TWO of the rising Central Queensland stars of the Australian Professional Rodeo Association will be aiming to win national titles at the Junior National Finals Rodeo at Emerald on July 10-11.

The rodeo will be held in conjunction with a Friday night open bull ride and an open rodeo on the Saturday when all eight championship events will be contested.

Jordan Iker hails from Alton Downs and is a star in open timed events along with his father Shane Iker.

In junior standings, Jordan is second in junior high point standings and leads the breakaway roping.

He leads the breakaway from Benjamin Gard, of Table Top, Albury.

Victorian star Jake Malay-Murphy leads the junior high point cowboy and junior steer ride standings.

Ellysa Kenny shouldn’t be fazed by competing at the junior finals, she has been at many open finals with her parents Shane and Leanne Kenny who are regular finalists.

She hails from Emerald and is third on barrel racing standings behind leader Ellie Gard from Table Top, and runner-up Montana O’Donoghue-Kent from Victoria.

The junior finals will bring together the top 10 in each event in the APRA.

Boys and girls go head-to-head in all junior events. Some girls go in the steer ride, boys and girls in the barrel race and breakaway roping.

The Emerald weekend is the start of the Northern Run in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association.

The Cloncurry and Mt Isa rodeos are part of the Northern Run and rated two of the top three rodeos along with Warwick in the APRA.