Layne MacGillivray (Yellow), Kurt Bensmiller (Red)
Top Two Qualifiers For Sunday’s Championship Final In Calgary
Photo By Shellie Scott
There was a lot on the line on night number nine of the Cowboys Rangeland Derby. It was a tremendous evening of racing both weather wise and excitement wise, and after nine days of competitive chuckwagon racing, the championship final heat for the 2022 Calgary Stampede Cowboys Rangeland Derby Championship has now been set as Layne MacGillivray, Kurt Bensmiller and Kris Molle will make up the 2022 championship final heat.
Layne MacGillivray qualified for Sunday’s Championship Final in first place overall after recording the fastest aggregate time over nine night with a 11:03.62. Kurt Bensmiller qualified in second place overall with a nine day aggregate time of 11:04.03, and Kris Molle snuck into third place overall with a nine day total of 11:09.98.
Outrider penalties proved costly to Obrey Motowylo who was the odd man out, 1.34 seconds out of a spot in Sunday’s final, with Doug Irvine rounding out the top five overall. Darcy Flad, who was sitting in third place overall at the start of the day, received a no-time thus eliminating him from Sunday’s final. It will be the first time that both MacGillivray and Molle will compete in the Cowboys Rangeland Derby’s Championship final heat, while Kurt Bensmiller – a four-time champion – will be making his sixth appearance in the championship final heat. The winner of the championship final heat will be declared the 2022 Calgary Stampede Cowboys Rangeland Derby Champion.
As far as the day results go, Chanse Vigen’s Cowboys outfit won the day money for the second consecutive night and for the third time this week with the top time of the night after posting a 1:12.71 from barrel number one in the ninth heat. That put him 18 one-hundredths of a second ahead of Kris Molle, followed by Kurt Bensmiller, Layne MacGillivray and Vern Nolin who filled out the top five for the night.
Live coverage of the final day of the 2022 Cowboys Rangeland Derby can be seen on Sunday Night, July 17, 2022, on Sportsnet One starting at 8:30pm local time. Check your local listings.
Billy Melville
