Professional Bull Riding to light up Cairns on Saturday night

The biggest names in professional bull riding will go head-to-head in Cairns on Saturday night, with a Mareeba rider taking to his hometown arena leading the national championship rankings.

Mareeba's own Kurt Shephard will be competing at the PBR Cairns Invitational on Saturday. Picture: Supplied

The biggest names in professional bull riding will go head-to-head in Cairns on Saturday night, with a Mareeba rider taking to his hometown arena leading the national championship rankings.

More than 40 bull riders from across Australia, Brazil and New Zealand will compete in the Cairns Invitational of the Professional Bull Riding Australia tour at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday, July 19.

With $40,000 in prize money to be won, riders are also chasing championship points in a bid to secure their place at the grand final in Townsville in November.

Leading this year’s championship standings is rider Kurt Shephard, from Mareeba.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better. It’s pretty well my hometown PBR, so it’ll be really cool,” Mr Shephard said of heading into the event in first place.

The 30-year-old, who is an apprentice diesel fitter, said he is looking forward to having the support of friends and family in the crowd.

Mareeba's Kurt Shephard. Photo: Elise Derwin

“Cairns is probably my favourite PBR on the tour, because I get so many friends and family that come along,” he said.

“It just makes me feel good to have that support there – it makes you feel excited.

“It doesn’t happen every weekend, so it’ll be cool to catch up with everyone.”

Mr Shephard also said the Cairns PBR is special because of the atmosphere created inside the centre.

“It’s a great event, probably one of the best in the country,” he said.

With Australian artist Hayley Jensen performing, Mr Shephard said, “you’ll get to see some of the best bucking bulls and some of the best bull riders in the country … and along with that a pretty cool show they put on with it in an indoor setting.

“If you go to an outdoor rodeo they still have an atmosphere, but an indoor event like Cairns – it’ll have probably more atmosphere than any.”

Ahead of Saturday’s event, more than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids from across the Far North travelled to Cairns for a bull riding clinic held by PBR.

It was carried out in partnership with Deadly Choices, a preventative health program of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.

To buy a ticket to the Cairns Invitational, go to ticketek.com.

Originally published as Professional Bull Riding to light up Cairns on Saturday night