RIDERS from Nebo and Stanwell will be two to watch when cowboys from Queensland and interstate head to Nebo for the second rodeo of the new season on Saturday. (May 7)

The Mackay Toyota Nebo Rodeo has attracted 330 nominations in total for the eight Australian Professional Rodeo Association championship events. The rodeo is in the Nebo Undercover Arena starting at 1pm Saturday.

APRA office manager Karen Burraston said the number of nominations was one of the largest in the past year.

“The increased numbers are partly due to the $4000 prize money for each open event and the start of the new season,” Burraston said.

Jarrod Deguara hails from Nebo and has nominated in the steer wrestling and team roping and has regularly qualified for the national finals down the years.

There are large nominations in the open bull ride and one of the favourites will be Jason Mara who hails from Stanwell.

Mara is originally from Cloncurry and has won a round of the bull ride at the Mt Isa Rodeo so has the ability to perform at the major rodeos.

The cowgirl events will be hotly contested especially as Nebo is so close to the home areas of many of the best riders in the nation in the barrel race and breakaway roping who live in Central Queensland.

  The APRA board has just announced that the season leading up to the 2017 The Warwick Rodeo National Finals will start on May this year and will go to September 30, 2017. Therefore riders at Nebo this Saturday have the chance to build up early points in a bid to qualify for 2017

The move of the APRA national finals to Warwick for at least the next three years has necessitated the change to the pro tour season.

The top 15 riders in each event for the 2017 finals will compete over a 17-month season.

Riders who finished in the top 15 to April 30, 2016, have qualified for this year’s national finals at the Warwick Showgrounds in late October.

APRA PROGRAM:  May 7 Nebo Rodeo; May 27 Bundaberg Show Rodeo.

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