Rookie Kade Sonnier knew he needed a challenge if he wanted to secure his first Calgary Stampede Championship Title and he got just that as he chose C5 Rodeo’s Virgil for his final horse in the four-man round.
Sonnier is no stranger to this powerhouse of a horse as he went head-to-head with Virgil just a few short weeks ago at the Ponoka Stampede where the cowboy notched the Go-Round and Average win.
The match up was unlike any other on Showdown Sunday as Sonnier marked a monster 92-point ride to move to the top of the leaderboard and make his mark on the Stampede.
Sonnier is the second consecutive rookie to win the bareback riding at the Calgary Stampede as Resistol Rookie of the Year Rocker Steiner took home the Championship Bronze on Calgary Stampede’s Yipee Kibitz in 2022.
Now sitting No. 3 in the PRCA World Standings and No. 2 in the Resistol Rookie Standings, Sonnier is at the top of his game with $107,957 in earnings.
Tim O’Connell, Tanner Aus and Caleb Bennett advanced into the four-man round alongside Sonnier on Championship Sunday.