PBR Canada fans in southern Alberta paid their respects to a local star recently.
Catch My Drift from Two Bit Bucking Bulls in Magrath, Alta., made his final appearance out of the bucking chutes in Lethbridge earlier this month.
After a career including two World Finals appearances and the 2020 PBR Canada Bull of the Year honour, the bucking bull is now retired.
“I don’t want to see them just riding him, you know?” said Josh Berezay, Catch My Drift’s owner. “He doesn’t deserve that.
“We’ll let him leave at a pretty high point in his career.”
Berezay acquired the bull at three-years-old. He remembers seeing a lot of potential in the young bucker.
“He was a bull that took a little time to get going, but once he did he really found his ground,” Berezay said. “I believe Aaron Roy got hung up on him at PBR (Canada) Finals when he was a four- or five-year-old and that just changed him. All of a sudden he was like, ‘I’m going to win every time.’
“He’s a great bucking bull for sure.”
Catch My Drift did a lot of winning over his career.
Just 22 riders managed to last the full eight seconds, as he bucked off more than 60 per cent of the cowboys that got on his back.
“He was one of the bigger bulls in the pen and one of the best ones going,” said Zane Lambert, a retired bull rider.
Three of those qualified rides went for scores of at least 90 points, including two by Lambert, who recalls one battle that went right to the final buzzer.
“It was just fingertips,” Lambert said. “He was bucking his heart out and I was getting jerked around and kind of had to make a couple recoveries and he had me kicking loose. The whistle went and I wouldn’t have been able to ride him another second.”
Now, Catch My Drift will spend his retirement relaxing in Magrath.
“He’s really become part of our family. My daughters both love him and have cared for him over the years,” Berezay said.
“He’s probably going to go out on some cows and hopefully raise some buckers for us down the road.”
“(I’m) pretty sad to see that bull go, but pretty happy I got to be a part of his career,” Lambert said.
“He made me a lot of money and probably cost me a bit too.”