There are three drivers from the Foothills area vying to become the first local to win the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Chuckwagon championship since Tommy Glass of High River did it in 1994.
One of those three is Tom’s son Jason Glass, a three-time world champion who has knocked on the door — he has been to Calgary’s dash for cash five times — but has come up just short.
After a sixth place finish in Ponoka last week, Glass said he is hoping he has turned the corner for Calgary.
However, there is still work to be done before the Stampede starts this Friday.
“My horses haven’t been starting,” Glass said. “I have some who are trying to and other ones that are key horses that have always been starting, who aren’t working when the horn blows. It’s been tough. “Coming into Calgary we are getting closer. Hopefully, I can put two outfits together that are going to jump when the horn blows.”
He said the new rules in Calgary stating an outriding horse or a wagon horse can only compete a maximum of three of four nights should not affect him because he has the horse power for the 10-day Stampede.
“We have a good shot of winning it,” Glass said.
He also expects Kelly, Kirk and Mark Sutherland to be competitive in Calgary as well as his cousin Colt Cosgrave and Grant Profit who are having good seasons.
Okotoks’ Mark Sutherland, who was a semifinalist last year and he made the final four in 2009, said he is not be bothered by the new rules concerning horses either.
“The top guys who have been in Calgary the last five years manage their horses well,” Sutherland said. “It shouldn’t be an issue… You have to take care of your outriding horses as well as your wagon horses. I have a rotation chart for my outriding horses that I take to Calgary.”
He said while Glass hasn’t won a show this year, the High River driver shouldn’t be counted out.
“Jason has had a tough year, he just doesn’t have the zap he usually does – so far,” Sutherland said. “He’s just too tough of a competitor and too experienced to count out.”
He said he also expects his dad, 11-time Stampede champion Kelly Sutherland, to have a real good chance of winning as well.
“Dad is obviously the toughest guy – he is the defending champion and he has won it the most,” he said. “He can also win off any barrel of any of the guys. The rest of us have to figure out how to beat him.”
Meanwhile, The King, was keeping his cards close to his vest.
“Mark is good and solid going into Calgary,” Kelly said. “But, I think we (the Kelly Sutherland outfit) will be fine.”
Jordie Fike has been in High River since the spring and he is even newer to the Calgary Stampede.
When Fike lines up this Friday, it will the first time he has raced in Calgary. He qualified by finishing 20th in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association standings last year.
“I used to watch my grandfather (Ron David) race in Calgary, but I have never been a driver before,” the 24-year-old Fike said. “My strategy is just to be clean and consistent.”
He said his goal is to make the top 18 out of the 36 drivers in order to earn a spot for the 2012 Calgary Stampede.
The Rangeland Derby runs from July 8-17 at 8 p.m. at the Calgary Stampede. The top eight drivers out of 36 will advance to the semifinals on July 16. The top four times in the semifinals will advance to the final in which the winner receives $100,000.
