Durazo wins third bull-riding title in Strathmore

By Laurence Heinen Times Contributor

Edgar Durazo has found a home away from home at the Strathmore Stampede.

Originally from Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico, Durazo now resides with his wife Karla and their three children in the community surrounding Speargrass Golf Course.

The talented bull rider made the short 15-minute drive north on Monday to pick up his 2025 Strathmore Stampede rodeo championship buckle to add to his growing collection.

He also won the bull-riding competition in Strathmore in 2021 and 2023 in addition to having a second-place showing sandwiched between those two victories.

“I’m local, so I have to do good,” said Durazo of his motivation to perform on such a high level in front of his enthusiastic fans at the Strathmore Stampede Grounds.

On Saturday afternoon, Durazo set a strong standard by virtue of his thrilling 87.75-point performance atop Santana.

“There was a lot of people here,” said Durazo, who could feel the support of the crowd during his wild ride. “It was pretty electric. It was loud. It was awesome – beautiful feeling.”

Durazo then returned to Strathmore on Monday to watch the final go-round of the competition to see if any of the final 10 bull riders could beat his score.

As the last competitor out of the chutes, Jacob Gardner of Fort St. John, B.C., lasted the requisite eight seconds atop Wreckonciled, but had to settle for second place after the judges awarded him 86 points.

“I know the bull that he had and he was pretty good and he (could) win on him,” Durazo said. “I was cheering for him.”

Durazo’s first-place showing earned him a payday of $7,159.04, while Gardner had to settle for winning $5,880.64 for finishing second.

Meanwhile, Quinten Taylor of Parkland, Alta., won his first saddle-bronc title in Strathmore by virtue of his 88.25-point ride aboard Copy Cat on Monday afternoon.

 “This rodeo is only an hour away from where I grew up and where my mom and dad lived, so it’s kind of like a hometown deal,” said Taylor, who took home $6,925.92 for his efforts. “It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

Following his ride, Taylor had a good feeling that the judges would reward him with a spectacular score.

“I saw a couple videos of him and had a game plan for today,” said Taylor, who did his advance homework on Copy Cat. “He went out there, had some moves and bucked and he was everything you could have wanted in a bucking horse.”

Cole Franks of Clarendon, Texas, also had a sneaking suspicion that he could win his first bareback championship in Strathmore when he saw that he was going up against Ols Tubs Stevie Knicks on Monday.

“Today was the third time I’ve been on that horse, so I had an idea of what to expect, how it was going to feel, kind of what I had to do,” said Franks, whose score of 90.75 points earned him a first-place cheque worth $6,519.84. “I’m not going to lie, she kind of surprised me a little bit. It was a little bit different than I was expecting. Still, it was so much fun. She’s so electric, always. She’s trying to get you off her back as hard as she can and you’ve just got to aim low on her and keep doing your job. It’s hard, but so much fun.”

OTHER WINNERS

Steer wrestling: (Tie) Curtis Cassidy, Joseph King and Eli Lord, 3.9 seconds, $6,678.70 each

Team roping: Brady Minor/Riley Minor, 5.2 seconds, $7,241.76 each

Tie-down roping: Haven Meged, 8.3 seconds, $7,157.16

Barrel racing: (Tie) Pamela Morrison and Bertina Olafson, 17.51 seconds, $6,937.20 each

Breakaway roping: Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, 2.5 seconds, $3,807.00

Novice bareback: Jace Lomheim, 75.5 points, $1,381.28

Novice saddle bronc: Clay Greenslade, 75 points, $1,091.44

Junior steer riding: Jax Torkelson, 77.25 points, $1,271.48