Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002 | 9:57 a.m.
STAMPEDE AT A GLANCE
They sped into town on chuckwagons hauling food and supplies, eager for a good time at the local saloon.
It was the 1920s, and when farmers and cattle ranchers finished working, they raced each other for fun.
But times change, and today's chuckwagon races are driven by thrills and prize money.
Top drivers from the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association and Professional Wagon Racing, Inc. will compete Thursday-Sunday downtown in the Las Vegas Stampede for a purse of $110,000. Organizers are hoping to capitalize on the Natinal Finals Rodeo's presence in Las Vegas and establish an annual event here.
"We're going to see what the turnout is here," PWR president John Higgins said. "We would like to at some point look at bringing racing to two or three other cities, hopefully develop a following in Phoenix, Dallas or California, and have a chuckwagon finals in Las Vegas the same as the rodeo does every year."
The Stampede will feature three wagons per heat with 18 total drivers. The three drivers with the fastest times after three nights will run for a total of $10,000 with $5,000 for first place on Sunday.
Chuckwagon drivers use leather reins to control a team of four thoroughbreds harnessed to a 1,300-pound wagon.
Two outriders complete each crew. One outrider, stationed in the infield, holds the front two horses before the race begins. Once the horn sounds, that outrider directs the horses, then jumps on his own horse to trail the wagon. At the same time, a second outrider tosses a plastic stove into the back of the wagon. When this task is completed, he also jumps on his horse to follow the wagon.
The driver must then complete a figure-eight pattern around two barrels without knocking them over and race a half-mile with the outriders behind him. The outriders must be within 150 feet of their driver's wagon when it crosses the finish line to successfully complete the race.
With the horses reaching speeds of 35 mph, recent measures were taken to ensure the safety of the drivers and the animals.
At the Calgary Stampede in August, four horses died of chuckwagon-related accidents and a fifth died of a heart attack.
"Here in Las Vegas, we've made some changes in the track for safety purposes," Higgins said. "Where accidents have occurred is when the wagons have gotten tangled up so we've completely taken away the inside rail so if the inside driver is too close, he can pull into the infield."
The plywood wagons have been streamlined, making them less likely to tip over. The barrels are now made out of plastic that collapses instead of metal, so if a horse steps on one or a barrel gets run over by the wagon, it is less likely to cause a problem. The infield also has been widened, reducing the chance of wagons entangling.
Since chuckwagon racing started in 1923, several drivers also have died. But veterans such as Jim Knight think the sport is safe.
"It's an exciting sport," he said. "Everything is safe now.
"It's like anything else, like motorcross or car racing. It can be dangerous, but the drivers are good drivers and the horses are broke.
"Anything you can do to make a sport safer is a good thing. At the beginning of the year the wagons are checked to make sure they are up to standard."
Higgins said although five horses have died this year, 98 percent of the horses remain unharmed.
"These guys truly love their horses," he said. "Back home when it's 30 below zero, we still have to feed the horses and look after them.
"If anything, we've definitely prolonged the life of these horses because if it wasn't for the sport, it doesn't take much imagination to think where they would end up.
"Honestly, they're treated better than their kids are sometimes. The love of the horses is what keeps these people going. It's a tragedy when we do have an accident. It's like losing a family member. Some horses have been with the family for 10 to 12 years."
Knight, a 24-year member of the CPCA, was 12 when his uncle introduced him to chuckwagon racing.
He finished sixth in the 2002 CPCA standings and won his first Guy Weadick award for sportsmanship after being nominated four consecutive years.
"I like the adrenaline rush when you're driving the wagon," Knight said. "I like the fun of racing with the horses and the cars.
"I enjoy working with the horses. It's a family sport."
Knight's, son, Chad, is one of his outriders. Younger brother Ross and cousin, Wayne Jr., are drivers.
The chuckwagon racing season begins in June and ends in late August.
When Jim Knight isn't preparing for a race he sells drill bits for oil rigs. Ross Knight works as a paramedic in their hometown of St. Walburg, Saskatchewan.
Immensely popular in Western Canada, chuckwagon racing was created by Weadick, a New Yorker, who introduced the sport at the 1923 Calgary Stampede.
Weadick was commissioned to invent a sport that would be a crowd pleaser at Canada's largest rodeo. His friends convinced him they could put on a good show by racing chuckwagons and after watching them, he agreed.
In the U.S., chuckwagon races have been held in Cheyenne, Wyo. Today, a form of chuckwagon racing with smaller horses goes on in Nebraska and Arkansas.
Chuckwagon announcer Les McIntyre, a former driver who will be calling the Las Vegas Stampede, has seen the sport grow from humble beginnings.
The first prize at the inaugural Calgary Stampede was a Stetson hat while today's winner pockets $50,000 from the season-ending event that features $600,000 in total prize money.
"The big attraction for the fans is the excitement of watching 12 or 16 thoroughbred horses on the track," McIntyre said. "There's a lot of action that takes place in a very short time and it's a good old-fashioned horse race." I like the fun of racing with the horses and the cars. I enjoy working with the horses. It's a family sport."
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