“We did it!, We did it!” yelled winning rider Jay Peeaychew as the Poitras Relay team celebrated after winning the Muckleshoot Gold Cup Championship in thrilling fashion.

It was perhaps the most exciting finish yet in this event. Typically, Indian relay races are won and lost in the exchanges, with those switching horses more quickly outrunning their competitors; but in this case it was a true four-horse race all the way down the stretch, with Poitras hitting the wire first.

Muckleshoot Tribal Council members Anita Mitchell, Jessica Garcia-Jones and Leeroy Courville were on hand to award the prestigious Muckleshoot Gold Cup Championship trophy and a giant-sized $14,200 1st Place check to our jubilant Canadian guests.

Poitras Relay, owned by Curtis Poitras, hails from Meadowlake, Saskatchewan, and made their first appearance at the Indian Relay at Emerald Downs a winning one. They’ve previously competed in both Thoroughbred races and Indian Relay all over the U.S. and Canada.

A film crew accompanied them from the time they began preparing to leave their Saskatchewan home base, capturing the drama of their journey throughout the West, until this spectacular victory at Emerald Downs provided a thrilling conclusion to their documentary. We look forward to seeing it!