Local cowboy Lamb makes comeback at Canadian Finals Rodeo 

Theodora MacLeod
Sherwood Park News
Published Oct 10, 2024  

Strathcona County's Kody Lamb riding Virgil in the third round of bareback riding at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton on Friday, Oct. 4. He went on to win his second Canadian Finals Rodeo title. Theodora MacLeod/ News Staff

An action-packed four days of steer wrestling, breakaway, tiedown, and team roping, barrel racing and of course bareback, bull, and saddle bronc riding, fans filled the stands at Rogers Place from Wednesday, Oct. 2 to Saturday, Oct. 5 for the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR), where records were broken, and dreams came true.
For 50 years the CFR has featured the best the sport has to offer, and for the last 10 years, Strathcona County’s Kody Lamb has been dreaming of a horse named Virgil.
After ending last season with an injury, Lamb, who is also known as a singer-songwriter, had a delayed start to the rodeo season, not riding until late June.
“I was behind the eight-ball there. I had to fight my way back in just to get a spot to ride here,” he said on Friday, Oct. 4, just moments after his impressive third ride at CFR50. “I wasn’t too sharp when I came back, it took me some time to get my feet back underneath me and I went straight back to riding against the wolves and against the best guys and the best horses and it was a slow start.”

Strathcona County’s Kody Lamb riding Virgil in the third round of bareback riding at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton on Friday, Oct. 4. Theodora MacLeod/News Staff

Making it to CFR50 in the middle of the pack, ranking sixth out of 12, it didn’t take long for Lamb to set himself apart. Scoring 81.50 in the first round, he came in third; a score of 89.75 in the second round earned him second place, but it was in round three on Friday, Oct. 4 that he made CFR history.
After a decade of dreaming, Lamb finally got his chance in the chute the horse named Virgil, an award-winning, 1,600 lbs. grey gelding owned by C5 Rode who has been dubbed one of the best bucking horses of all time — the very horse that led R.C. Landingham to win the 2024 Calgary Stampede title with a 94-point ride.
“I’ve thought about that horse every day for 10 years,” said Lamb. “He’s world-class. There isn’t another like Virgil. Anyone who ever gets on him will tell you that.”

Making it to CFR50 in the middle of the pack, ranking sixth out of 12, it didn’t take long for Kody Lamb to set himself apart. Scoring 81.50 in the first round, he came in third; a score of 89.75 in the second round earned him second place, but it was in round three on Friday, Oct. 4 that he made CFR history. Theodora MacLeod/News Staff

Describing the horse as an unbelievable athlete known for jumping high and a “freak of nature,” Lamb said it was surreal to finally draw Virgil.
“Everybody has a top five and he’s in everybody’s top five if not top one,” the local cowboy added.
Scoring 92.25 points on Virgil, Lamb had the first 90-point ride of his career and set a Canadian Finals record.
Continuing his momentum, Lamb scored 85.75 points in the fourth and 89.75 in the fifth. Ending CFR50 with an aggregated 439 points on five rides, Lamb earned his second Canadian Finals Rodeo title, 11 years after his first and earned more than $74,000 this season, nearly $56,500 of which came from his performance at CFR.
Having started his rodeo career at 15, the now 30-year-old Lamb has spent half of his life riding bareback and said hitting this career milestone at an event he grew up attending made it that much sweeter.
“It’s pretty unreal, that’s by far the highest score in my career. The first time I ever got to get on that great horse, my first CFR go-round win, couldn’t be happier,” said Lamb. “I’m a huge Oilers fan and getting to do that in this building is pretty crazy.”
Wanchuk places sixth in saddle bronc riding
Also from Strathcona County, saddle bronc rider, Kolby Wanchuk had an impressive performance at CFR50.
Placing sixth out of 12 with an aggregated score of 343 in four rides, he was bucked off in the second round, but returned to score 88.25 in the third, 80.25 in the fourth, and 89.25 in the fifth. Ultimately, it was Zeke Thurston who took home the win in saddle bronc riding for the fourth year in a row.
Wanchuk, son of professional barrel racer, Joan Unger, and well-known rodeo clown Ricky Ticky Wanchuk, said that while he made both CFR and National finals, it was a challenging season.
“It was a tough year. There are so many great bronc riders in Canada and lots come up from the U.S. and Australia,” Wanchuk said.

Kolby Wanchuk on Renegade in the third round of saddle bronc riding at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton on Friday, Oct. 4. Theodora MacLeod/News Staff

Wanchuk won more than $15,500 at CFR and totalled more than $37,400 this season.
Riding professionally since 2018, Wanchuk explained that a lot goes in to riding saddle broncs.
“When it comes down to it, you don’t get a chance to think — it’s all just reaction and muscle memory. It’s a combination between a dance and a fight. With saddle bronc riding, it’s all rhythm and timing, but it’s all rough and tough and the horses are beating you up when you’re on them, so you just kind of go fast and stick to the basics and trust your body,” he said.

Kolby Wanchuk on Renegade in the third round of saddle bronc riding at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton on Friday, Oct. 4. Theodora MacLeod/News Staff

Noting how much rodeo and Western sports have grown in recent years thanks to televised coverage and growing prize pots, Wanchuk said he’s excited to have the CFR back in Edmonton, where he attended every year as a child.
A full-time professional rodeo cowboy, Wanchuk said Strathcona County was good place to grow up with rodeo dreams.
“There are a lot of horses in the area, a lot more than anybody knows, there’s a lot of opportunity for western sports and western lifestyles if people are looking for it,” he said. “I’m proud to be a cowboy from Sherwood Park and out here doing it.”​​​​​​​

Kolby Wanchuk at CFR50. Theodora MacLeod/News Staff

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