CABOOLTURE rider Lachlan O’Neill is the leader in steer wrestling after six months of the new season in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association.
The new season started on May 1 and riders are chasing a top-15 position and national finals qualification for the season that goes to September 30 next year.
This season has been extended to 17 months following the confirmation of the move of the national finals to the Warwick Rodeo at the end of October.
O’Neill has a comfortable lead over two Central Queensland riders, Jamie Reynolds from Clermont and Russell Copping, of Emerald, in steer wrestling standings.
Lachlan’s brother Jordan O’Neill is in 16th spot. Last month at the national finals in Warwick, Jordan was third in rounds 1 and 3 and fourth in round 2 of steer wrestling. He was unplaced in round 4 to miss a place in the average.
One rider moving up the standings is Lockington (Vic) and former Kalbar (Qld) rider Lee Kimber. At this year’s national finals in Warwick, Kimber won round 4 of steer wrestling and was fourth in round 1 for third in the average. This month, he has already won the steer wrestling at Kapunda in South Australia where he also recorded a second in team roping in combination with Orin James from Daisy Hill in Victoria.
The top eight riders in steer wrestling standings are from Queensland but those keen to maintain their position in the standings will need to do some travelling in the next three months as 20 of the next 21 APRA rodeos are in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.
There are six rodeos in a fortnight as part of the Christmas Run in the southern states which will be well supported by Queensland riders.
The next Queensland Rodeo is the Mt Isa New Year’s Eve Rodeo for championship points at Buchanan Park on December 31. The New Year’s Eve Rodeo at Mt Isa is a new addition to the APRA program.
The Millmerran Show Rodeo on March 4 will be the first APRA Rodeo in the sunshine state next year.
Rodeo program:
December 17 – Rosewood (NSW)
December 26 – Myrtleford Golden Spurs Rodeo (Vic)
December 30 – Carrieton (SA), Yarrawonga (Vic)
December 31 – Mt Isa New Year’s Eve Rodeo (Qld)
January 1 – Tumbarumba (NSW)
January 6 – Finley (NSW)
January 7 – Beechworth (Vic).
