Jason Glass hasn’t won anything yet.
Well … he did win the top day-money prize of $6,000 at the Cowboys Rangeland Derby on Sunday, but that’s not the ultimate prize he’s after.
“We’ve got a long Stampede left, so this is far from over,” said Glass, who’s sitting atop the aggregate standings with a three-night cumulative time of 3:34.17, which puts him exactly three-quarters of a second ahead of Rae Croteau Jr. “For the first three days, these horses are on the right page and the right program. They’re feeling great. I’m not going to get ahead of myself. So many things can happen in this sport.”
Glass was quick to commend the talented group of chuckwagon drivers trying to chase him down.
“There’s so many beautiful horses in these barns and great, great wagon drivers,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge to keep running strong. I’m just not looking back and I’m going to concentrate on tomorrow.”
Off of the No. 1 barrel in the ninth heat on Sunday, Glass guided his Birchcliff Energy outfit around the Stampede Park track in a quick time of 1:10.78, the best of the 2024 Calgary Stampede so far.
“My horses stood and started and went straight up and straight back,” said Glass, who nabbed the prime spot along the rail after completing the figure-eight pattern in the infield in front of a packed crowd at GMC Stadium. “They just worked beautiful.”
It was an extremely speedy heat as Vigen clocked in at 1:11.81 for the fourth best time of the night, while Jamie Laboucane finished just 14/100ths of a second behind Vigen.
“Two of the best,” said Glass of Vigen and Laboucane. “That’s where you want to be. You want to be in with the fast wagons. It helps. These horses feed off of each other and the drivers push each other.
“When we get on that track, we’re enemies. It’s game on. Then when we get back to the barns, we’re buddies.”
Following the first three nights of action, the drivers were re-seeded and Glass will have new enemies in the ninth heat from Monday to Wednesday in the form of Croteau and Chad Fike.
“Nobody likes someone that’s doing well,” said the 53-year-old reinsman from High River, Alta., in regards to the big target he has on his back as the current leader. “I get that. I’ve been on the other end of it many times. I’m not worried about anybody else. I’ve got to take care of my own business and hopefully keep it together.”
A fourth-generation chuckwagon driver, Glass is attempting to follow the trail blazed before him by his dad Tom, grandfather Ronnie and great-grandfather Tom Lauder, who are multiple-time Calgary Stampede winners.
“I’ve been racing wagons for 35 years,” said Glass, who has been to the Derby’s championship dash on 10 occasions, including in 2013 when he hoisted his lone Stampede title. “For me, I never stop learning. I’m always trying to improve and learn and trying to take care of these horses a little better all the time.
“It’s a whole package that you really concentrate on putting together. Sometimes it works and other years it doesn’t. It’s just a culmination of so many things that you’ve got to try to put together – not just horsepower. I’m talking their vitamins, their feed … I like these horses to love what they do. Some years you don’t get them all on the same page.”
While the drivers often get most of the credit, Glass was also quick to commend the team behind him including his outriders Tyson Whitehead and Dayton Sutherland.
“I’ve had those two all year,” he said. “They’ve been solid. They’re great cowboys and they’re doing a hell of a job.”
Glass also praised his wife Brienne and their twin son and daughter Bodie and Steele as well as their barn crew for all the work they do.
“They love these horses,” he said. “You can’t say enough about the care that goes into these horses. There’s so many people that help. That’s all you can ask for is to have these horses ready and happy.”
Without the support of sponsors, it would be tough for the chuckwagon drivers to get from event to event or even compete, said Glass, who appreciates the backing of Birchcliff Energy.
“They’ve been behind our family for I don’t know how many years,” he said. “First they started with my dad and then myself. They’ve been with us forever. They’re just great friends and all their employees, they’re all behind it. It’s just a great company. I can never say enough about them. They’ve kept me racing for this long and they’ve kept me loving what I do. Without them it would change everything.”