P.C. Fair Indian Relay

There was plenty of excitement at the 104th P.C. Fair's North East Corner Indian Horse Relay on a pretty warm Sunday, August 4, in Dodson.

The event featured Indian Relay Horse style racing, Memorial Races, Chariot Races and even a kids' race.

Black Rock, a Blackfeet team out of Browning won the event's largest prize, with over $17,000 in payout on the line in the events. The PCN caught up with Blayne DeRoche, a 16-year-old, after his team's big championship win.

"It feels good," DeRouche said. "Any win feels good."

The team was only in their second racing event of the year, and at that point the team had been undefeated. He was asked about his team.

"They are there everyday helping out and making sure the horses are on their A game," DeRouche said. "It's a team effort."

Sixteen-year-old Jazelyn Wells, a junior at Browning High School, rode for Moccasin Flats in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Tribute Ladies' Race and won.

"I feel very proud of that because the school I attend in Browning has stood up for that cause," Wells said. "We support the cause because as of right now we are still searching for my cousin Angel Loring. I am very honored to be in this race and to have won it because it is nice that women are finally being included in everything and this isn't just a men's sport."

It was the second event that Wells had won last weekend. She won in Rocky Boy last Saturday, August 3. She has raced in Browning and in Canada. She shared her approach to the starting line.

"I just think to myself its just another day out that I am riding a horse," Wells said. "I just have to think safe and pray. I think of the safety of my horse, myself, and others. I just gotta get it done with and have a lot of fun at the same time."

Chris Carlson of Little Badger Boys won the Joe Kirkaldie Indian Mile Memorial.

Ty Tiger, the rider of Young Bear Express won the Michael Dean Ball Memorial Race, a chief's race put on in memory of Dean Ball who passed away on September 9, of 2017.

Moccasin Flats, a Fort Belknap team led by rider Spencer Cochran was second in the championship round. Goes Ahead Pretty, the Crow Nation team who won the 2018 P.C. Indian Relay took third. Young Money of the Blackfoot Nation took fourth. Awa Daa Hey a team from Independence, N.D. comprised of three tribes was fifth, and Mountain River Indian Relay of Fort Belknap was sixth.

River Road Relay was first in the consolation race, Little Badger Boys took second place, Starrs School was third, Young Bear Express was fourth, Putnam Relay was fifth, and Awasappsii was sixth.

Chase Cole won the Chariot Race despite having the lowest bid at $600. Pat Ditmar was second. He was bought for $600. Andy Cole had garnered the largest bid for $2025.

Chandra Whiteman of the Sage Women Relay of the Crow Nation won the Kid's Relay Race. Wasay Wakpa's Chaske Cliff of Lodge Pole took second in the event.