Game Notes – Red Deer

BACK TO BUCKING – This weekend, for the fifth time in history, PBR Canada’s elite Cup Series will buck into Red Deer, Alberta. The PBR Red Deer Classic will be held at Marchant Crane Centrium on Saturday, January 31. Adding to the significance of the event, the tour stop is the season-launch event for the premier Cup Series. The Red Deer event will begin Saturday, January 31 at 7 p.m. MST with Round 1 and the championship round.

 

RELATED: Click here for the complete Red Deer Game Notes. 

THIS WEEKEND’S FORMAT – The PBR Red Deer Classic will feature two rounds of bull riding and is a Tier 1 Velocity Tour Global event. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 on Saturday. 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.

RELATED: Click here for the 2025 statistics bulletin. 

MORE PRECISE JUDGING AND SCORING – PBR has introduced a refined judging system for the 2026 season, shifting to tenth-point (.1) scoring for both riders and bulls to preserve the traditional structure while allowing judges to capture subtle performance differences that were previously obscured under the half-point model. A two-year study of more than 15,500 top-level rides showed that elite bulls deliver remarkably similar performances – 96% of bull scores over 19 points fell between 20 points and 22 points, and 81% cluster tightly between 20.5 points and 21.5 points –effectively limiting judges to just a few scoring “buckets.” The new increments let judges distinguish more precisely, such as scoring a bull 21.2 points instead of being forced into 21-point or 21.5-point score, with the same nuance applied to rider dominance, control, and spurring. While ties may still occur, they should be far less common, and a built-in variance cap ensures a rider’s score cannot exceed the bull’s by more than 3 points, maintaining balance between components. Because judges already evaluate in tenths informally, making .1 increments official aligns scoring with real practice, delivering greater accuracy, transparency, and fairness for fans, riders, and coaches as PBR enters 2026.

FAST FACTS TO BEGIN 2026 – The 2026 series for the elite Cup Series may not yet be underway, but Canada’s finest riders, bullfighters and bulls got back to work just days after the 2025 National Finals. A few fast facts to know before the bucking begins are:

On Monday, January 26, bull rider turned bullfighter Tanner Byrne took to social media announcing that the 2026 season would be his last, set to retire from the arena at year’s end. Byrne began his career on the back of the bull, qualifying for the prestigious PBR World Finals four times, winning three elite Unleash The Beast events, riding to two Glen Keeley Awards and claiming the PBR Canada Championship in 2015. In 2019, Byrne transitioned from boots to cleats, following in the footsteps of his father and brothers, joining the family business of bullfighting. Byrne went on to become one of the nation’s top bullfighters in the role, selected to work the PBR Canada National Finals annually for the past seven years. Byrne has also become known in households across the country, serving as an on-the-dirt reporter for PBR Canada telecasts on TSN. This weekend in Red Deer, Alberta, Byrne will begin his farewell campaign working alongside his brother Jesse Byrne and Brett Monea.

Only one rider will travel to Red Deer, Alberta, having enter both Touring Pro Division events held thus far this season, and covered all of his draws – two-time PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz. After going 2-for-2 to finish second at the first event of the new campaign in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Tetz extended his ride streak to four outs when he delivered a matching 2-for-2 showing to win the most recent developmental event in Oyen, Alberta. Tetz has also won three of four rounds held to date on Canadian soil. Tetz’ success have led him to begin the PBR Red Deer Classic ranked an early No. 1 in the race for the 2026 PBR Canada Championship. He will look to further his lead when he climbs aboard All Gold Everything in Round 1 inside Marchant Crane Centrium.

LET’S RECAP THE 2026 TPD ACTION – While the first bull has yet to buck for the elite Cup Series, the developmental Touring Pro Division has held two events, travelling to Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, and Oyen, Alberta. Here is a recap of those events:

Lloydminster, Saskatchewan (Nov. 22, 2025): As the 2026 season got underway in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, young gun Jeremy Maisonneuve rode supreme, going a perfect 2-for-2 to win his first PBR Canada event, victorious at the Touring Pro Division’s PBR Winter Classic. The 18-year-old sensation got off to a fast start in Round 1, conquering User Friendly for a second-best 85.5 points. Maisonneuve then went head-to-head with Pyper in the championship round. Matching the powerful animal athlete jump-for-jump, Maisonneuve was marked an event-best 86.5 points to cement his career-first PBR Canada win. Courtesy of the golden finish, Maisonneuve earned 59 national points, vaulting to an then early No. 1 rank in the race for the 2026 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $100,000 bonus. He left the event leading then No. 2 Nick Tetz by 10 points. Looking down the leaderboard in Lloydminster, Tetz finished second as the only other rider to cover both of his animal athlete opponents, while Marshall Senger was third, Dakota Buttar was fourth and Logan Biever was fifth.

Oyen, Alberta (Dec. 31, 2025): Approximately one month later as the 2026 PBR Canada season rode on in Oyen, Alberta, Nick Tetz showed up and showed out, going a perfect 2-for-2 and sweeping both rounds of competition at the Touring Pro Division event, to win the Happy Buckin’ New Years Professional Bullarama at Crossroads Ag Center. The win allowed Tetz to overtake the No. 1 rank in the race for the 2026 PBR Canada Championship. Tetz, who is chasing his record-tying third national title this season, got off to a quick start, winning Round 1 when he went the distance on Rorketon Ripper for 86.3 points. The reserved Albertan then took on Snow Day in the championship round. Dominating the bovine athlete with ease, Tetz was awarded an event-best 88 points to cement his victory. Leaving the event with 136 national points, Tetz rose from No. 2 to No. 1 in the national standings, propelled 104 points ahead of new No. 2 Trinity Bear. Elsewhere in the Top 5, Bear and Coy Robbins also delivered 2-for-2 showings to finish second and third, respectively, while Stefan Tonita was fourth and Jhett Wheeler was fifth.

PAST RED DEER EVENT WINNERS – When the Cup Series last travelled to Red Deer in February 2025, welcoming a record-setting, sold-out crowd, Dakota Buttar rode supreme, going a perfect 2-for-2 to win the event and overtake the then No. 1 rank in the race for the 2025 PBR Canada Championship. Buttar got off to a quick in Round 1, delivering the second-best score when he topped Pay Day for 86 points. With the second selection in the championship round bull draft, Buttar architected a showdown with More or Less, a decision which proved dividends. Remaining in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete, Buttar reached the whistle for an event-best 87 points, proving enough to clinch the win. The golden finish garnered Buttar a crucial 126 national points. He rose from unranked to then No. 1 in the Canadian standings, leading No. 2 Jordan Hansen by 43 points. As the season continued, Buttar won an additional two Cup Series events before qualifying for the National Finals ranked No. 2 in Canada. Despite a 3-for-4 showing that led him to finish the year-end event third, Buttar did not have enough to earn his record-tying third national title. He concluded the season No. 2 in Canada, trailing Champion Jared Parsonage by 213 points. Eager to defend his PBR Red Deer Classic win, Buttar will look to strike early in Round 1 when he takes on Joker On A Jack. He will begin the event ranked No. 6 in Canada, 144 points behind current No. 1 Nick Tetz.

2025 Dakota Buttar
2024 Jake Gardner
2023 Jared Parsonage
2022 Jake Gardner

FAMILIAR WATERS – Round 1 of the PBR Red Deer Classic will feature one rematch. The riders facing a familiar opponent is:

• Coy Robbins will look to even the score against Holy Smokes. The two first met during Round 2 of the 2025 PBR Canada National Finals last November, as the powerful animal athlete launched Robbins in 6.03 seconds to earn a 42.25-point score.

NEXT UP – The 2026 PBR Canada Sup Series will next travel to Lethbridge, Alberta, and VisitLethridge.com Arena for the PBR South Country Co-op Showdown on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. Action will get underway nightly at 7 p.m. MST.   

PROVIDING PROTECTION – The bullfighters on hand for this weekend’s event in Red Deer, Alberta, are Jesse Byrne, Tanner Byrne and Brett Monea.

 

RED DEER COMPETITORS BY COUNTRY

Canada (26) – Holden Atkinson, Logan Biever, Dakota Buttar, Cody Coverchuk, Tyler Craig, Weston Davidson, Lucas Dunand, Tanner Eno, Jake Gardner, Dusty Glenn, Garrett Green, Griffin Koester, Nash Loewen, Jeremy Maisonneuve, Lonnie Phillips, Coy Robbins, Aaron Roy, Ashton Sahli, Cauy Schmidt, Marshall Senger, Dixon Tattrie, Nick Tetz, Stefan Tonita, Lonnie West, Jhett Wheeler, Cole Young

United States (2) – Dalton Allred, Wacey Schalla

BREAKDOWN BY PROVINCE –

Alberta – Holden Atkinson, Logan Biever, Tyler Craig, Lucas Dunand, Tanner Eno, Dusty Glenn, Garrett Green, Griffin Koester, Coy Robbins, Ashton Sahli, Cauy Schmidt, Dixon Tattrie, Nick Tetz, Lonnie West, Jhett Wheeler, Cole Young; British Columbia – Jake Gardner, Nash Loewen, Lonnie Phillips; Quebec – Jeremy Maisonneuve; Saskatchewan – Dakota Buttar, Cody Coverchuk, Weston Davidson, Aaron Roy, Marshall Senger, Stefan Tonita.