CHARTERS Towers rodeo on Saturday will be one of the biggest in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association this season.
There are 438 nominations for the rodeo at the Dalrymple Equestrian Centre.
In the saddle bronc, 38 nominations have been received.
Four of the riders to watch will be Victorian star Heath Chalmers, NSW cowboy Anthony Caldwell and two Queenslanders, Tom Webster, Injune, and Greg Hamilton, Mitchell.
Chalmers leads the standings with six weeks of the APRA season to go.
Last weekend, Webster scored 79.5 to win at the Taroom Rodeo. He is currently second in the APRA standings behind Chalmers.
Wandoan cowboy David Worsfold recorded the highest score in bareback at Taroom to win with 83 points.
Zane Hall won the bull ride with a score of 79.
Last weekend at Taroom, Lyndell Middelstadt won the barrel race in a field of 61 in a time of 17.92.
Alton Downs breakaway roper Jorja Iker won in a time of 2.35 seconds and is now second in standings in the APRA.
Heath Nichols travelled from Willow Tree, NSW, and competed on a borrowed horse to win the rope and tie with a time of 10.15.
Shane Iker, Alton Downs, was first in the steer wrestling at Taroom with a time of 4.8 seconds.
Brody and Lachlan Smith won the team roping in 5.4 seconds.
The best bucking stock at Taroom were two McPhee Rodeo Company horses, Try Me and Lady in Red. The best bucking bull from Warwick contractor Frank Biddle was Look At Me Now.
Emerald and Taroom rodeos were the first two on the APRA Northern Run which moves further north this weekend.
The Bowen Xtreme Broncs event will be held at the Bowen Showgrounds on Friday night. There are 25 nominations in saddle bronc, 33 in the bull ride and 12 in the bareback bronc ride.
All rodeo stock for Bowen will be contracted by Gill Brothers, Upper Horton, NSW.
Most of the saddle bronc riders on Friday night will head a bit further north for the first APRA rodeo at Charters Towers for many years on Saturday at the Dalrymple Equestrian Centre.
Charters Towers is the home for some of the best rodeo competitors in the nation and the 438 nominations put it in the top five in the APRA.
This year's Ariat APRA National Finals will be held at Warwick on the last weekend in October and all competitors are aiming for the top-15 in their individual event to qualify for the finals.
APRA Northern Run Rodeo program
July 23: Bowen Xtreme Broncs
July 24: Charters Towers Rodeo
July 31: Richmond Let's Talk Xtreme Broncs and Steer Wrestling Mania
July 31: Richmond Rodeo
August 6: Cloncurry Xtreme Bulls
August 6: Cloncurry Junior Rodeo
August 6-7: Cloncurry Merry Muster Rodeo
August 12-15: Mt Isa Rodeo
August 20-21: North Queensland Elite Rodeo, Townsville
August 28: Capella Rodeo
