Fort St. John’s Gardner within hair of PBR Canada Cup overall lead

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A pair of successful performances to round out August and begin September have Jake Gardner within striking distance of the overall Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Canada Cup lead.

Gardner, a native of Fort St. John who now lives in Alberta, had top finishes at both the Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede in Armstrong, B.C. and Saskatchewan’s Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational.

In Armstrong on August 31st, Gardner’s first round ride of Wise Guy netted him 85 points, which was enough to secure the championship despite him being bucked off in the finals riding Dark Mark.

He described being “grateful” for the victory in a Facebook post, complimenting the crowd’s atmosphere and the event’s committee for “how they look after the competitors.”

Next it was off to Kindersley, Saskatchewan for the Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational, which started on Friday, September 5th.

Going a perfect three-for-three on rides, Gardner rode Bull Black and Decker for a score of 82 in the opening round. He followed it up with a score of 82.5 points in the second round atop Says Who, punching his ticket to the final round.

Riding Dark Mark, the same bull who he was bucked off a week earlier, Gardner rode it to victory, shaving second-place Dakota Buttar, the overall points leader and the tournament’s host, lead to just 1.5 points.

Gardner said the win was “another great weekend on the trail.”

The next PBR Canada Cup series event is scheduled for Saturday, September 27th in Grande Prairie.  

For further details about PBR Canada, visit its website.