Game Notes – Kelowna

THE BULLS TAKE KELOWNA – This weekend, for the fourth consecutive season, and fifth time in history, PBR Canada’s elite Cup Series will buck into Kelowna, British Columbia. The PBR Okanagan Challenge, the sixth elite tour event of the season, will be held at Prospera Place on Thursday, July 17. The competition will begin at 7 p.m. PT.

RELATED: Click here for the complete Kelowna Game Notes. 

THIS WEEKEND’S FORMAT – The PBR Okanagan Challenge will feature two rounds of bull riding and is a Tier 1 Challenger Series Global event. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 on Thursday. The 10 bull riders with the top scores will then advance to the championship round later than evening, where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to be crowned the event champion. This weekend, one rider will have the chance to earn 120 national points, in addition to ride score points.

TIME TO TALK TOURING PRO DIVISION – While it may have only been a month since the most recent Cup Series event in Ottawa, Ontario, the PBR Canada Touring Pro Division event has been in full swing, holding eight events. Here’s a recap of how each event unfolded:

Cluny, AB (June 26): As an electric crowd watched on in Cluny, Alberta, Jett Harkins reached a crucial career milestone, delivering the high-marked ride of the Cluny Charity PBR to win his career-first PBR event. Harkins was tasked with House Fire in Round 1. In what proved to be a perfect pairing, Harkins rode the animal athlete for an event-best 87 points. Despite being bucked off by Time Marches On in 2.56 seconds in the championship round, Harkins’ opening round score was enough to clinch him his first PBR event victory. Harkins left Coulee Creek Farms with 46 national points. He rose from unranked to then No. 25 in the Canadian standings. Canadian No. 1 Dakota Buttar furthered his grasp on the top spot in the national standings by finishing third. Chasing his record-tying third PBR Canada Championship this November, Buttar rode Hiway Junky for 84 points in the opening round to collect 22 national points. Buttar grew his lead over to No. 2 Jake Gardner to a then 142 points. While Harkins will not compete in Kelowna, Buttar will be in action inside Prospera Place, drawing Shockazoola in Round 1.

Ponoka, AB (June 28): As the 2025 PBR Canada season continued in Ponoka, Alberta, Garrett Green, Brady Fielder and Julio Cesar Marques rode supreme, tying for the event win at the Wild West PBR. Each contender logged an 85-point ride in the one-round event to collect 63.33 national points. Green rode Magic Jam, while the Texas Rattlers’ Fielder covered High Ballin and the Kansas City Outlaws’ Marques bested Shot Caller. Green climbed from No. 6 to then No. 5 in Canada, inching within 405.33 points of No. 1 Dakota Buttar. For Fielder and Marques they surged from unranked to No. 25. Atop the Canadian standings, both No. 1 Buttar and No. 2 Jake Gardner were bucked off. Buttar was tossed by Cracker Jack in 5.32 seconds, while Gardner was launched by King Pin in 2.26 seconds. The buckoffs from both Buttar and Gardner allowed No. 3 Jared Parsonage who finished sixth to gain ground in the title race. Parsonage made the 8 on Blue Nerve for 83 points to earn 20 national points. The reserved Saskatchewan man remained No. 3 in Canada, closing within 334.17 points of No. 1 Buttar. Fielder and Marques will not compete in Kelowna, but Green will look to continue his climb when he attempts Jingle and Go. For Gardner and Parsonage, they have drawn Holy Smokes and Twisted Logic, respectively.

Calgary, AB #1 (July 1): As the Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin’ got underway in Calgary, Alberta, Australian sensation Callum Miller rode supreme, winning the first installment of the event at Grey Eagle Resort and Casino. Miller, who rides for the Texas Rattlers in the separate PBR Teams league, was dominant aboard Surprise Twist, covering the bovine athlete for 89.5 points to win the one-round event. Earning 38 national points, Miller rose from unranked to then No. 29 in the Canadian standings. Atop the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship, No. 4 Cody Coverchuk finished third to gain ground in the standings. The two-time PBR Canada Champion rode Carved In Stone for 86 points, collecting 18 national points. While Coverchuk remained No. 4 in Canada, he inched within 375.17 points of No. 1 Dakota Buttar. Buttar, No. 2 Jake Gardner and No. 3 Jared Parsonage were all bucked off as the Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin’ began. Buttar was tossed in 7.41 seconds by Up The Creek, while Garnder was upended by After Glow in 1.31 seconds, and Parsonage was bested by Rorketon Ripper in 3.28 seconds. Neither Miller nor Coverchuk will be in competition in Kelowna.

Calgary, AB #2 (July 2): At the second night of competition for the annual Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin’, Jett Harkins and Macaulie Leather rode a cut above the rest, tying for the event win on the second night of the Touring Pro Division competition at Grey Eagle Resort and Casino. Both Harkins, who rides for the Missouri Thunder in the separate PBR Teams league, and Leather, a member of the Texas Rattlers, registered 88-point rides to cement the win. They covered Margy Kat and Get Rhythm, respectively, to collect 33 national points. Harkins climbed from No. 27 to No. 25 in Canada, while Leather surged from No. 47 to No. 28. Atop the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $100,000 bonus, No. 1 Dakota Buttar tied for sixth to extend his lead in the standings. Buttar rode Sellin Dreams for 83 points to collect 10.5 Canadian national points. The two-time PBR Canada Champion extended his then lead over No. 2 Jake Gardner, who was bucked off by God Bless in 4.81 seconds that evening, to 152.5 points.

Calgary, AB #3 (July 3): At the third iteration of the Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin’, three-time national Champion Aaron Roy was dominant, winning the event to overtake the No. 7 rank in the race for the 2025 Canadian Championship. Roy was tasked with Get Rhythm at Grey Eagle Resort and Casino. In what proved to be a perfect pairing, Roy dominated the bovine athlete for 87.5 points to secure the win at the one-round event. The veteran contender earned 38 national points and rose from No. 8 to No. 7 in the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship as he chases his unprecedented fourth title this November. Atop the standings, No. 4 Cody Coverchuk finished sixth to continue gaining ground on the Top 3 competitors, all of whom bucked off that night. Coverchuk rode Wild Time for 83.5 points, netting 12 national points. While he remained No. 4 in Canada, he climbed within 363.17 points of No. 1 Dakota Buttar. Buttar was unable to grow his lead as he was bested by All Apologies in 4.75 seconds. Suffering a similar fate, No. 2 Jake Gardner was bucked off by Whiskey Moon in 4.25 seconds, and No. 3 Jared Parsonage was upended by Kraken in 2.63 seconds. Slated to be the first man to leave the chutes in Kelowna, Roy has drawn King Pin in Round 1.

Calgary, AB #4 (July 4): On the fourth night of the Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin’, Australian sensation Callum Miller rode in dominant form, winning the Touring Pro Division event courtesy of a monstrous 90-point ride. The Texas Rattler paired with YOLO. Nodding with confidence, Miller remained in perfect time with the bovine athlete, reaching the requisite 8 with ease. Marked a mammoth 90 points, the ride not only clinched Miller the event win, but also earned him 39 national points. He rose from No. 29 to No. 25 in the Canadian standings. Atop the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship, No. 1 Dakota Buttar tied for third to further his grasp on the top rank in the nation. Two-time PBR Canada Champion Buttar rode Jokers Grin for 84.5 points. Collecting 16.5 national points, Buttar grew his lead to 156 points over No. 2 Jake Gardner. Gardner delivered a fifth-place finish of his own, netting 13 national points. At Grey Eagle Resort & Casino, Gardner outlasted Jail Break for 84 points.

Calgary, AB #5 (July 5): At the final iteration of the Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin’, Brady Fielder rode in dominant form, winning the event to crack the Top 15 in the national standings. Fielder, who rides for the Texas Rattlers in the separate PBR Teams league, lit up the scoreboard when he rode Jammer for an unrivaled 87.5 points. Courtesy of a double-entry, Fielder also finished seventh, making the requisite 8 on Yesterdays Misfortunes for 83.5 points. Leaving the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino with 49 national points, Fielder rose from No. 16 to No. 12 in the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship. The Australian sensation was propelled within 612.83 points of No. 1 Dakota Buttar. Two-time PBR Canada Champion Buttar finished eighth that evening. His 83-point effort aboard Blast Off netted him 10 national points. The Top 10 finish allowed Buttar to grow his lead to 166 points over No. 2 Jake Gardner, who was not in competition that evening.

Kinsella, AB (July 9): In Kinsella, Alberta, Tanner Eno showed up and showed out, going a perfect 2-for-2 to win the Kinsella Graveldome Bull-A-Rama. Eno first took on Redneck in Round 1. Conquering the powerful animal athlete for 81 points, Eno advanced to Round 2 third on the event leaderboard. In the final round of the evening, Eno paired with Patiently Waiting for an event-best 86 points to clinch the win. Earning 58 national points for the win, Eno surged from No. 18 to No. 11 in the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship. He now trails No. 1 Dakota Buttar by 598.33 points. In Kelowna, Eno will face All Apologies in Round 1.

PAST KELOWNA EVENT WINNERS – Last July in Kelowna, British Columbia, Jared Parsonage rode supreme, delivering a perfect 2-for-2 performance to win the Okanagan Challenge. Parsonage first put points on the board in Round 1, when he tied for the top score, covering Lost Creek for 84.5 points. The reserved Saskatchewan man then clinched the event win in the championship round as he bested McGregor for 81.5 points. Collecting 120.5 points in the race for the 2024 PBR Canada Championship, Parsonage rose from No. 9 to No. 4 in the standings, propelled within 568.34 points of then No. 1 Cody Coverchuk. As the season continued, Parsonage’s championship push was cut short due to injury, and he concluded 2024 ranked No. 9 in Canada.

2024 Jared Parsonage
2023 Wyatt Gleeson
2022 Brock Radford
2018 Lachlan Richardson

FAMILIAR WATERS – Round 1 of the PBR Okanagan Challenge will feature two rematches. Those riders facing familiar opponents are:

• Cauy Schmidt will attempt Dark Mark for the second time in his career. The two first met at the Touring Pro Division even tin North Battleford, Saskatchewan, in July 2023 with Schmidt lasting the requisite 8 for 86 points.
• Griffin Koester will look to reverse his fortunes on User Friendly. The powerful animal athlete bucked him off this May at the Touring Pro Division event in Camrose, Alberta, in 5.53 seconds.

NEXT UP – Following a near two-month break, the PBR Canada Cup Series will next travel to Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Bonnetts Energy Centre for the PBR Peace Country Invitational on Saturday, September 27. Action will get underway at 7 p.m. MT.   

PROVIDING PROTECTION – The bullfighters on hand for this weekend’s event in Kelowna, British Columbia, are Jesse Byrne, Tanner Byrne and Brett Monea.

 

 

KELOWNA COMPETITORS BY COUNTRY

Brazil (3) – Jerson Arantes, Franciso Costa, Gilmar Santana

Canada (21) – Logan Biever, Dakota Buttar, Weston Davidson, Tanner Eno, Jake Gardner, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Jordan Hansen, Zachery King, Griffin Koester, Micheal Ostashek, Austin Paley, Jared Parsonage, Coy Robbins, Aaron Roy, Ashton Sahli, Cauy Schmidt, Dawson Shannon, Chanse Switzer, Lonnie West, Cole Young

United States (1) – Koltin Hevalow

BREAKDOWN BY PROVINCE –

Alberta – Logan Biever, Tanner Eno, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Jordan Hansen, Griffin Koester, Micheal Ostashek, Austin Paley, Coy Robbins, Ashton Sahli, Cauy Schmidt, Dawson Shannon, Lonnie West, Cole Young;  British Columbia – Jake Gardner, Zachery King; Saskatchewan – Dakota Buttar, Weston Davidson, Jared Parsonage, Aaron Roy, Chanse Switzer.