This weekend the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour makes its second stop in the Twin Cities for the 2019 Wodonga Invitational. On Saturday night the best bull riders in the country will compete on the southern bank of the Murray River after making the 600km trip upstream from Mildura.
Tune into RidePass from 7:00 pm ADST (6:00 pm QLD, 1:00 am Las Vegas) to catch every ride from Gateway Lakes live.
Here is this week’s PBR Rundown.
Last Year
Nebo cowboy Justin Paton took out the inaugural Wodonga event in 2018, holding off Cliff Richardson and Cody Heffernan to claim his fifth career PBR victory.
Event Format and Points Available
This weekend we will see eighteen riders go head to head over two long rounds with a six-rider short round scheduled to decide the 2019 Wodonga Invitational Champion.
Any single rider can earn a whopping 800 championship points and 170 world points will also be awarded to the winners.
The title race may very well be down to just two riders unless someone makes a big move this weekend.
The Field
Rankings leader Aaron Kleier and No. 2 Brady Fielder will trade blows once again this weekend with the gap between the young-guns now sitting at 840 points.
For an Important Standings and Points Update – Click Here.
No. 4 Lachlan Richardson is now over 2000 points behind Kleier, as is No. 5 Cliff Richardson. Both remain a slim chance of contending for the Gold Buckle. The elder of the two still has plenty to play for this week with qualification for the PBR World Finals still a genuine possibility with his current ranking of 38th.
Off the back of his National Finals Rodeo Aggregate win, former Aussie Champion and No. ranked 13 Troy Wilkinson returns to PBR action, and we will also see the newly crowned APRA Bull Riding National Champion No. 16 Will Purcell return.
Following his second-place finish in Mildura, No. 14 Nathan Burtenshaw will be another rider looking to make his way up the standings and move well clear of the Grand Finals bubble race.
2015 PBR Australian National Champion Fraser Babbington returns from New Zealand for a run at the Grand Finals from his current No. 19 ranking.
The Bull Pen
Throsby & Russell Bucking Bulls will once again start the favourites in the bull team event after taking home the buckle last weekend in Mildura.
John Gill & Sons backs up with George Hempenstall and Diamond S Bucking Bulls joining the pen. We will also see McPhee Rodeo Company buckers for a second time.
Check back tomorrow as I break down the daysheet for the 2019 Wodonga Invitational.
I will have limited updates in the Ride the Rage Score Center from 6 pm AEST on Saturday or check back on Sunday for my wrap-up.