RIDERS from all eastern states and South Australia will compete in three rodeos on Saturday.
Three rodeos on one weekend is a great opportunity for riders to boost their position in Australian Professional Rodeo Association standings. The top 15 in each event qualify for the national finals.
On Saturday, there are rodeos at Clare in South Australia, Sale in Victoria and Hay in New South Wales.
There are 135 nominations for the rodeo from 5:30pm at Clare.
The Sale Rodeo from 5:30pm has attracted 85 nominations.
There are 23 in the Team Roping and 154 overall for the Hay Rodeo at 6:30pm at the Hay Showgrounds.
This weekend’s rodeos are the perfect forerunner to three rodeos in Victoria on the March long weekend and then 11 rodeos in the eastern states at Easter.
One of the closest battles for the standings lead is in the bareback bronc ride where South Australian ironman Tom Willoughby is a narrow leader from Victorian rider Cody Tyrrell.
Charters Towers cowboy Deon Lane is the leading Queensland bareback rider at third place in the standings.
Tom Phipps from Victoria is in fourth place and Ben Hall from Tumbarumba in New South Wales fifth. Hall had second and fourth placings in last year’s national finals rounds and was third in the aggregate.
Willoughby is the only cowboy in the APRA competing in five events, three timed events and two rough stock events, the bull and bareback bronc rides.
The Clare Rodeo on Saturday in South Australia is a great chance for Willoughby to move up the standings in his five events.
He has almost secured a spot in the national finals in the bareback bronc ride but needs more prizemoney in his other four events.
Willoughby competed in three events at last year’s nationals finals in Warwick but is aiming to qualify for finals in five events this year.
The rodeo stock are proving too good for the cowboys at many of the APRA rodeos this season.
Only four riders made time at the Wagga Wagga Rodeo this month.
Brendon Crawley won the bareback at Wagga Wagga on the horse Akubra Cowgirl.
Tooma (NSW) rider Brad Pierce rode the John Gill horse Corryong Kid to a score of 77 to win the saddle bronc at Wagga Wagga from runner-up Tom Kerr who scored 68 on Super Sue.
One of the highest scores of the season was the winning bull ride score of 87 by Sam Woodall on White Ice at Wagga Wagga, the only bull ride score at the rodeo.
Program
March 2 – Clare Rodeo, SA
March 2 – Sale Rodeo, Vic
March 2 – Hay Rodeo, NSW
March 3 – Festival State Timed Events Rodeo, Clare, SA
March 8 – Kyabram Rodeo, Vic
March 9 – Gowrie Park Rodeo, Tas
March 9: Merrijig Rodeo, Vic
March 10: Chiltern Rodeo, Vic
