Jayden Roy Claims First Cup Series Victory in Medicine Hat

AIRDRIE, Alta. – In front of a packed Co-op Place in Medicine Hat, Alberta, PBR Canada added another new name to the Cup Series winners' list, and another French-Canadian rider in Jayden Roy.

As the only man in the field to go a perfect 2-for-2, the Quebec native took home the win, while also vaulting himself into a near-lock for the PBR Canada National Finals next month in Edmonton, Alberta and Rogers Place.

After topping Cracker Jack for 84.6 points in Round 1, Roy rode fellow W Sunrise bovine athlete Strapper for 87.3 points in the championship round, a score that not only strengthened his National Finals bid, but also tightened the PBR Canada Rookie of the Year race heading into the final three events of the season.

Much like his good friend and fellow Quebecer Jeremy Maisonneuve did one year earlier, Roy made his way west this season to compete in the PBR Canada ranks.

Roy’s first event came at the PBR Canada Cup Series stop in Brandon, Manitoba, in May, the same event where Maisonneuve earned his first win on the prestigious circuit.

"I wanted to start with the circuit in Canada. There's no PBR in Quebec. The first one I got into was Manitoba. Since I was young, I've wanted to do PBR and PBR Canada," Roy said.

"It's just a big show. You know, with Brinson and everything. The only big show that we have in Quebec is St. Tite. But it was one of my first big shows inside, in the big stadium, with all the people and the lights and the fireworks. It was awesome."

Coming west, Roy said his goal was simple: compete, gain experience, and build toward eventually heading south to the United States.

But partway through the season, that path accelerated quickly.

Roy entered the PBR Teams Draft and was picked up by the Nashville Stampede, giving him access to a lifetime's worth of experience from World Champion coaches Justin McBride and Silvano Alves, along with riders such as Daylon Swearingen and Ky Hamilton.

"Two years ago, I think it's on Prime Video, they posted a series about the team. And I was like, all right, I want to be on a team. I worked my ass off since seeing that, and it means the world to me to just have the opportunity to go to that team specifically," Roy explained.

"I spoke with Justin and Silvano. These are two amazing coaches and they just understood that I have to go through that PBR circuit, PBR Canada circuit. But it's just an amazing experience to go there and travel with these guys, go to a couple events and stay there for a couple months. Training with these guys is just a different mentality. And that thing is going to help a lot."

Capturing a first Cup Series win in a rookie season is something not every rider in Canada can say they've accomplished.

For Roy, the moment was big, even if he tried not to treat it that way.

"So it's big for me to just go to PBR Canada. But to win, like in Medicine Hat, it was my first Canada Cup win. So it means a lot to me," he said.

"I don't want to make it smaller than it looks. It can be easy to just say, 'Oh yeah, I won.' But I try to just focus on it being a normal event, just like the IPRA rodeos last year, and trying to keep it that simple. It's just the same bull riding, except the association is different. So I try to keep it that simple."

As for his goals in Canada, the Rookie of the Year race is now firmly on his mind.

At this point in the season, two clear frontrunners have emerged: Roy and his travelling partner, Maisonneuve.

"I want to win that Rookie. I'm too far to win the overall championship, but I want to win that Rookie. And, you know, that little competition with me and Jeremy is just really exciting to see French-Canadian guys from Quebec really competing against each other and having fun," he said.

With his ticket all but punched to the PBR Canada National Finals on November 13-14 inside Rogers Place, Roy has one piece of advice for fans still thinking about picking up tickets to the richest bull riding event in the country, set to payout $275,000 across the two nights of action.

"Stop thinking and just do it because it's incredible. It's an amazing place. It's an amazing experience. It's a big show. It's just a big party with Brinson and everything. And if they need to see real bull riding, then they should come to Saskatoon and the Finals in Edmonton."