STARS TO ALSTONVILLE RODEO

Photo of Nichole Fitzpatrick by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Wendy Caban by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Stephanie Gard by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Stars from Moree, Willow Tree, Tabletop and Lockington heading to Alstonville Rodeo

FOUR of the best cowgirls in Australia will compete at Alstonville Rodeo starting at 3:30pm on Saturday.

The rodeo will be the last in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association season and will include all eight championships events, including bull ride, saddle bronc and bareback bronc rides.

  New South Wales trio Nichole Fitzpatrick (Willow Tree), Wendy Caban (Moree) and Stephanie Gard (Tabletop) are all recent title winners in the APRA and will compete in the barrel race and breakaway roping.

Last year, Fitzpatrick won the all around cowgirl and barrel racing titles and Gard made it back-to-back title winners in breakaway roping.

Caban has won seven titles in the past decade, three in the all around, two in the barrel race and two in breakaway roping.

Lockington (Vic) cowgirl Cherie O’Donoghue has won six all around and two breakaway roping titles in the APRA and will make the long trek north to Alstonville.

It won’t just come down to the top four in a field of 20 in breakaway roping as current standings leader Jane Fay, of Warra (Qld) will compete along with Mt Tarampa (Qld) cowgirl Cheyenne Whitwell who has been one of the most successful ropers in the APRA in the past five years.

O’Donoghue’s niece Montana O’Donoghue-Kent will also travel from Victoria to compete at Alstonville.

In cowboy event, standings leaders Michael Maher and Lee Kimber will be at Alstonville, a championship points rodeo where both will be aiming to further their title chances in the APRA.

Maher is from Warwick in Queensland and Kimber from Lockington in Victoria. Current all around cowboy standings leader Terry Evison from Willung in Victoria will make the trek north to the Northern Rivers this weekend.

The top-15 in each APRA event after this weekend will qualify for the Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships on October 22-25. Competitors who place on Saturday will further their title chances at the Warwick Showgrounds as they will be credited with one point for each dollar won during the season.

Riders who qualify 15^th for the finals in Warwick can win the titles but will need top performances in each of the four rounds at the championships to make up points on the standings leaders.