COWGIRLS from four states will lead the way when the Australian Professional Rodeo Association holds the second rodeo on the Northern Run at Taroom in Queensland on Saturday.
Taroom has traditionally been the first rodeo of the Northern Run but is now following Emerald which hosted a successful rodeo earlier this month.
Cherie O’Donoghue (Lockington, Victoria) and Wendy Caban (Moree, NSW) are the riders with the most titles competing regularly on the APRA circuit.
Both have won APRA all around titles due to their consistency in the barrel race and breakaway roping and both will be in Taroom on Saturday.
There are 38 nominations in breakaway roping and 31 in barrel racing at Taroom.
One of the riders to watch from Queensland is Teal Ayers, Roma, who won the APRA Junior All Around title this month at Emerald.
Alton Downs rider Jorja Iker will be one rider from the home state to watch in breakaway roping while Gracemere cowgirl Jill Lyons will take some beating in the barrel race.
South Australian rider Rebecca Van Houten has nominated for breakaway roping at Taroom and is a strong chance of a place.
Two of the favourites for rough stock events at Taroom are Wandoan pair Cameron Webster and David Worsfold.
The Taroom Rodeo will be the closest to their hometown this season in the APRA.
Webster has won a pro tour buckle in saddle bronc while Worsfold is the reigning champion in the bareback bronc ride.
In the bull ride, two of the favourites from Queensland will be Toowoomba cowboy Ben Palmer and Meldale rider Sam Champ.
There is also strong support in the timed events for men at Taroom with 34 nominations in steer wrestling, 22 in the rope and tie, and 54 in team roping.
Tooma rider and reigning APRA saddle bronc champion Brad Pierce is one of the early nominations for the Cloncurry Merry Muster on August 5-6.
There are already 340 nominations for Cloncurry with half of the nomination period to go.
The Cloncurry and Mt Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo are two of the big three in the APRA and many of the riders from the southern states will spend 10 days in the north-west of Queensland to cover both rodeos.
Nominations open this week for the August 12-14 Mt Isa Rodeo.
