Get set for wildcard, semifinal Saturday

The top eight cowboys in each of the major categories -- bareback, steer wrestling, saddle bronc, barrel racing (cowgirls) and bull riding -- have the day off, having already earned berths to the big showdown on Sunday.

Two more champions will also be crowned Saturday in the novice saddle bronc and novice bareback events. Dayton Johnston of Milk River, Alta. became the first champion of the 2010 event when he won the junior steer riding Stampede title on Friday. 

Contestants moving on to showdown Sunday (Canadians in bold) are as follows:

Saddle bronc: Wade Sundell, Cody Taton, Jim Berry, Cody DeMoss, JJ Elshere, Shaun Stroh, Sam Kelts, Justin Berg.

Bareback: William Lowe, Ryan Gray, Kelly Timberman, Bobby Mote, Justin mcDaniel, Davey Shields Jr., Dusty LaValley, Tilden Hooper.

Bull riding: Scott Shiffner, Kyle German, Beau Hill, Tyler Thomson, J.W. Harris, Jason O'Hearn, Douglas Duncan, Corey Navarre.

Tie-down roping: Ryan Jarrett, Matt Shiozawa, Houston Hutto, Clint Robinson, Cody Ohl, Stran Smith, Steve Lloyd, Scott Kromos.

Steer wrestling: Cash Myers, Todd Suhn, Jake Rinehart, Blake Knowles, Lee Graves, Stockton Graves, Gabe LeDoux, Casey McMillen.

Barrel Racing: Brittany Pozzi, Jill Moody, Lindsay Sears, Lisa Lockhart, Sue Smith, Joleen Seitz, Savanah Reeves, Rana Koopmans.  

Saturday night the chuckwagon drivers are at it again, with the top eight drivers -- Jason Glass, Kirk Sutherland, Brian Laboucane, Gary Gorst, Neal Walgenbach, Kelly Sutherland, Buddy Bensmiller and Mark Sutherland -- battling it out in an all-Canadian semifinal.

The top four times will earn those wagons a berth to the final on Sunday and a chance at that $100,000 prize.

There's a heavy Sutherland contingent in the semifinal. Kelly, brother of Buddy and father of Mark, is a 10-time Calgary Stampede champion.

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