NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. – Going a perfect 2-for-2 Thursday evening in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, two-time PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Champion Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) rode supreme, winning the Touring Pro Division’s McDonald’s Colby Cave Memorial PBR Classic.
Chasing his record-tying third national title this November, Coverchuk got off to a quick start in Round 1, delivering the second-best score when he conquered Dealing After Midnight (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for 85 points.
As the penultimate man to leave the chutes inside the North Battleford Civic Center, Coverchuk next climbed aboard Finning Lil Shorty (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) in the championship round. Remaining in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete, Coverchuk reached the requisite 8 for an event-best 87 points to cement the victory.
Coverchuk garnered a crucial 38 points for his home province event win. Ranked No. 5 in the nation prior to the tour stop, the Meadow Lake man rose one position to No. 4. He now trails No. 1 Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) by 85.34 points.
Second was reigning PBR Canada Rookie of the Year Cauy Schmidt (Coronation, Alberta).
Schmidt was unrivaled in the opening round, covering Dark Mark (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) for 86 points.
The Albertan, however, fell just short of the win when he was upended by Whiskey Clouds (Skori Bucking Bulls) in 4.81 seconds in the final round.
Courtesy of the silver finish, Schmidt earned 20 national points. He rose from No. 28 to No. 26 in the standings as he seeks his second career qualification to the PBR Canada National Finals in Edmonton, Alberta.
Tanner Skene (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) parlayed an 82-point ride aboard Joe Exotic (CS Bucking Bulls) in Round 1 into a third-place finish.
Leaving the McDonald’s Colby Cave Memorial PBR Classic with 17 national points, Skene is now tied for the No. 37 rank in Canada.
Fourth was Stefan Tonita (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan).
Going 1-for-2, Tonita rode Calm Like A Bomb (CS Bucking Bulls) for 79.5 points in Round 1, before being tossed by Emerald Inn (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/B2 Braithwaite Ranches) in 4.62 seconds in the championship round.
The Saskatoon native garnered 12 national points, propelling him from the No. 12 to No. 11 rank. He is now just 175.5 points back of No. 1 Tetz.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Cole Brewer (Eagleview, South Dakota).
Brewer rode Holy Terror (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle) for 74 points in Round 1 to collect 11 national points.
In the bull pen, Sure Shot (Skori Bucking Bulls) and The Remedy (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/B2 Braithwaite Ranches) tied for the Bull of the Event honor, each marked 44 points in the championship round. Sure Shot earned the top score for his 4.03-second buckoff of Brewer, while The Remedy was awarded the points during his out with Skene.
The 2023 PBR Canada season continues Friday, July 28 in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, for the Touring Pro Division’s Showdown in Cowtown. Action at High Chaparral Arena begins at 6:00 p.m. CST.
Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results, news, stats and more.
PBR Canada Touring Pro Division
McDonald’s Colby Cave Memorial PBR Classic
North Battleford Civic Center – North Battleford, Saskatchewan
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Cody Coverchuk, 85-87-172.00-38 Points.
2. Cauy Schmidt, 86-0-86.00-20 Points.
3. Tanner Skene, 82-0-82.00-17 Points.
4. Stefan Tonita, 79.5-0-79.50-12 Points.
5. Cole Brewer [2], 74-0-74.00-11 Points.
Aaron Roy, 0-0-0.00
Chad Hartman, 0-0-0.00
Blake Smith, 0-0-0.00
Ashton Sahli, 0-0-0.00
Weston Davidson, 0-0-0.00
Cole Brewer [1], 0-0-0.00
Griffin Smeltzer, 0-0-0.00
Brock Radford, 0-0-0.00
Callum Miller, 0-0-0.00
Marcos Gloria, 0-0-0.00
Keaton Martz, 0-0-0.00
Jono Couling, 0-0-0.00
Tyson Salmon, 0-0-0.00
Kane Taylor, 0-0-0.00
Wyatt Milgate, 0-0-0.00
Brahmer Gaehring, 0-0-0.00
Brayden Shore, 0-0-0.00
Lucas Dunand, 0-0-0.00
Beau Tallis, 0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Covy Moore/CovyMoore.com
