HUGE NOMINATIONS FOR CLONCURRY AND ISA

 Photo of Jared Borghero by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Shianne O’Donoghue-Kent by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

 Photo of Darcy McBean by Mike Kenyon – www.kenyonsportsphotos.com.au  

Photo of Wendy Caban by Mike Kenyon – www.kenyonsportsphotos.com.au

THERE are 524 nominations for the annual Cloncurry Merry Muster Rodeo this weekend including the Junior Rodeo. (August 3-5)

The rodeo rates with Mt Isa and Warwick as one of the big three in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association.

There are 42 nominations in the Bull ride, including three of the best in the business, Northern Territory rider Darcy McBean, APRA standings leader Jared Borghero from Beaudesert and past title winner Jason O’Hearn from Rothbury in New South Wales.

Millmerran rider John McNamee won last year’s APRA National Title in Saddle Bronc and Allan Powell from Springsure won the Average and both will go head to head at Cloncurry.

Cody Angland will make the trip north from New South Wales and is expected to test the favourites in the Saddle Bronc at the Cloncurry Merry Muster Rodeo on Friday and Saturday. The rodeo action at Cloncurry starts on Thursday night with a stand-alone Xtreme Bulls event which also has attracted 43 nominations.

The cowboy with the busiest program at Cloncurry will be former Alton Downs and now Townsville rider Jordan Iker who is in the Bull and Saddle Bronc rides as well as the Rope and Tie and Steer Wrestling.

In the modern rodeo era, few riders compete in both rough stock and timed events at the same rodeo but Iker is an exception. He has proved to be one of the best timed events riders in the nation but is still developing his skills as a rough stock rider.

There are 43 nominations for ladies Breakaway Roping at Cloncurry and 37 in the Barrel Race in the Merry Muster on Friday and Saturday.

Current National All Around Champion Shianne O’Donoghue-Kent from Bunyip in Victoria is in both events but will receive strong competition from a field with many past National Champions.

Leanne Caban from Emerald is the current Breakaway standings leader in the APRA while her sister-in-law and past title winner Wendy Caban from Moree will be hard to beat in both events.

The most nominations for Cloncurry are 79 in team roping led by Emerald rider and current APRA All Around standings leader Shane Kenny.

After this weekend, action will move west for the August 11-13 Mt Isa Rotary Rodeo, the final event on the Northern Run in the APRA where there are more than 600 nominations.

The action this week starts at the Cloncurry Showgrounds for the Xtreme Bulls at 7pm Thursday and at the Cloncurry Equestrian Centre from 12pm on Friday for the Junior Rodeo and open rodeo 6pm and Saturday from 10am.