Pictured clockwise: Amber L'Heureux (battlefordsNOW Staff); Todd Baptiste, and Ryan Baptiste (Submitted photos/CVM Photography)

By Martin Martinson

Competing close to Home

Baptiste brothers, L’Heureux ready for CPCA stop in Battlefords

Jun 15, 2023 | 5:42 PM

The wagons are hitched and the horses ready to run, as the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) makes its stop in North Battleford, Thursday to Sunday (June 15-18) at the North Battleford Exhibition Grounds.

Among those racing close to home will be brothers Todd and Ryan Baptiste, from Cando, SK., just 30 minutes south of North Battleford, and Amber L’Heureux from Glaslyn.

Todd, who won his third straight CPCA championship last year (2019, 2021, 2022), said it’s always something special when the circuit makes a stop close to home.

“It’s always nice to be back around the hometown with all our family, friends, and the fans that are based around the Battlefords, it’s always an enjoyment for us,” Todd said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been back and we’re really looking forward to this year’s races in the Battlefords.”

Ryan Baptiste, who finished third at the end of the 2021 season, added that after last year’s event was moved out of North Battleford to Poundmaker, it’s been a long time since they’ve been able to return to the track they grew up around his entire life.

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“We’ve got a lot of history here,” Ryan said. “Not just in the Battlefords, but racing here at the track [specifically]. I’m pushing 40 years old now, so it’s a pretty special feeling to be back in the Battlefords and right here at home.

“I’ll be racing my brother this weekend and it couldn’t have worked out any better. He’s mentored me for years, so now I’m looking to knock him off,” he said with a hearty laugh.

Amber L’Heureux, who made her CPCA debut back in 2019 as the first female driver in the association on her way to three top-15 runs and 2019 Rookie Driver honours, said she’s looking forward to making her return to the North Battleford track for the first time since that first year.

“It’s super exciting and I’m really looking forward to it because we don’t get too many shows this close to home, so it should be a good night.”

L’Heureux, who returned to the CPCA circuit last summer after taking the 2020 and 2021 seasons off between injury and COVID, is coming off a 13th-place finish to open this summer’s schedule in Meadow Lake last weekend.

“Last year I had a pretty good year, but this season has started a lot stronger, so I’m looking forward to the continuation of that hopefully heading into this weekend, as this is a very similar track to Meadow Lake so it should be really good,” she said.

The CPCA action in North Battleford will begin Thursday evening at 7 p.m.

Friday’s show will also begin at 7 p.m., with Saturday’s at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday’s show starting at 2 p.m.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1