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Alexandra will host three massive days of rodeo in January as the best riders in the nation go head-to-head in the battle for titles in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association.

There were no national finals last year due to COVID-19 so the 2021 finals in January will be the first since Warwick hosted the 2019 finals just more than two years ago.

The Ariat Nationals Finals are the best of the best in the APRA with the top 15 in seven events to compete at Chiltern and Alexandra in late January.

Rounds 1-2 of the finals will be held at Chiltern Racecourse and Recreation Reserve from 7pm on January 21-22 and then rounds 3-4 will be on January 28-29 from 7pm at the Alexandra Dame Paddy Menzies Centre.

Alexandra rodeo spokesman Andrew Embling said there were finals held in Victoria in the 1980s but this was the first finals in the state in the intervening years.

“It is fantastic to be able to host the finals,” Embling said.

As well as the championship events in the APRA, the Alexandra Rodeo will have extra entertainment with trick riders and musical entertainment before and after each night of the rodeo.

All of the action will be the national finals performances which are expected to go for three hours on each of the four nights.

Alexandra will have its annual rodeo on January 8 which most southern competitors will use to fine turn their form for the finals.

Lurg contractor Garry McPhee will be providing the bucking stock for the January 8 rodeo in Alexandra.

He will also be one of the contractors for the two weekends of national finals action.

McPhee rates Cheyenne Top Girl as his top saddle bronc horse.

She is 18 years of age and his most prolific winner in bucking horse of the year awards in the APRA.

McPhee expects two nine-year-old mares to be hard to ride at the finals, Miss Cactus and Miss Jingles.

He said horses could be at the top of their bucking game for eight or nine years but bulls for a shorter time.

“My six-year-bull High Alert has been bucking at rodeos for three years and hasn’t yet been ridden,” he said.

“We are wrapped to have the national finals in Victoria, all our rodeos attract good crowds.”

Two of the competitors to beat at the finals will be Queensland pair Campbell Hodson and Ellysa Kenny who are the current APRA all-around titleholders.

Hodson is originally from Townsville and has also lived on Central Queensland.

He has qualified in three events at the finals.

Kenny is from Emerald has won two all-around cowgirl titles.

One of the Victorian riders to watch will be Chiltern bareback bronc rider Jarrod McKane who has won the most prizemoney of any rider heading to the finals.

All the action from the two nights of finals will be livestreamed across the world.

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