ProRodeo Sports News - July 22, 2022

BY BRADY RENCK & PATRICK EVERSON Logan makes Hay in saddle bronc riding

Covy Moore photo Saddle bronc rider Logan Hay, son of Canadian legend Rod Hay, added to the family legacy by capturing the crown at The Calgary Stampede with an 89.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Baby Kibitz.

Logan Hay’s home inWildwood, Alberta, is 3.5 hours away from Calgary, home of one of the biggest and most lucrative rodeos on the PRCA circuit. That’s more than close enough for the Calgary Stampede to be near and dear to Hay’s heart. “I’ve been picturing winning Calgary since I was 2 years old,” Hay said. Now, he can do more than picture it. The 25-year-old son of Canadian legend Rod Hay is the newly minted Calgary Stampede saddle bronc champion. Hay made it through his four-round pool with $9,000 in earnings, then took fourth in the semifinals to earn a spot in the four-rider Showdown round. Then he spurred Baby Kibitz to 89.5 points and a first-place check of $50,000. “That’s pretty cool,” Hay said, noting it was his first time on that horse. “I saw ZekeThurston get on him in the first round, and he had a good ride. And my traveling partner, Dawson Dahm, he’d been on the horse at Wildwood in June. So, I’d seen the horse and had some good intel.” Since Hay qualified fourth for the Showdown, he was the first one to ride – not an ideal situation, but a challenge he was up for. “I think that kind of helped me, knowing I had to make the best possible

ride I could. You’ve got three of the best in the world going after you. It’s pretty hard to win first when you’re going first,” Hay said, while giving credit to a great horse in Baby Kibitz. “He’s never been in the Final Four at Calgary, and neither have I. So, he had a really good day, and so did I.” For that matter, so did anyone with a tie to Hay. Younger brother Dawson Hay (89 points) took second in the Showdown, followed by Lefty Holman – Dawson is married to one of Lefty’s cousins – and Ben Andersen, a second cousin to Logan and Dawson. For his week spent at the Stampede, Logan racked up about $60,000, with $31,300 counting toward the PRCA/RAMWorld Standings. Not surprisingly, that led to a big move up those standings, from 17th pre-Calgary to eighth afterward, with season winnings of $82,692. Logan is still seeking his first Wrangler NFR berth, and although the Calgary win certainly took some pressure off, he’s inclined to pretend it never even happened. “I try not to look at it long-term,” he said. “I’m still gonna rodeo as hard as if I didn’t win Calgary, and hopefully we’ll see everyone in Las Vegas in December.”

ProRodeo Sports News 7/22/2022

ProRodeo.com

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