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NEBO bull rider Mitchell Paton is one to note down in the little black book as a likely Australian Professional Rodeo Association title winner in years to come.

He qualified for the first time for the APRA National Finals on the last weekend in October at the Warwick Rodeo and was second with two of the rounds and second in the average with a score of 156 over two head.

He was the only Queenslander to place in the bull ride at the Finals other than Beaudesert rider Jared Borghero who was fourth in round 1.

Katherine (NT) cowboy Darcy McBean was the only cowboy to ride three bulls in Warwick to win the average and the title.

Paton was one of a small number of cowboys to ride time on two bulls in the four rounds of the National Finals.

The current APRA season will go to September 30 next year and already Paton is in a strong position to qualify for his second National Finals.

Paton is sixth behind leader Borghero in the race for the top-15 spots.

McBean is not currently in the top-15 but has plenty of time to qualify for next year’s finals, including two of the three big rodeos in the APRA, Cloncurry and Mt Isa in August next year.

After five months of the new season in saddle bronc, Warwick rider Michael Maher is the leader from current champion John McNamee, of Millmerran. Maher is in the lead largely on the back of a win at the Mt Isa Rodeo.

After winning the 2015-2016 bareback bronc title at the National Finals in Warwick, Wandoan cowboy David Worsfold is the form rider in the APRA and already has the lead in the current season.

There are no APRA rodeos planned in Queensland in the next six weeks and then the pro rodeo focus will move south on Boxing Day with the first of six Christmas Run rodeos at Myrtleford on Boxing Day.

The odds are a large number of Queensland competitors will head south for the Christmas Run as six rodeos will be held in a fortnight in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

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