Zeke Thurston is no stranger to the Winner’s walk across the stage at the Calgary Stampede. After an impressive Showdown Sunday, the Alberta native did it again.
A 90.5-point ride in Round 1 of Pool B was good enough for second-place money, but Thurston was just getting started. He racked up over $14,000 in Pool B to be the No. 1 advancer to Championship Sunday.
After putting up a score of 89.5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Steely Dan in the Semifinals, Thurston picked the legendary grey of C5 Rodeo, Virgil, for the 3-Man Round. The two would stack up for 92.5 points. It would be Thurston’s second win on one of rodeo’s most iconic bucking horses.
“That’s kind of the game plan every time. It’s kind of a good mixture when you get these bucking horses they bring to Calgary with the best bronc riders,” Thurston said.
Thurston’s choice on Showdown Sunday earned him enough to move into the Top 5 in the World with plenty of Summer Run left to add to it.