily, before the horses get final clearance to race. 'Our goal is to create the very safest conditions possible,' Kristina Barnes, the Stampede's director of agriculture and western events, said shortly before this year's Stampede. The Stampede has a team of veterinarians on site 24 hours a day, as well as an animal behaviour specialist and a third-party auditor who works to identify improvements that can be made. 'If any animal at the rodeo is showing any signs of distress, it does not compete,' Barnes said. Beginning in April of each year, the Stampede's venue maintenance teams begin preparing the track and infield for the rodeo. The conditions of the track play a major role in the safety of rodeo events. 'About 1,800 hours have been put into this area to this point,' Barnes said in late June. 'They will continue to work moving up to Stampede, and they'll go overnight if they need to, to make sure the track conditions are safe.' Additionally, the Stampede's continued partnership with the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is leading industry research on animal welfare and safety.
