Teaching an older horse a newer trick helped a young chuckwagon driver have the best finish in his career. Foothills Comp grad Dayton Sutherland, 20, finished eighth at the Strathmore Stampede chuckwagon championships in Strathmore Aug. 3-6. “I borrowed an old left leader from dad [Mark Sutherland] who used to drive him on the 3-4 barrel,” Dayton said. “I put him on my 1-2 barrel and I knew exactly which direction I was going in so I could hook quite a bit more horsepower behind him. “The other thing was I could move horses to my short-barrel, and I thought my best runs might have been on the 3-4. “Just one horse made the difference for me.” The 15-year-old horse was appropriately named Winner. The eighth-place finish moved Sutherland up to 32nd in the world championship. Not exactly the first-place status of Kurt Bensmiller but a move up for a driver in his third year and hoping to get an invite to Calgary in 2019. His first few two years he borrowed generously from his dad’s and grandfather’s — the legendary Kelly “The King” Sutherland – barn. He is more on his own this year. “It’s been an eye-opener,” Dayton said. “That is the way it goes when you are young. You have a young barn, you’re learning and the horses are learning. Right now things are clicking and I hope they keep clicking towards the end of the season so I can get some more points.” He is on the pay-you soon plan, kind of like a teenager with his or her first car. He’s paying for the horses as the money comes in. It’s tough for the young drivers to make ends meet. “You don’t,” Sutherland said with a laugh. “You go to work and you make as much money as you can in the winter – then you blow it all in the summer. “It’s just a complete struggle. You spend everything you have until you make Calgary. Right now, I am spending a ton of money just trying to get to Calgary.” He said young drivers trying to financially survive in the sport are one of the issues facing chuckwagon racing’s future. Dayton can pick up added many as an outrider when he’s not holding the reins, something not all the other young drivers can do. Blackie’s Jordie Fike had his strongest showing of the year, finishing seventh in Strathmore. “I am already aiming for Calgary,” Fike said. “I used a lot more horses on my number two outfit to get them ready for next year. “I am pretty happy. They ran hard after a couple of weeks off.” Fike gave his horses a full week off after Calgary, before getting them back in shape for Strathmore. Fike saw double duty in Strathmore as he also drove Cliff Cunningham’s wagon, who had retired after the Calgary Stampede. He finished 30th in Cunningham’s wagon in Strathmore. Dayton’s dad, Mark was 14th, while High River’s Jason Glass was 23rd. The Strathmore Stampede was won by Kurt Bensmiller, the reigning Stampede champion, who tops the world standings. The wagons roll north for the Battle of the North in Dawson Creek, Aug. 8-12. The final meet of the year is the Battle of the Rockies, Aug. 16-19 at Rocky Mountain House.
