Riders vie for points to final
CLERMONT rider Clayton Braden will be one of the favourites for the open saddle bronc ride at this Saturday’s St Brendan’s Rodeo at Yeppoon.
Braden is second on the Australian Professional Rodeo Association saddle bronc standings behind Tooma (NSW) cowboy Brad Pierce.
Earlier this month at the richest rodeo in the nation at Mt Isa, Braden won the saddle bronc final with a score of 78.5 to finish third overall.
A week earlier he was third at the Cloncurry Merry Muster with a score of 77.5.
Springsure cowboy Allan Powell won the average at last year’s Warwick Rodeo national finals and will be one of the toughest for Braden to beat at Yeppoon.
Powell is 10th in APRA standings but almost certain to make the finals.
Braden and Powell were equal third in saddle bronc at the Emerald Rodeo in July.
In cowgirl events, Emerald rider Leanne Caban is one of the favourites at Yeppoon after winning both the barrel racing and breakaway roping last month at Emerald.
Caban has been overtaken in the breakaway roping
standings by Victorian rider Cherie O’Donoghue but is still second going into the finals.
Emerald rider Jaimi Downing is second in barrel race standings behind New South Wales rider Jo Caldwell and will be hard to beat at Yeppoon.
One of the riders to watch will be Emerald cowgirl Ellysa Kenny, who is seventh in the standings in both the barrel race and breakaway roping.
Kenny is still a junior but is more than matching it with the open riders.
The rodeo at Yeppoon is the second to last in the current APRA season so some riders
from interstate are making the trip north in quest of prizemoney and championship points to qualify in the top-15 for this year’s finals. Program:
September 2 – St Brendan’s Rodeo, Yeppoon, Qld.
September 9 – Warwick Junior Rodeo, Qld.
September 23 – Amber Ranch Bundaberg Rodeo, Qld.
September 23 – K Ranch Timed Events Rodeo, Mt Hunter, NSW.
October 26–29 – Warwick Rodeo APRA National Finals and Warwick Second Division and Junior Rodeo.