Stampede auction ropes in more than $3.1 million
Sponsors line up to support 27 chuckwagon drivers for Rangeland Derby
`Good golly, Kris Molle!'
It's a phrase that took on a new sense of awe in the chuckwagon racing world after Thursday night's Calgary Stampede Canvas Auction.
As in an awesome $210,000 paid by Graf Mechanical Ltd. to advertise on Molle's outfit for the 2024 Cowboys Rangeland Derby come July.
“I honestly don't know what to say,” said Molle, who's heard Stampede track announcer Les Mcintyre utter that phrase during his annual adventures around the loop at GMC Stadium. “I did not expect that. I'm speechless. Can't believe I went for as high as I did.”
It was actually a record night in terms of average buy per wagon canvas for the Stampede event.
Companies opened their wallets to sink a total of $3.115 million to sponsoring the 27 drivers and their outfits. That made for a highest-ever mean mark of $115,370. The previous high was more than $111,000 in 2012.
“Pretty overwhelming. It's hard to put into words,” said Will Osler, president and chair of the Stampede board. “But it's great to see the support that the sponsors have for the sport of chuckwagon racing and the Rangeland Derby.
“The sponsor gets a lot out of their sponsorship, but in this case, it's more than just seeing their logo racing around the track. It really shows that they are committed to the sport, they're committed to their drivers, they're committed to their families.”
Graf Mechanical, a Saskatchewan heavy mechanics firm, certainly committed to Molle.
In fact, they went above and beyond the bid that won them the sponsorship of Molle last summer.
While it wasn't the whopping record $300,000 shelled out for Stampede kingpin Kelly Sutherland by Tervita Corporation in 2012, it came in as a tie for the event's second-highest winning bid.
“We're from the same town,” said Colton Graf, co-owner — along with his dad, Mike — of Graf Mechanical Ltd., in Watson, Sask. “Him and my dad go back a long way. Kris and my dad used to ride horses and do things like that together, and Kris sold a couple of horses for my dad when he was away working.
“So it's a close family connection. And here we are all these years later.”
Graf paid $170,000 for the co-top
buy at last year's auction.
“I sure appreciate the support they gave me,” said Molle, now a resident of Chauvin. “They're great family friends.
“Money helps the world go around. It makes things a lot easier going down the road with the horses and everything.”
Kurt Bensmiller of Dewberry also sold for $170,000 at the 2023 event, as the average buy was $101,852 for a $2.75 million total.
While Bensmiller came in at $175,000 this year, bought by Grey Eagle Resort and Casino for a $5,000 increase, a bidding war drove Molle's price up.
“We don't discourage it. It's great to see,” said Osler, who lauded the crowd for getting behind the many bidding wars throughout the night and the sponsors for saluting the fast-paced action.
Among the other auction highlights saw De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. spending more than $330,000 on three tarps — those of Evan Salmond, Wade Salmond and Preston Faithful — and Mobsquad doling out $180,000 for drivers Darcy Flad and Ross Knight.
Last year's Rangeland king went for $140,000 to Shady Creek Ranch.
“We're 85 days away from the start of Stampede and for me, this canvas auction is one of the starts to the countdown of the Stampede,” said Molle. “When you're in there and seeing what the sponsors are doing and how they want to win and want to have fun and want to succeed, what a great start to the countdown.”
Indeed, it's not long off until the 2024 Cowboys Rangeland Derby, which runs from July 5-14 at GMC Stadium.
And Molle expects to run hot at the grand gala, though Thursday's big support behind him brings on the heat.
“Absolutely, there's more pressure,” said Molle, the 2022 Calgary Stampede chuckwagon champion. “When you get that kind of money, you want to do well. But it's a good feeling to have.
“It definitely gives a guy confidence. You don't want to let your sponsors down. You want to do very well for them and make them proud.”
All the money coming his way from sponsorship goes to making his horses and rig “bigger, better, faster,” added Molle.
“At the end of the day, you all want to be champions.”