Jay Peeaychew of Red Pheasant Cree Nation rides his four-year-old grey horse, Counter Punch, known as Punchy, during the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Indian Relay on Aug. 24, 2025. (Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede/Facebook)

By Kenneth Cheung

LOCAL TALENT

‘I got the best crew’: Jay Peeaychew leads Black Bear Indian Relay to 2026 Calgary Stampede spot with Medicine Hat win

Aug 27, 2025 | 12:42 PM

For Indian Relay rider Jay Peeaychew of Red Pheasant Cree Nation, horses are not just part of the race. They’re part of his family.

“They helped me with anxiety and depression in the past,” he said.

“To me, they’re healing animals. They heal me, and I can have the worst day ever, but as soon as I come around my horses, nothing else matters in the world.”

That bond was on full display in Medicine Hat this past weekend, where Peeaychew and the Black Bear Relay team captured the 2025 Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede Indian Relay championship with two nearly flawless races on Aug. 23 and 24.

The win secured them a place at the 2026 Calgary Stampede.

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“That was our goal starting out this year was to try and make our way into Calgary,” Peeaychew said. “And I’m pretty positive we did.”

Jay Peeaychew holds his championship medal after winning the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Indian Relay on Aug. 24, 2025. (Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede/Facebook)

Indian Relay Racing is considered one of North America’s oldest competitive sports. Riders race bareback around a track, switching to a fresh horse each lap in a designated exchange area.

Peeaychew began racing at 14. In the decade since, he has become a two-time Canadian champion and a world champion — the only Canadian ever to win the USA World Championship relay title in Auburn, Wash.

This year’s breakthrough is another step in a journey that has always been about more than trophies.

“I may be the rider, but I can’t do this without all of my crew and my horses,” he said. “I believe I got the best crew out there.”

Building Black Bear

The Medicine Hat victory also shows how far the Black Bear Relay team has come in only its first season together.

The crew — Peeaychew, his best friend and team owner Colton Poitras, and manager Charlie Nolin — decided last winter to branch off and form their own team.

“We felt we were good enough to be on our own and to run a championship team on our own, even though the oldest person on our crew is 26,” Peeaychew said.

The team may be young, but “we have probably over 60 years’ worth of experience combined as a group.”

In their debut season, Black Bear raced in 12 shows, reached 11 championship heats and earned victories at Poundmaker and now Medicine Hat.

Black Bear team owner Colton Poitras, left, Punchy and Jay Peeaychew. (Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede/Facebook)

Members of the Black Bear Relay team during the Indian Relay at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede. (Black Bear Indian Relay/Facebook)

Among the horses that carried the team this season, one in particular stands out for Peeaychew: a four-year-old grey named Counter Punch, or “Punchy.”

“He’s the most consistent horse ever,” he said. “Every race I know he’s gonna stand there. Stands like a statue, and soon as he feels me on his back, he’s gone. Like, he’s gone in a snap.”

Looking ahead

The team plans to spend the winter resting its horses and building its stable.

“Over the winter, just take care of our horses, get them happy and healthy again, and buy ’em all the feed we need,” Peeaychew said.

“We’re gonna need more horses going into Calgary. We got seven right now, but I think we’re gonna get about 10 or 12.”

From Red Pheasant to Medicine Hat — and soon to Calgary — the Black Bear Relay team’s rise has been swift.

The crew (from left to right): Nowonder Poitras, Treycen Wuttunee, Charlie Nolin, Owen Rhodes and Colten Poitras. (Black Bear Indian Relay/instagram)

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com