The Calgary Stampede: Preview, Format and How to Watch

BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT

One of the crown jewels of 100 Rodeos in 100 Days begins a little early with the Leap Year in 2024: The Calgary Stampede and its $2 million in prize money begins on July 5, right in the heart of Cowboy Christmas.

Rodeo is as deep as it has ever been, across the board, and in its second year with an expanded field, it has gotten even harder to claim the famous bronze in Calgary.

FORMAT

The Calgary Stampede unveiled a new format in 2023 that will continue in 2024. There are now three pools instead of two, with the Top 4 from each advancing to Championship Sunday. With an expanded field from 20 to 30 in each event, there is no longer a Wild Card Saturday. Each athlete will compete three times in their pool, with $7,000 going to the winner of each Go-Round.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pool A

The bareback riding gets started with a stacked Pool A that includes upstart rookie Weston Timberman making his Stampede debut alongside names like Cole Reiner, Kade Sonnier, Leighton Berry, Cole Franks and Mason Clements. There are only four spots, so some NFR-contending cowboys who had their Cowboy Christmas cut short to come to Calgary could be shut out.

Pool A also includes the top-ranked steer wrestler and tie-down roper in the World in Shad Mayfield, and among those competing against Mayfield is four-time World Champion, the semi-retired Caleb Smidt. Tuf Cooper and John Douch also are in Pool A.

Saddle bronc riding in Pool A includes three of the Top 5 cowboys in the PRCA World Standings - Sage Newman, Lefty Holman and Statler Wright, not to mention the four-time World Champion Zeke Thurston, who is up to No. 8.

As for the ladies, legends Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi and Lisa Lockhart are both in Pool A, while Emily Beisel, who always seems to perform well north of the border, is up as well. Those three ladies made up the Top 3 at this rodeo in 2023.

Pool B

Pool B begins on July 8 and brings with it a tough tie-down roping crew that includes 2023 NFR qualifiers Westyn Hughes, Shane Hanchey, Haven Meged, Beau Cooper and Riley Webb, the latter two are the reigning Calgary Stampede Champion and World Champion. Not to mention, Trevor Hale and Dylan Hancock, two young stars who are both in the Top 20 in the PRCA World Standings.

The bulldogging is almost equally tough with 8-of-10 competitors having made the NFR since 2020. It includes 2019 and 2020 World Champions Ty Erickson and Jacob Edler as well as Stetson Jorgensen, Dakota Eldridge, JD Struxness and Jesse Brown.

In the roughstock events, the highlight is the bull riding, where No. 1 and No. 2 in the World, Creek Young and Josh Frost will both compete. In saddle bronc riding, World No. 1 Damian Brennan as well as six-time NFR qualifier Chase Brooks will be in town. And in bareback riding, veterans Richmond Champion, RC Landingham and Tanner Aus will do battle with next-generation starts like Bradlee Miller, Rocker Steiner and Cooper Coooke.

Pool C

The final crop of competitors brings some of the best barrel racers in the World to Calgary with Jordon Briggs, Leslie Smalygo, Stevi Hillman, Kassie Mowry, Wenda Johnson, and Hailey Kinsel all competing.

In bareback riding, Orin Larsen, Jayco Roper, Jess Pope, and Dean Thompson are among those competing and the bronc riding is just as good with Canadian studs like Logan Hay, Dawson Hay, and Ben Andersen riding against the likes of Wyatt Casper, Ryder Wright and Brody Cress.

The bull riding is headlined by the return of 2023 World Champion Ky Hamilton and he’ll be locking horns with some equally flashy riders like Clayton Sellars and JR Stratford. Not to mention rock-solid veterans like Roscoe Jarboe, Jeff Askey, Tyler Bingham and Dustin Boquet. Every bull rider in this pool has made the NFR except Cooper James, and he’s No. 1 in the Resistol Rookie Standings.

HOW TO WATCH AND BROADCAST SCHEDULE

You can watch every performance on The Cowboy Channel and The Cowboy Channel+ App. For a full broadcast schedule click HERE.