IT was a night of highs and lows for the cowboys brave enough to step into the arena at the 2020 Dartmoor Chute Out Rodeo on Saturday night.
With edge-of-your-seat entertainment in ample supply, a crowd of approximately 3500 ensured a healthy atmosphere throughout the action-packed event.
The feature of the night was the Open bullride, which saw just two cowboys win the battle of man and beast.
They were Heywood local and fan favourite Sam Woodall and Queenslander Sally Malay, who both registered 68-point rides to share the honours for the class and take home the top prize of $1275 each.
It was the same scenario in the Open saddlebronc, as last year’s winner David Stacey and Dean Oliver finished equal first with 76 points each.
They were both awarded $570.50 for their efforts.
James Sclanders registered a 71-point ride to finish third, while Mount Gambier bronc rider Cody Ireland finished fourth with 66 points.
Ireland also received the 2019 saddlebronc champion buckle during the presentations before the night’s action.
With only two competitors in the Open bareback class, both cowboys lasted the eight seconds, but it was Cody Tyrell who scored best with a 74-point ride to defend his Dartmoor crown.
He received $684 for his efforts, while Garret Lynch finished second with a respectable 70 points and $456 in his pocket.
A strong field of 24 cowboys contested the second division bullride, but only two avoided biting the dust.
In the end a single point decided the winner, as Wyatt Fraser (68 points) claimed the top prizemoney over Kelsey Pavlou (67).
The second division saddlebronc was a family affair, as Tasmania’s Liam and Max Beamish topped the field.
Liam won the event with 62 points from Max’s 59.
A quick time of 13.243 seconds was enough for Hayley Rogers to clean up the women’s barrel race event, trumping 2019 women’s barrel racer of the year Julie Breed by two 10ths of a second.
Third place went to Ellysa Kenny who finished in 13.641 seconds, while fourth-placed Rachelle Austin also broke the 14-second barrier with a time of 13.853.
It was no surprise to see 2019 junior barrel race champion Morgan McLean at the front of the field in the junior event, with her time of 13.923 seconds enough to secure the honours from Tanisha Hill by three 10ths of a second.
McLean was unlucky not to place in the women’s event, but a mistake in her first run cost her valuable time, before her more polished performance in the junior class.
Storm Hogan and pocket-rocket Toni-Jean Woodall rounded out the placing in the junior race.
The 2020 event was deemed another success by Dartmoor Football Club president Ryan Childs, who was pleased with the turnout and said everything ran smoothly on the night.
“There were no hiccups at all – everything went really well,” he said.
As the major annual fundraiser for the club, Childs looks forward to the continued growth of the event.
“It sets the year up for everyone really, especially for the footy,” he said.
“Hopefully it just keeps getting bigger every year.
“As much as it is hard work, you always want it to be bigger.”
Childs also thanked all those involved in making the night a success, including Woodall Rodeo Promotions for putting on the show and all the sponsors of the night.
