Dirt was flying, hooves were thumping and cowboys were hollering this past week as horse drawn chariot and chuckwagon races entertained thousands of fans at the 2015 Yorkton Exhibition from July 1-3.
“It was a great few days of racing, there have been no glitches whatsoever and the track has been the best it’s been since I’ve been coming here and I’ve been coming here for about 15 years now,” Manitoba Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Association (MPCCA) President Kurtis Callendar told Yorkton This Week, adding, “The track is probably the best we’ve seen and the crowd has been good, the weather has been good and that’s all we can ask for.”
Callendar also mentioned that the races - co-hosted by both the Manitoba Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Association (MPCCA) and the Eastern Professional Chariot and Chuckwagon Association (EPCCA) - not only entertained the fans but also provided the competitors with one of their toughest competitions of the 2015 season. “We’ve been saying for years that this is one of the toughest shows around,” suggested Callendar. “I’ve been to shows in Saskachewan, Manitoba and Alberta throughout the years and this is by far the toughest show I go to.”
The difficulty and prestige of the Yorkton event, Callendar believes, is one of the main reasons why 38 chariots and 43 chuckwagons made their way to Yorkton from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota, noting that a strong finish at the Yorkton Exhibition event looks good on a racers resume. “Everyone wants to win or finish top five in Yorkton because of the importance of the event. This is the only competition where the Manitoba and Eastern Associations join up, so to finish strong here proves that that outfit is very tough.”
Chuckwagon results
Day One of chuckwagon racing saw six outfits finish with a sub-63 time. Unfortunately only five were able to finish in the top five on the night as Kevin Gareau (Belle Pulses) was the odd man out, finishing in sixth place with a time of 62.61.
Rick Althouse’s time of 62.54 gave him fifth overall after the opening day of races, while Clayton Hawreluik’s (Vale Country) time of 62.52 was good enough for fourth. Third and second place finishers for Day One were Ryan Peterson (Kelvington Stock Yard) and George Sanderson (Country Wide Stucco) with times of 61.36 and 61.30 respectively while Casey Peterson’s (Yorkton Hyundai) outfit was the only one to run a sub-61 time, finishing atop the charts with a sparkling 60.81 run.
Day Two saw Gareau improve one spot into fifth place with a 62.04 run while Larry Salmond (West Coast Amusements) took home fourth place honours on Day Two with a time of 61.79. Randy Nordick (Mustang Trailers) finished third with a time of 61.75 while Day One champion Casey Peterson once again found a spot in the top three, this time dropping one position to second with a time of 61.67.
Colt Peterson edged Casey for top spot on Day Two with a time of 61.50.
Day Three saw Casey Peterson drop from second to fifth with a time of 62.00 while Randy Schnell cracked the top five for the first time with a run of 61.81. Third place on the final day of racing went to Ryan Peterson (61.71), second went to George Sanderson (61.33) and first went to Larry Salmond (60.72). Salmond’s run was also the fastest of the entire competition.
Overall totals saw Colt Peterson finish fifth (188.86), Kevin Gareau fourth (188.25), Ryan Peterson third (186.50) and George Sanderson second (184.72).
Casey Peterson took home the first place title with a combined three run time of 184.48.
Chariot results
Chariot racing Day One results saw Colin Kilborn finish fifth with a time of 61.90, Carol Hooge fourth (61.37),Ross Schnell third (59.94), Kurtis Longman second (59.74) and Casey Peterson first (58.30).
Day Two had Walter Longman fifth (60.13), Casey Peterson fourth (60.02), Ross Schnell third (60.00), Colleen Galloway second (59.84) and Kurtis Longman first (59.57).
The third and final day of the races saw Day Two champion Kurtis Longman finish fifth with a time of 60.19. Colleen Galloway fourth (60.12), Carol Hooge third (59.86), Ross Schnell second (59.32) and Casey Peterson first with an event best 57.98.
Overall Walter Longman finished in fifth with a three run total time of 183.15, Carol Hooge fourth (181.59), Kurtis Longman third (179.50), Ross Schnell second (179.26) and Casey Peterson with an impressive total time of 176.30 to take both the chariot and chuckwagon first place titles.
