EDMONTON, Alta. – PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada today announced the Top 12 contenders for the coveted 2024 Canadian Global Bull of The Year honor and accompanying $10,000 bonus to be awarded at the Command Tubular PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, on Nov. 8-9 in Edmonton, Alberta, at Rogers Place.
The 2024 Canadian Global PBR Canada Bull of the Year will be the animal athlete with the highest average score when combining his Top 5 outs from the regular season across all levels of competition and his top out at the 2024 PBR Canada National Finals. While the Bull of the Year will receive a $10,000 bonus, the runner-up to the coveted title will be presented a $2,500 bonus.
The rank contingent is led by Kinky Buckers’ Grand Funk, currently 0.4 points ahead of No. 2 contender Ringling Road. After making his PBR debut in 2022, Grand Funk has had a career year in 2024, concluding the season with a 44.3-point average score. Bucking 11 times on home soil throughout the season, Grand Funk has claimed a PBR Canada-best five Bull of the Event titles; two were earned via a career-best 44.5-point bull score.
Grand Funk first topped the scoreboard in early May, earning his first Bull of the Event title at the Touring Pro Division event in Brooks, Alberta marked a career-best 44.5 points for 4.65 seconds of work against Chanse Switzer. The trip was one of three career-high, 44.5-point outings for Grand Funk. He also delivered the score in Cluny, Alberta, besting Brahmer Gaehring in 3.69 seconds, and in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, tossing Dakota Buttar in 6.02 seconds.
In addition to earning the Bull of the Event title in Brooks, Grand Funk’s outs in Camrose, Alberta, Kelowna, British Columbia, Stavely, Alberta and Saskatoon were also the best of any bucking bull at the tour stop.
Grand Funk was ridden just twice during the 2024 campaign – on his first two outs of the season. The powerful animal athlete was covered by Jared Parsonage for 87 points in Red Deer, Alberta, in early February, and Nick Tetz for 89 points a month later in Lethbridge, Alberta. During those outs, Grand Funk was marked 42 points and 43.5 points, respectively. Across his entire career, those are the lone two qualified rides atop Grand Funk in his 22 outs on record.
While Grand Funk leads the standings, he is closely followed by No. 2 Ringling Road. Hailing from Wilson Rodeo, Ringling Road also bucked to a PBR Canada best five Bull of the Event honors, holding a 43.9-point average score ahead of the 2024 PBR Canada National Finals. He was the top marked animal athlete in Brandon, Manitoba, Kingston, Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Ponoka, Alberta and Kelowna, British Columbia.
Ringling Road was one of two animal athletes to register a season-best 45-point bull score, delivering the top marks in Kingston, Ontario, when he sent Stefan Tonita airborne in 2.98 seconds.
In 2024, Ringling Road was unridden in 13 outs. Since making his PBR Canada debut in 2022, he has been solved just once, by Tetz for 87.25 points during the 2023 PBR Canada National Finals, in 23 career outs.
Beginning the 2024 PBR Canada National Finals as the No. 4 ranked eligible bovine athlete, reigning Canadian Global Bull of the Year Built Tough is attempting to become the first back-to-back winner of the coveted honor in PBR Canada history.
Ahead of this weekend’s event at Rogers Place, Built Tough trails top-ranked Grand Funk by 0.7 points holding a 43.6-point average.
During the 2024 regular season, Built Tough was anointed Bull of the Event three times. He was twice marked a season-best 44 points, unridden in nine outs.
The complete list of contenders for this year’s Canadian Global PBR Canada Bull of the Year honor are:
No. 1 Grand Funk (Kinky Buckers) – 44.3 points
No. 2 Ringling Road (Wilson Rodeo) – 43.9 points (-0.4 points)
No. 3 Moonwalk (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) – 43.7 points (-0.6 points)
No. 4 Built Tough (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) – 43.6 points (-0.7 points)
No. 5 Whiskey Moon (Skori Bucking Bulls) – 43.5 points (-0.8 points)
No. 6T Langham Kid (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) – 43.4 points (-0.9 points)
No. 6T Dialed In (Wilson Rodeo) – 43.4 points (-0.9 points)
No. 8T Emerald Inn (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/B2 Braithwaite Ranches) – 43.2 points (-1.1 points)
No. 8T Tailor Made (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle) – 43.2 points (-1.1 points)
No. 10T Purple People Eater (Flying High Rodeo Co.) – 43 points (-1.3 points)
No. 10T Bench Warrant (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Hartman) – 43 points (-1.3 points)
No. 10T Superstition (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Wilson Rodeo) – 43 points (-1.3 points)
The 2024 PBR Canada National Finals will mark the richest iteration of the year-end event ever held. The two-day event inside the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers will pay out an unprecedented $250,000, including a historic $100,000 bonus to the 2024 PBR Canada Champion, and a minimum of $50,000 guaranteed to the event winner.
The bull riding action for 2024 Command Tubular PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, begins at 7 p.m. MST on Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at Rogers Place.
The 2024 Command Tubular PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, will feature four rounds of bull riding. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 and Round 2 on Friday and Round 3 on Saturday.
The 12 bull riders with the top combined ride scores will then advance to the championship round on Saturday where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to win the PBR Canada National Finals event and earn crucial points to be crowned the 2024 PBR Canada Champion. During the event Round 2, Round 3 and the championship round will feature a rider drafted draw, while Round 1 will be pre-determined.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.ca.
Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), X (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results, news, stats and more.
Photo courtesy of Covy Moore/CovyMoore.com