Saskatchewan's Grady Young on a bull-riding roll into Calgary Stampede rodeo

Grady Young, of Leader, Sask., rides Blue Magic during bull riding rodeo finals action at the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, July 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY — Bull rider Grady Young says success hasn’t changed his approach to the Calgary Stampede rodeo.

Young, from Leader, Sask., was a 19-year-old breakout star in 2025 when he scored an event-high 91 points aboard Splash Tide in his debut.

Young was the top money-earner in his pool after three rides. He went on to make the four-man final, but was bucked off by the same Splash Tide to settle for splitting runner-up money.

“I had no expectations whatsoever,” Young recalled. “I actually didn’t really care if I went there and got bucked off every single bull I got on.

“I mean, it would have sucked. I’m glad it didn’t happen, but I was just there to have fun. You’re going there to win it, but at the same time, it was my first Stampede. I was going to enjoy it, try my hardest each day, and if it didn’t go my way, it didn’t go my way.”

Now 20, a prosperous spring has Young atop the Canadian bull riding standings heading into his sophomore appearance in Calgary. He intends to carry the same easygoing attitude into the Stampede rodeo that starts Friday.

“It’s one of the most fun and coolest rodeos all year,” Young said. “I couldn’t imagine going there and not enjoying it, that’s for sure.”

The 10-day Calgary Stampede rodeo offers $2.1 million in prize money over seven events until the July 12 final.

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The invitational outdoor rodeo that dates back to 1912 features 210 athletes from Canada, the United States, Mexico and Australia competing in bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, barrel racing and breakaway roping. There is also a one-day team roping event Wednesday with $310,000 at stake.

A prize purse of $300,000 per event is among the largest in the sport. Money won in Calgary boosts a competitor’s world ranking. The top 15 in the world in each event qualify for December’s National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Young aims for a national title in October’s Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton after placing fourth and fifth the last two years, respectively.

He also wants to get to Las Vegas and get on rank bulls in the NFR’s signature yellow chutes. Young had an up-and-down winter at rodeos in the United States.

“I went to quite a few rodeos. I don’t have much to show for it,” he said. “Got on lots of good bulls. It kept me pretty sharp, but I think I was worrying too much about trying to make the gold bucking chutes and try to get up in the standings, and I was forgetting how to ride my bulls.”

His father Blade, who was also a bull rider and taught it to his son, told him “when you get back to Canada this spring, it’s going to be like playing on home ice. It’s going to feel so good. You’re going to fix those couple little things that weren’t clicking when you were down south this winter, and he has.”

After claiming his first Professional Bull Riders Canada win in May in Brooks, Alta., Young won four times and was second twice in rodeos the first three weeks of June to vault to the top of the national bull riding rankings. He was victorious again on Canada Day at the Ponoka Stampede with a 90.25 aboard on All Gold Rolex.

“My riding matures bull by bull,” he said. “Being down south all winter and going to the pro rodeos, got to try my hand at some pretty good bulls. The more you’re getting on good bulls, the closer you come to getting on the best ones.

“Little things that would get me bucked off before, I kind of have a grasp on and figured it out. You never get bull riding figured out 100 per cent, but if you can work on what you can, one thing at a time, eventually you’ll be able to ride most of them.”

Blade says it was always going to be bull riding for his son, who played hockey but gave it up because it interfered with his weekends riding steers.

“When he was two years old, he was bucking bulls on the arm chair of the recliner,” the father said.

Bull riding is the lone event at the 2026 Stampede that doesn’t have a defending champion in the field. Oklahoma’s Wacey Schalla, who was also 19 when he won in Calgary, is recovering from a broken femur.

Shelby Boisjoli-Meged of Langdon, Alta., won women’s breakaway roping in the event’s Stampede debut last year. Four-time saddle bronc winner Zeke Thurston of Big Valley, Alta., steer wrestler Scott Guenther of Provost, Alta., barrel racer Anita Ellis of Blackfoot, Idaho, tie down roper Chad Mayfield of Clovis, N.M., and bareback rider Cooper Cooke of Victor, Idaho, also seek repeats.

A $50,000 winner’s cheque plus day money would give Young a leg up in the world rankings, where he’s currently ranked 30th.

“An NFR qualification would be pretty awesome. A Canadian title would also be pretty awesome, but for the most part it’s getting to the gold bucking chutes,” Young stated. “I already expect myself to already get there. It’s just trying to get in contention for a world title and keep working on my bull riding until I get there.

“A Canadian title, CFR, NFR world title, as big as you can go, I’m trying to go get it and do it as fun as possible and get the most out of it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press