CHARTERS Towers cowboy Darcy Kersh will be one of the favourites for timed events at Bowen River Rodeo this weekend.
The action starts on Friday with a second-division timed events rodeo.
There are separate Saturday and Sunday rodeos this weekend at Bowen River.
Bowen River is the only rodeo in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association where there are two separate rodeos on the one weekend.
There are 27 cowgirls in the barrel race on Saturday and 32 in breakaway roping.
The attraction of two rodeos on one weekend has encouraged Victorian cowgirl Cherie O'Donoghue to head north for the weekend.
O'Donoghue is one of the most successful cowgirls in APRA history.
Some of her toughest opposition at Bowen River will come from Upper Horton (NSW) rider Stacey Wilburn and Emerald competitor Ellysa Kenny.
Kenny won the APRA all around cowgirl title in 2017 and is in both the barrel race and breakaway roping at Bowen River.
Wilburn has nominated for the breakaway roping along with her sister Melissa. Both are in section 1 on Saturday.
There are 18 nominations for the rope and tie on both Saturday and Sunday.
Kersh won round 2 of the rope and tie at last year's national finals at the Warwick Rodeo.
He will face a tough field, including current APRA rope and tie champion Mitch Eastwell from Warwick.
Eastwell won rounds 3 and 4 at the national finals to win his first open title in the APRA.
Kenny will be one of the favourites for the Junior National Finals Rodeo at Emerald on June 21-22.
The action in the junior finals starts on the Friday and continues on the Saturday.
The Saturday junior action will be in conjunction with the annual Emerald Ag Grow Rodeo on June 22.
Program
June 7: Bowen River Second Division Timed Events Rodeo
June 8: Bowen River Saturday Rodeo
June 9: Bowen River Sunday Rodeo
June 21-22: Junior National Finals Rodeo, Emerald
June 22: Emerald Ag Grow Rodeo
July 20: Taroom Rodeo
July 27: Richmond Rodeo
July 28: Hughenden Flinders River Timed Event Rodeo
August 2: Cloncurry Xtreme Bulls Rodeo
August 2: Cloncurry Junior Rodeo
August 2-3: Cloncurry Rodeo
August 8-11: Mt Isa Rodeo
