ONLY NSW TO WIN AN EVENT AT MILLMERRAN

Photo of Wendy Caban by Cherie Ryan – www.purplefairy.net

MOREE cowgirl Wendy Caban has won the Barrel Race at the Millmerran Show Rodeo.

Caban hasn’t competed a lot in the first two thirds of the Australian Professional Rodeo Association season but showed with her win at Millmerran she is likely to finish in the top-15 in at least one event and qualify for the October National Finals at the Warwick Rodeo.

She was the only winner from New South Wales at a rodeo where riders from the home state dominated.

Caboolture rider Lachlan O’Neill is the current Steer Wrestling standings leader and won at Millmerran.

Charters Towers rider Darcy Kersh made a long trip south worthwhile with wins in the Rope and Tie and Team Roping. He combined in Team Roping with Alton Downs rider Shane Iker.

Darling Downs riders won all three rough stock events.

Michael Maher (Warwick) was first in Saddle Bronc, Jack McArthur (Cooyar) won the Bull Ride and Tara cowboy Dinny Moran was the Bareback Bronc Ride winner at Millmerran.

Teal Ayers from Roma had a win in Breakaway Roping and is challenging for a top-five spot in the standings.

Rodeo organiser Henry Wolski was happy with the crowd especially considering the weather.

“We had eight millimetres rain during the rodeo,” he said.

“The lights did flick out for a second during the night after which we waited 15 minutes for the flood lights to heat up again but everything went well.”

The Millmerran Rodeo was a chance for many riders from Queensland and New South Wales to fine tune their form for three rodeos in Victoria this weekend.

There are rodeos at Kyabram, Merrijig and Childers on three successive nights from Friday to Sunday as Victorians enjoy a long weekend.

Overall, there are more than 1000 total nominations for the three rodeos. Two to watch in Saddle Bronc are Maher and current APRA standings leader John McNamee who was unplaced at his hometown rodeo at Millmerran but is one cowboy with plenty of past success in Victoria.

The next New South Wales rodeo is the Cobar Xtreme Bulls and Roughstock Rodeo at the Cobar Racecourse on March 25 and then the Deniliquin Under The Stars Rodeo on Easter Saturday, April 15, at the Deniliquin Racecourse Arena.