Late Season Drama

Three crucial rodeos, two timely wins and one big weekend perfectly define bareback rider Spur Lacasse as he mounts a late season charge for a CFR berth.

The CFR cowboy, who is still recovering from the knee reconstruction that kept him out of action for a year, found his A-game and captured wins at Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo and the BCNE Rodeo (Prince George, BC).

“That was my best-feeling ride of the season,” the second-generation bareback rider said of his eight seconds on the Calgary Stampede five year old, F-28 Fresh Chick. “That is a great young horse of Calgary’s and she was electric. The result was 87 points for a welcome $1104 payday.” Lacasse followed that up with an 84 point effort on C+ Rodeo’s veteran CFR horse CY47 Ginger for an additional $932. “I’ve wanted to get on that horse for a long time,” the Quebec native commented. “She’s a little hard to get out on but was really sweet in the arena, and made the trip up north worth it.”

Lacasse entered the weekend ranked fourteenth and is locked in a four way battle for the final two spots on this year’s CFR roster with Wyatt Maines, Ethan Mazurenko and Australian Dallas Hay.

“It’ll be a dog fight to the end,” Lacasse added. “But I try not to look at that part of it. I can only control the way I ride each bucking horse.”

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Ladies Breakaway roper Macy Auclair just finished one of her most lucrative weekends ever.  The Ponoka, AB cowgirl won Cranbrook with a 2.1 second run for $1444 and split the win at Pincher Creek with World Rookie contender Shaya Biever (1.9, $1001 each).

“This weekend was pretty crucial as I wasn’t quite where I want to be in the standings,” Auclair said, “and I haven’t been drawing the best the last couple of weeks. When I saw my draw at Cranbrook and Pincher [Creek], I knew that I had a really good opportunity to excel, and that I needed to take advantage of it.

Part of the second generation roper’s success can be attributed to a 14-year-old mare named Pistol. Acquired by the Auclair family via a five dollar raffle ticket when Macy was just seven years old and a junior rodeo competitor, Pistol came to be a breakaway horse rather suddenly.

“My dad and I were at the amateur rodeo in Mayerthorpe, Alberta; he was riding my good horse, Chex, at the time in the calf roping. When Chex was injured, six year old Pistol was the only horse left at the trailer. She had never been through a barrier, and I had never roped on her before. Breakaway roping was the next event so I quickly threw my saddle on her and hoped for the best. I ended up winning the rodeo with a 2.6. I basically haven’t got off her since! She’s been a dream!“

Pistol went on to take Macy to her first high school finals, win her first college rodeo and first pro rodeo. The duo is now set on earning their first CFR qualification. Macy, who stays sharp by diligently roping the dummy twice a day and practicing on her horse whenever possible, counts among her mentors, her dad, Scott Auclair, her mom, Michelle Auclair and World Champion, Cody Ohl.

Just two dollars away from twelfth spot in the Canadian standings heading into the weekend, the talented athlete will be solidly inside the top twelve courtesy of her dual wins.

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2017 Canadian Tie Down Roping Champion Logan Bird and his amazing Horse of the Year, Peso, were up to their old tricks on the weekend with a win at Cranbrook, a 2/3 split at Pincher Creek and a 4th at the BCNA Rodeo.

The trio of excellent results consolidates the Nanton, Alberta cowboy’s top five position in the Canadian standings.

See rodeocanada.com for complete unofficial results.

Next up on the Pro Rodeo Canada schedule is the Lethbridge Pro Rodeo, one of the final season stops on the SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour August 24-26 and the Okotoks Pro Rodeo August 25-27 (held at the Millarville, AB Racing and Ag Society grounds).

PHOTO CREDITS:
Spur Lacasse, Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo – photo by Billie-Jean Duff
Macy Auclair, Cranbrook Pro Rodeo – photo by Chantelle Bowman