Episode: 2 Explore Canada: Calgary Stampede
Title: Chuckwagon Racing
Broadcast: December 31th 2017
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane & Nigel Ruck

Calgary is one of Canada’s most vibrant and ultra-modern cities. It’s grown quickly in the past few years and is home to 1.2 million people! For 10 days in July it hosts a stampede known as the greatest outdoor show on earth and today the guys check out an event favourite.

• Trevor Panczak, country music star introduces the guys to Chuckwagon racing. When it comes to events at the Stampede in Calgary there are some events we all know or may have seen like bronco riding, bull riding, but one of the fastest, toughest, roughest and most amazing is the Chuckwagon Racing. This is a major event and it’s incredibly popular with visitors because of the spectacle.
• The Benzmiller family are champion Chuckwagon racers and the guys get to speak to Kurt who is preparing for the event.
• Chuckwagons are a 1325 pound carriage pulled by 4 thoroughbred horses. The wagon is a traditional style round up wagon with wooden boxes and square corners. When racing, they travel at speeds of 30km an hour.
• The race is something else, a figure 8 race track with 2 to 4 competitors racing around barrel markers in a counter clockwise direction with an outrider alongside. The first horse across the line with the outrider within 150 feet of its wagon is the winner.
• Chuckwagon racing was the creation of the original Calgary Stampede organizer Guy Weadick back in 1923. He was inspired by the real-life experience of growing up on cattle ranches, where groups of cattle men would race their chuck wagons to the nearest towns saloon at the end of cattle roundup. Today it's a highly organized and extremely competitive sport.
• If you didn’t know this is a serious sport with serious prize money, winners of Chuckwagon event are recognised as the elite of the elite and are competing for over $1m in prize money!

For more information visit:
Destination Canada: explorecanada.com.au
Calgary Stampede: calgarystampede.com