THE Australian Professional Rodeo Association is gearing up for three massive weekends of rodeo action on the Northern Run.
After rodeos at Emerald, Taroom, Richmond and Hughenden, the APRA has rodeos at Cloncurry, Mt Isa and Townsville on successive weekends to finish the Northern Run in Queensland.
The Cloncurry Merry Muster Rodeo starts on Friday and will finish on Saturday.
Down the years, Cloncurry, Mt Isa and Warwick rodeos have attracted the largest number of nominations and some of the best crowds at APRA rodeos.
Many competitors will stay in the north-west between Cloncurry and Mt Isa rodeos while others will stay on for a third weekend to compete in the North Queensland Elite Rodeo on August 16-17 where the top four in each event will compete for $1000.
Action in the Cloncurry Rodeo this weekend starts at noon Friday and 10am Saturday. There will only be one round of action but the rodeo has attracted the best of the best in the APRA.
Victorian rider Terry Evison leads the all around standings in the APRA and will compete in the rope and tie, steer wrestling and team roping.
Evison leads three Queenslanders, Shane Kenny, Campbell Hodson and Darcy Kesch, in the standings. Yass (NSW) rider Clay Bush is fifth in the all around standings.
In cowgirl standings, Emerald rider Ellysa Kenny leads the all around from four Victorians, Julie Breed, Cherie O'Donoghue, Elley Hulls and Amber Burns.
Burns is originally from Tasmania but now calls Victoria home.
The Mt Isa Rotary Rodeo on August 8-11 and the Warwick Rodeo APRA National Finals on October 24-27 are the only four-day rodeos in the APRA.
After Mt Isa, competitors can head east to Townsville for the North Queensland Elite Rodeo on August 16-17 or drive on to the Northern Territiory for the Darwin Rodeo on August 17. The final rodeo in a massive three weekends in the APRA will be the Frontier Days Festival Rodeo at Burketown on August 18.
With some high paying rodeos in the next month, riders have plenty of opportunity to push their way in to the top-15 and qualify for the national finals in Warwick at the end of October
Rodeo program:
August 2: Cloncurry Xtreme Bulls Rodeo
August 2: Cloncurry Junior Rodeo
August 2-3: Cloncurry Rodeo
August 8-11: Mt Isa Rodeo
August 16-17: North Queensland Elite Rodeo, Harvey Range Rd, Townsville
August 17: Darwin Rodeo
August 18: Frontier Days Festival Rodeo, Burketown
August 23: Springsure Working Horse Association Rodeo
August 31: St Brendan's College Rodeo, Yeppoon
