Final Round Drama at the 2025 Maple Leaf Circuit Finals
You take one veteran and one young gun, put them together, give it a little time and watch it all come together.
It all came together in a big way at the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals for veteran heeler, Riley Wilson and the new kid on the block, Ty Vaile on the heading side. Wilson from Cardston, Alberta is a sixteen-time Canadian Finals Rodeo qualifier, the most recent of those qualifications at the recently completed 2025 CFR with youngster Vaile on the other side of the roping box. And while the CFR was a struggle for the tandem (they had four no times in their five runs in Edmonton), they got it turned around at the Canadian Western Agribition event in Regina. After a gut wrenching no-time in the first round on an illegal head catch, the duo bounced back with a go round win and two second place finishes to capture 3rd place in the average with 13.9 on 3 runs. All of that added up to $23,284 in Maple Leaf Circuit season earnings and the MLC title for both guys.
The age differential (29 years) is not the only contrasting feature in the two cowboys. Vaile is from Babb, Montana (though he’s living in Killam, Alberta at present) giving the team an International, hands-across-the-border flavour. and the young Montanan stands six feet five inches tall as opposed to Wilson’s six feet one inch. But both guys sat tall in the saddle at Regina, getting their 2026 season off to a solid start and earning them a trip to Colorado Springs in July for the NFR Open.
“It’s amazing to have $7,000 won this early in the season,” Vaile noted. “That really takes the pressure off. Now we can go to Colorado Springs and just concentrate on the NFR Open and not worry about getting back to Canada for the rodeos up here that week.”
As for the genesis of what has quickly become one of Canada’s best teams, Vaile expressed gratitude. to his veteran partner “I grew up around Riley my whole life. Our parents are good friends. He phoned me last spring and said, ‘Hey we should rope together in Canada’ and I thought that sounded really good. It kind of took off from there. We have good chemistry. We don’t do a lot of game planning and try not to over think it.”
That philosophy stood the pair in good stead after the tough CFR they endured. And it was clearly working at the circuit finals as they went into the final round needing to be no worse than second to clinch the heeling title for Wilson (Vaile had a more comfortable cushion on the heading side). When eventual Finals Champions, Brett Buss and Joey Romo, were 3.9 in that final round, the pressure was squarely on Vaile and Wilson and they got the job done with a 5.0 flat run and the second place finish they needed.
The young header also showered praise on his horse Silver. “He’s the best horse I’ve ever swung a leg over and probably the best horse I ever will ride,” Vaile stated. “He handles every situation like the CFR and the Circuit Finals too. Last night it was sold out and really loud in there and he’s just laid back and doesn’t worry about anything. I got him from Dave and Donna Johnson from Belt, Montana and he’s been amazing.”
And on the other side it was the team roping family looking after one another. With Riley Wilson flying up from Arizona he needed a mount for the finals and it was Denim Ross who stepped up and let Wilson ride one of his good heeling horses. Ross and his partner, Kavis Drake finished second at the MLC Finals behind Buss and Romo.
“It just shows how good Denim’s program is,” Wilson acknowledged. “He had three horses at Regina with three different guys, riding them. Denim rode his five year-old, Logan Cullen rode the roan horse and the two old guys, me and JP got teamed up together. I’d never roped on that horse ever before and it turned out pretty good.”
As for the win, the veteran was justifiably proud of the team’s accomplishment. “It’s pretty special,” Wilson commented. “When you win a season title, it means that over the season, you had your ups and downs but there were more ups than downs.”
And Wilson and Vaile will be a thing in 2026 as well. “I don’t usually like to rope with rookies because you have to go through all the rookie stuff. So I told him, hey I gave you your rookie year and you’re going to get a lot better so I need one more year before you move on.”
That means the Wilson-Vaile train will keep on chugging in 2026. And if the past week is an indicator, it could be a real fun ride.
It’s safe to say the last few months of Blake Molle’s rodeo career have been game changing and maybe even life changing. It comes down to the acquisition, with senior partners Graf Mechanical of Watson, Saskatchewan, of an amazing gelding named JJ (Wildchildsgotcashuno). Molle first rode the horse back in July and acquired the four-legged athlete not long after with a string of successes to follow, the latest – ‘forty percenting’ a very good field at the MRC Finals by winning all four rounds in commanding fashion.
After the MLC Finals concluded with her second consecutive title in hand, Molle reflected on the horse that has been such a force over the last few months of the CPRA regular season, then at the CFR where she won a round, was fourth in the average and finished second only to Jayden Wilson in the CPRA’s final standings.
“He’s feisty and he’s sassy and he loves his job,” Molle said of JJ. “They say the good ones have an attitude and that’s definitely true.” He’d already had considerable success—a round win at the BFA futurity with Joy Wargo aboard and a lucrative season of rodeo competition with Kelly Allen getting to 17th in the world standings on him.
Success came quickly to Molle and JJ with the MLC Finals title the latest that sees the Chauvin, AB cowgirl comfortable atop the Canadian standings. And the 19 year-old has a clear set of goals for the 2026 season. ‘I’m going to take a run at the NFR for next year, fingers crossed.” That journey will start with qualifiers at Denver, CO and Odessa, Texas with the winter rodeos south of the 49th parallel to follow.
Overall Maple Leaf Circuit Champions (decided by most money won at Maple Leaf Circuit rodeos over the Pro Rodeo Canada season including Agribition Rodeo):
Bull riding: Edgar Durazo
Breakaway roping: Bradi Whiteside
Tie-down roping: Logan Bird
Barrel racing: Jayden Wilson
Saddle bronc riding: Kole Ashbacher
Team roping: Ty Vaile/Riley Wilson
Steer wrestling: Scott Guenthner
Bareback riding: Chett Deitz
Maple Leaf Circuit Finals (Aggregate) Champions:
Tie-down roping: Clayton Smith
Steer wrestling: Pacean Deleeuw
Breakaway roping: Jenna Dallyn
Team roping: Brett Buss/Joey Romo II
Saddle bronc riding: Sawyer Eirikson
Bareback riding: Chett Deitz
Barrel racing: Blake Molle
Bull riding: Auzyn Corr
The Finals qualifies two athletes in each event (the MLC Finals aggregate champion and the overall Maple Leaf Circuit champion) for the NFR Open in Colorado Springs in July, 2025. And monies won at Regina also count toward the 2026 Pro Rodeo Canada season standings.
For complete results, visit rodeocanada.com
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About CPRA
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) with headquarters in Airdrie, Alta. is the official sanctioning body for Professional Rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves 60 + events annually with a total payout exceeding $7.4 million. The organization oversees the SMS Equipment Pro Tour Finale each fall in Armstrong, BC, holds their premiere event–the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR)–at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB in early October and endorses the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals as part of Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, SK. For details, please see RodeoCanada.com
For more information:
Barb Poulsen
CPRA Communications and Media
Phone: 403 625-9225
Email: media@rodeocanada.com