BATTLE BETWEEN BARREL RACERS

Photo of Cherie O’Donoghue by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

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

Battle between riders from Bunyip, Lockington, Table Top, Wantabadgery and Murrurindi in barrel race at national finals

CAN  the aunt and niece from Victoria beat the sisters from New South Wales in the Barrel Race?

That is one of the questions to  be answered at The Carlton Dry Warwick Rodeo National Finals on October 27-30 at the Warwick Rodeo.

Shianne O’Donoghue-Kent, of Bunyip (Vic), won the most money in the season to  April 30 in Australian Professional Rodeo Association Barrel Racing and is one of the favourites going into the National Finals in Warwick.

Her aunt Cherie O’Donoghue, of Lockington (Vic), won the Breakaway Roping  title last year and is a multiple title winner in the APRA.

Two of their threats to the Victorians in the Barrel Race will be the Gard sisters from Table Top, New South Wales.

Stephanie, 21, is second on APRA Barrel Racing standings going into the finals and her sister Ellie, 13, fourth. Stephanie won the All-Around Cowgirl title last year and the Breakaway Roping titles in 2013 and 2014. She was third at the end of the pro tour in Breakaway Roping this year.

Ellie will be one of the youngest title winners in APRA history if she is victorious in late October at the Warwick Showgrounds.

The biggest chance for the Barrel Racing title outside the Victorian aunt and niece and sisters from New South Wales will be NSW rider Teneille Little.

Little is originally from Roma in Queensland but now lives at Wantabadgery in the Wagga Wagga area of New South Wales.

She won the APRA Barrel Racing titles in 2005, 2009 and 2010 but will have to win from 12^th spot on the standings.

The riders are each allocated points going into the finals for performances in the pro tour season but, as was the case last year, the best way to win titles is to perform strongly in the four rounds of the National Finals in Warwick.

Jo Caldwell from Murrurindi (NSW) was second in the Barrel Racing aggregate at Mt Isa this year and is another strong chance.

Rounds of the APRA National Finals will be on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and the Sunday afternoon at the Warwick Showgrounds on October 27-30.

BARREL RACE 1 Shianne O'Donoghue -Kent VIC, 2 Stephanie Gard NSW, 3 Adele Edwards NSW, 4 Ellie Gard NSW, 5 Suzie Fearon QLD, 6 Cherie O'Donoghue VIC, 7 Jo Caldwell NSW, 8 Leslie Moore VIC, 9 Julie Breed VIC, 10 Cheyenne Whitwell QLD, 11 Montana O'Toole QLD, 12 Teneille Little NSW, 13 Dusty McPhee VIC , 14 Tenielle Middleton QLD, 15 Karly Morgan QLD.

BREAKAWAY ROPING: 1 Elley Hulls VIC, 2 Cherie O'Donoghue VIC, 3 Stephanie Gard NSW, 4 Jorja Iker QLD, 5 Kelly Westlake NSW, 6 Wendy Caban NSW, 7 Teal Ayers QLD, 8 Anna McPhee VIC , Sharon McGuire QLD, 10 Jessica Layton VIC , 11 Jemma Dowling QLD, 12 Cheyenne Whitwell QLD, 13 Rebecca Van Houten NSW, 14 Danielle Marshall TAS, 15 Angela Pokarier QLD.