The Canadian Finals Rodeo is shaping up to be a Cochrane brother act.
Tanner and Baillie Milan are steer wrestling, and Steven and Jody Turner are bull riding at the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association’s (CPRA) season-ending showcase at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
All qualified by finishing top 12 in CPRA standings in their respective events.
Tanner Milan made the final day at this year’s Calgary Stampede only to break the barrier on his first run. He made almost $21,000 in 28 events on the CPRA circuit this year, putting him second in the standings.
He’s been training daily with older brother Baillie at the Bearspaw Equestrian Centre and will be riding a borrowed horse for the CFR, rather than his own award-winning horse Peggy Sue. He was in Consort Oct. 20-21 for the Todd Boggust Memorial event and hit the steer-wrestling jackpot there, so he’s as good to go as he’ll ever be for the CFR.
“I’m feeling pretty good. Practice has been going pretty good,” said Tanner Milan. “Health-wise, I’m feeling healthy, the horses are working good.”
And his experience at Calgary Stampede can only benefit him at the CFR.
“It damned sure helps,” he insisted. “Being in front of the crowds and everything. Competing against those guys in Calgary, and then competing against the same calibre at CFR.”
He’ll be riding Lee Graves’s Calgary Stampede-winning horse, Jesse, at CFR. And, no doubt, keeping a close eye on older brother Baillie, who squeezed into the top-12 with just under $13,000 in earnings in 42 events.
The Turner brothers, meanwhile, are gearing up for some wild rides in the bull-riding event. This will be Steven Turner’s 10th career appearance riding bulls at the CFR.
“I’m feeling pretty healthy. I’ve had a month off,” Steven Turner said. “I’m good to go.”
Turner was busy this year to ensure his spot at the big dance, riding in 41 events and earning just under $21,000 to finish 11th in bull-riding standings.
“I kind of limped in at the bottom end there,” he admitted. “You have to get there. That’s where all the money’s made.
“It was a pretty average year for me, honestly. No real big wins. Just kind of picked away at ’em and stayed in the top-12, anyway. That’s the goal.”
With $11,000 in day money available at the five-day event, all of Cochrane’s entrants are just glad to be there.
“There’s lots of money to be had up there,” said Steven Turner, who’s biggest career CFR cheque so far was for $25,000.
The Turners will be riding really rank, hand-picked bulls from contractors like Stampede, Northcott, Vold, Kesler, Girletz, Franklin and Outlawbuckers.
“The stock should be great. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s one of the better pens we’ve assembled up there.”
And he’ll be too focussed on his rides to bother looking over his shoulder at older brother Jody, who finished third in 2012 CPRA standings with almost $29,000 in earnings over 30 events.
“I’m pretty used to it. You just kind of concentrate on what you’re doing. You can’t worry about what anyone else is doing. You can’t control that anyway.”
