The world’s richest one-header will see the top competitors in the CPRA, PRCA, and WPRA heading to Edmonton, Alberta, this weekend in the hopes of taking home a piece of the $50,000 added money. The 30 competitors consist of the top 10 from the CPRA in 2017, top 10 from the PRCA/WPRA, two from the 2017 WPRA tour, and then the final spots are filled with the best of the best from the current season. 

Watch the K-Days Rodeo LIVE on FloRodeo July 20 to 22. 

The draw is filled with world and Canadian champions, up-and-comers who have been on a heater lately, and the best cowboys and cowgirls going down the road today. As you scroll down the list, all you have to do is close your eyes and point to find someone that has a strong chance to win the event’s season-changing prize money.

Here are just a few of the many that standout on the list:

Finning Pro Tour Stop: No. 5

Committee Purse: $400,000

Format: This is a straight up, one-head rodeo with 10 competitors going each day from the top 30 list (2017 and 2018 mix).

Bareback Riding: Make Up Face And Black Feathers Have Equally Strong Riders

Key Athletes: Orin Larsen and Richmond Champion

Analysis: The combination of Inglis, Manitoba’s Orin Larsen and C5 Rodeo’s D39 Make Up Face should be one of the best matchups of the weekend. Make Up Face has PRCA stock stats that score the horse as high as 23 points throughout its career, and Orin has been having yet another strong rodeo season, sitting at No. 10 in the world standings and No. 6 in the Canadian standings.

Another name that is always hard to ignore in the bareback riding is Richmond Champion. Champion is fresh off a Calgary Stampede $100,000 win, and after an earlier Ponoka Stampede win he is sitting eighth in the world standings and No. 1 in Canada by over $5,000. 

His draw—C5 Rodeo’s 601 Black Feathers—isn't too shabby either. The horse has had average stock scores of over 20 points for the last few years, making the horse rideable for this top PRCA/CPRA competitor, but still one that you can post a high score on. 

Speaking of Virgil, the big flashy grey horse and Luke Creasy will be out on Saturday night, he's fresh off helping Champion to that $100,000 check. 

Steer Wrestling: Butterfield's Return And Some Heavy-Hitters

Key Athletes: Chance Butterfield, Scott Guenthner, Tyler Waguespack, and Tyler Pearson

Analysis: The first steer wrestler out on the first day has quite the story to tell about how much this rodeo meant to his rodeo season last year. Butterfield took home the second-place prize money of over $9,000—a great win for sure—but what Butterfield wouldn’t know is that shortly after he would be involved in a horse accident that would see him sit out the rest of the CPRA rodeo season.

So that $9,000 went from being a great check to the biggest reason Butterfield was able to make it to his first Canadian Finals Rodeo after months of rehab.

Scott Guenthner will compete in the second performance at K-Days and comes into the event as the No. 1 steer wrestler in Canada. He's also the highest-ranking Canadian in the world standings at No. 3 in the steer wrestling standings; fellow Canadian Curtis Cassidy sits just behind Guenthner in fourth as well and will compete Sunday.

Guenthner split the win at the first tour stop at the Wainwright Stampede and then came back to win the Ponoka Stampede over the Canada Day weekend. 

That second performance is a stacked deck that also includes 2016 world champion steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack and 2017 world champion Tyler Pearson. Waguespack sits at No. 9 in the world while Pearson has been continuing the winning ways in his “defending year” and sits at No. 1.

Saddle Bronc: Diaz Battling Through The Pain, Muncy & Watson With Some Good Mares

Key Athletes: Isaac Diaz, Taos Muncy, Jake Watson

Analysis: We saw Isaac Diaz get packed out of the arena at the Ponoka Stampede after his horse posted him on the chutes, but it didn’t take him long to recover enough to go back to the pay window. The Desdemona, Texas, cowboy came back less than a week later for the Calgary Stampede and while the pain on his face was evident with every ride, and even the simple walk back to the chutes, but Diaz persevered and earned three checks during the stampede for a total of $11,500.

Diaz is back on the draw for K-Days and has drawn C5’s Curly Bill, who has an average stock score of over 21 points according to C5 Rodeo’s stock list; he has been selected to go to both The American and helped his rider to a round win at the 2015 WNFR. 

Taos Muncy has also drawn C5 Rodeo’s black mare named Black Hills who has been selected to go to the WNFR and CFR twice, and is one of the standout horses among the C5 herd. 

Another standout on the stock list is 80 Rock Star. Jake Watson from Hudson Hope, British Columbia, has drawn the 10-year-old grey mare that has been selected for both the CFR and NFR multiple times, as well as helping her rider to the long round win at The American in 2016. 

She also earned her highest stock score just last year at K-Days at 44 points (22 a judge). 

Tie-Down Roping: World Champions, Canadian Champions And Finals Qualifiers Galore

Key Athletes: Too many to list

Analysis: When we say you can close your eyes and point to the draw to find a potential winner of the rodeo, it is especially true in the tie-down roping. It’s hard to narrow down the list when you’re looking at so many CFR and NFR qualifiers, as well as world and Canadian champions. 

In fact, there are only a couple competitors on the list that have not made their first WNFR or CFR. Tuf Cooper, Shane Hanchey, Trevor Brazile, Al Bouchard, Cory Solomon, Morgan Grant, Tyson Durfey, Mike Johnson, Stetson Vest, Curtis Cassidy, Logan Bird… need we go on? 

In an event with so many variables, and at a time of year when the calves are a good size and not roped out yet (the Calgary Stampede calves will be used in Edmonton), it is all going to come down to who has that calf that’s especially great and goes out there and makes a run. 

Team Roping: Driggers/Nogueira Come To Canada, Scrappy Youngsters On A Roll

Key Athletes: Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, Denver Johnson/Tristin Woolsey Russell Cardoza/Chad Masters, Dustin Bird/Rocky Dallyn

Analysis: Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira are probably some of the best team ropers going today that are yet to win a world title, and they’re coming to Canada for K-Days. You can catch them in the opening performance of the rodeo on Friday night.

From Denver Johnson’s “no extra swing” style to Tristin Woolsey with that scruffy beard and similar approach to the heel side, this young pair is making people notice in the CPRA after winning both the Wainwright Stampede and Ponoka Stampede—both high-paying Finning Pro Tour rodeos. 

The reigning K-Days champions are also back to compete but this time they are on the draw with different partners. Dustin Bird and Russell Cardoza are back and roping with Rocky Dallyn and Chad Masters, respectively. 

Barrel Racing: Look To Barrel Racers With Success Indoors

Key Athletes: Carman Pozzobon, Rene Leclerq, Diane Skocdopole, Stevi Hillman

Analysis: While this year’s K-Days rodeo will be held in Hall D of Northlands instead of the Coliseum, the pattern should be very similar in size so we should be looking to ladies that have proven they can run well on small patterns to see who could walk away at the champion this year. 

Carman Pozzobon is an easy choice as the reigning champion from the arena just next door, Rene Leclerq has experience running in the arena and clocked well when the Canadian college rodeo finals was in the same venue, and Diane Skocdopole’s mare with rockets strapped to her feet seem to do well in indoor venues that are a little more contained.

While a lot of Stevi Hillman’s wins come from big outdoor rodeos—including her win at the Ponoka Stampede, which may be Canada’s biggest arena of the season—Hillman will be one to watch out for with the success she’s been having to date. 

Bull Riding: Reigning World Champion, Top Bull, And A Retiring Legend

Key Athletes: Sage Kimzey, Boudreaux Campbell, Scott Schiffner

Analysis: Sage Kimzey is the reigning champion of the world and reigning champion of the K-Days inaugural rodeo. According to the CPRA’s results archive, Kimzey won the event last year with a score of 88 points. 

While Kimzey’s bull C5 Rodeo’s 22 Rotten Sandwich isn’t currently listed on the online stock stats, any time the four-time world champion nods his head for one is an opportunity for him to win. 

While Rotten Sandwich isn’t currently listed, one bull near the top of C5’s stock stat listing is 622 Twist Your Face Off. The bull has an average score of 21.7 points and will buck in the final performance with Boudreaux Campbell.

Scott Schiffner is also on the draw for K-Days. Schiffner announced his retirement plans during the Calgary Stampede last week, so the many Schiffner fans out there need to pay close attention to these “last rides.”

Read more about his announcement HERE.