PALMER A FAVOURITE AT TEXAS SHOW

Photo of Ben Palmer by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Mark Collins by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

TOOWOOMBA rider Ben Palmer will be one of the favourites for the open bull ride at the Texas Show Rodeo which starts at 5pm Saturday (July 23).

Some of Palmer’s toughest opposition will come from Upper Horton (NSW) bull rider Jackson Gill.

Matt Doak is organising the rodeo which will feature three events.

There are 40 nominations for Texas Show Rodeo with 13 in the saddle bronc, 8 in the bull ride and 19 in the second division bull ride. The action will stop at 7pm for fireworks and then resume for the for more action as a forerunner to the evening entertainment at the Texas Showgrounds.

In saddle bronc, three of the riders to watch will be Warwick pair Mark Collins and Peel Tribe and Mitchell cowboy Greg Hamilton.

Texas Show entertainment stewart Greg Scurr said he was hoping to build up the rodeo so it could become a stand-alone event sometime in the future.

A new rodeo arena has been built in recent years and new chutes will be used for the first time on Saturday.

Organiser Matt Doak said the quality of riders he attracted to rodeos had improved under the APRA.

“Riders can secure championship points in the APRA if we run three events and the availability of points attracts better riders,” he said.

Doak will provide the bucking bulls and Gill Brothers the horses at Texas.

The Texas Show Rodeo on Saturday will be the last chance for APRA rough riders to fine tune their form for the resumption of the Northern Run at Taroom on July 30.

The Cloncurry Merry Muster Rodeo is on August 5-6 and the Mt Isa Rodeo will be the last event on the Northern Run on August 12-14.