We’re only a couple of weeks away from the Grand Finals, and the action returns to the Beef Capital of Australia on Saturday for another PBR Rockhampton Invitational!
Australia’s best cowboys and bulls are all back in action, including last week’s Caboolture Invitational winner Beau Willis, who is riding with plenty of confidence.
Aaron Kleier, Kurt Shephard and the rest of the field are eager to bounce back this week and find form ahead of the year’s most lucrative event!
Lawson Nobbs has been in great form this year and I think that he is a live chance of winning the entire event, so I am eager to take the price on offer for him in this contest.
Nobbs won the PBR Elite event in Townsville at the beginning of the season, and topped performances at the second Origin event in Cairns most notably.
He returns to Rocky following an impressive display for second overall in Caboolture, and he climbs aboard a very beaten opponent here in my opinion in I’m A Thug, whom he did actually lose to in Emerald.
Lachlan Richardson will climb aboard Mighty Whitey in Rockhampton, and I think that it looks a great opportunity to take advantage of ride duration bands betting.
Richardson has returned scoring rides in most of the events that he has contested this season, and he finished seventh in Caboolture after scoring 81 points in the first round.
Mighty Whitey has tossed the rider in the 2-2.99 second band in two of his last three appearances at the PBR, but Richardson is his toughest opponent for some time, so I am going to look a little further down the market order.
Macaulie Leather has probably found his best and most consistent form in 2021, and I think that he will cover M60 in Rockhampton.
Leather broke back into the winner’s stall with an impressive night in Emerald two weeks ago, and he franked his performance with another podium north of Brisbane last week.
M60 has made four appearances at PBR events for two wins and two losses, and I’m not convinced he deserves favouritism here.
Leather proved to be a winning formula for us last week, and I don’t see why we should change course.
Nobbs will also leg aboard A Force in Rockhampton on Saturday, and the bull will start a very clear favourite in betting ($1.28 at publish).
Riffling through his form, it’s understandable that he would start any buck a favourite, but he isn’t completely bullet-proof, and he has been covered by both Lane Mellers and Mitch Paton previously
Nobbs’ confidence is high, and while I do think the bull might win, I’m going to have another crack and ride duration bands betting.
Kurt Shephard was kept quiet in Caboolture last week, but his overall form has been excellent this year, and I’m confident he’ll bounce back in Rockhampton.
Caboolture was in fact the first time that Shephard has not scored since Event 2 at Airlie Beach in 2020, ending an incredible eleven-event run.
He won the last event in Rockhampton in October, and climbs aboard an opponent in Bad Moon who has been covered in two of his last three bucks.
The even money about Shephard at publish looks outstanding value in my opinion.
Troy Wilkinson is another leading rider who didn’t find his best form at Caboolture, but who also looks well placed to bounce back in Rocky.
Wilkinson returned some eye-catching performances to podium in both Mackay and Emeral last month, and a repeat of that kind of form would see him into the finish of Saturday’s event.
Black Tuxedo is amidst a run of six-consecutive wins, but I think that Wilkinson will prove too good.