2023 Battle Of The Foothills Champions
Davco Industrial Construction Services Outfit
Back Row (L-R): Outriders Hayden Motowylo and Trey MacGillivray, Driver Jamie Laboucane, Dana Laboucane,
High River Little MIss Britches Rodeo Queen Olivia Knight Presenting
Front Row (L-R): Ella Laboucane and Oliver Laboucane
Photo By Billy Melville
It was a hot summer Sunday afternoon in Southern Alberta with some of the best chuckwagon racing in the World on the menu. In a highly anticipated $30,000.00 championship final heat at the Battle of the Foothills in High River, Chanse Vigen, Jamie Laboucane, Wade Salmond and Jason Glass survived the semi-final round and would run for the championship at one of chuckwagon racing’s most prestigious events on the WPCA Pro Tour. On one of the most exciting race nights of the year, Jamie Laboucane – driving the Davco Industrial Construction Services outfit, and along with outriders Trey MacGillivray and Hayden Motowylo collected the first-place winner’s cheque and the 2023 Battle of the Foothills Championship. The win was Laboucane’s second on season after capturing the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede earlier in the year.
Laboucane captured the Battle of the Foothills crown with a run of 1:16. 13, which included a 1 second penalty for being outside the chalk line from barrel position number 1. Chanse Vigen who crossed the finish line first from barrel postion nuber 4 in a raipid 1:14.77, but was pushed back to second place after being penalized 3 seconds for an outrider knocking over a barrel and coming in late. Wade Salmond, whoose running time of 1:would have been good enough to win the Championship Final, also was penalized 2 seconds for an outrider missing a barrel and had to settle for third place from barrel position number two. Hometown hero Jason Glass, a two-time champion in High River, was penalty free but finihed a distant fourth in Sunday afternoon’s final.
As far as the day results go, Mitch Sutherland’s second wagon – the Laycraft/Moncrieff Farms outfit – which was being driven by his father Kirk Sutherland, grabbed the day money after posting the fast time of the entire sheet with a 1:15.78 from barrel number 4 in heat number seven. Kris Molle placed second, Jamie Laboucane placed third, with Evan Salmond and Rae Croteau Jr. filling out the top five on the night.
The WPCA Pro Tour will now move onto Strathmore, Alberta for the Strathmore Stampede starting Friday, August 4, 2023. Live action can be heard starting on Friday at 9:00pm ET, 8:00pm CT and 7:00pm MT on Real Country 910. As well, fans can watch the races live on the watch.wpca.comstreaming platform.
Billy Melville
