Suffice it to say, the 2024 World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) season is not going the way the reigning world champion had hoped it would.
"Ponoka didn't go the way we had hoped," said Layne MacGillivray, in a recent interview.
"We hit a barrel the fourth night, which cost a trip into the Dash."
MacGillivray noted that things went a bit better for the veteran chuckwagon team a week later at the Calgary Stampede.
"In Calgary, we weren't lighting the world on fire by any means," said MacGillivray.
"We stayed consistent and penalty-free and got into the dash. We came in second on that race by quite a ways."
MacGillivray says some of the issue this season has been inconsistency, which again impacted him in the High River races to close out July.
Heading into the Battle of High River, MacGillivray and his team sat third in the WPCA standings; as of July 30 he had slipped to sixth with his 10th place finish
Still, MacGillivray says he is making the best of the season, with competition in Strathmore, Rocky Mt. House, and Dawson Creek before the finals in Ponoka yet to come.
Right now, MacGillivray says he's focused on looking after his horses, and ensuring that they are ready to compete.
"With the heat, you have to look after them for sure."
One bright spot for MacGillivray's chuckwagon team this season is the return of his son Trey as an outrider.
Trey was injured last year and spent several months recovering.
"It's a huge thing for us," said MacGillivray.
"He's a major part of our team for sure."
Trey MacGillivray currently sits fourth in the WPCA outrider standings.
