NORTHEAST – On July 14, fans watched the 101st Rangeland Derby dash for cash championship final with Jason Glass finishing number one and Layne MacGillivray taking second place.
The Calgary Stampede saw its final chuckwagon race on a sunny Sunday. The finals of the Calgary Stampede Cowboys Rangeland Derby had a wealth of experienced champions in the finals. Veteran driver Jason Glass won the championship final from barrel number one, Glass was 1.91 seconds quicker than defending Rangeland Derby Champion Layne MacGillivray, originally from Melfort, who placed second from barrel number two. Chanse Vigen placed third from barrel position number three in a final he will want to forget, knocking a barrel over before the race even began.
Layne MacGillivray told SaskToday.ca that he was just focused on his horses when his competitor, Chance Vignon, hit a barrel before the race started. “You need to be focused and be mentally prepared and ready for that final race, staying consistent is important,” MacGillivray said.
The Equine Athlete of Excellence Awards recognized the horses at the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby. Chanse Vigen’s “GRAYSON” was recognized as the Champion Left Leader, Jason Glass’ “CHASKA” as the Champion Right Leader, Obrey Motowylo’s “BUGSY” the Champion Left Wheeler, Chad Fike’s “RIDER” the Champion Right Wheeler, and the Champion Outriding Horses were “BOB” of Rae Croteau Jr. and “WIZARD” of Wade Salmond.
On the final night, Darcy Flad had the fastest time of 1:10.61, Chad Fike was a close second. 2024 Champion Jason Glass was third and Wade Salmond placed fourth from Weekes, Sask.
Salmond talked with SaskToday.ca and said he had a great week and winning the money on night five for the fastest time will be a highlight. This is his second Rangeland Derby and will also being taking home money for having no driver penalties. Salmond ended up placing fourth overall in the aggregate and hopes to continue the fast times with clean races in the upcoming shows. Evan Salmond from Hudson Bay, Sask. placed 12th in the aggregate.
