Professional bull riders return to Kelowna this summer

The Professional Bull Riders Canada’s elite Cup Series is coming to Kelowna in July, so you might want to giddy-up and get your tickets.

It is the first time in four years, and second time in history, the series has bucked into Kelowna’s Prospera Place.

The Cup Series features the country’s best riders alongside some of the league’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation, according to a Prospera Place media release.

The one night event on July 20 will include eight-second rides and wrecks as professional bull riders face off against their 2,000-pound opponents.

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The tour launches on June 11 in Red Deer and travels across Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan prior to arriving in Kelowna.

Four years ago, when the Cup Series debuted in Kelowna, Australian standout Lachlan Richardson went a perfect 2-for-2 to capture the event win. To begin the event, Richardson first made the 8 on Broken Trigger for 86 points to finish second in Round 1. In the Championship Round he brought the crowd to its feet when he rode Finning Majic Shivers for 86.5 points.

In 2017, Professional Bull Riders Canada held its first ever event in Kelowna as part of the Touring Pro Division. Brock Radford of Alberta won the stop, his second of a historic four consecutive event wins, as the only rider to deliver a perfect 2-for-2 performance. Radford, who double entered, also finished sixth at the event.

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The Cup Series’ return to Kelowna comes on the spurs of one of the most exciting, and historic, battles for the Professional Bull Riders Canada Championship in history.

After a dominant season, including four event wins across all levels of competition and a victory in one of the division’s special 5/5 Bucking Battles, Dakota Buttar of Saskatchewan entered the 2021 national finals with a firm grip on first place for the championship, and accompanying $50,000 bonus. However, a groin injury initially sustained at the final regular season event of the year proved too much for Buttar to battle, inevitably sidelining him from competition the last day of the campaign, Prospera Place said.

With the title decided on the final outs of the year, 2018 champion Cody Coverchuk of Saskatchewan mounted an incredible come-from-behind surge, erasing Buttar’s 53.66-point lead, to conclude the year as number one in the nation, capturing his second career national championship.

The Saskatchewan contender clinched the title, and his share of the record $175,000 purse paid out at the year-end event, with an impressive 89.5-point ride aboard annual Bull of the Year contender Finning Lil Shorty. Coverchuk is now one of just three riders to have won the coveted championship in multiple seasons, joining the likes of two-time title holder Zane Lambert of Alberta and three-time champion Aaron Roy of Saskatchewan, Prospera Place said.

The bull riding event in Kelowna begins at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 20. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 6, at 10:00 a.m., and start at $30.

Standard fees may apply and tickets can be purchased here or at the Prospera Place box office, or by phone at 250-762-5050.

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