Young cowboy Boston Leather has backed up his stirring performance at last year's Mount Isa Rodeo with an excellent Pro Bull Riding Australia (PBR) season debut at Marrabel in South Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Leather finished second and trails 2023 PBR Origin representative Toby Collins on the tour leaderboard after the opening round on Saturday, February 10.
Collins, from Maldon in Victoria, was the only rider to go three for three in Marrabel, scoring 47 points to be the early pace setter.
Leather scored on two of his rides - on bulls Under Dog and Golden Boy. The 18-year-old is on 32 points and took home almost $5,000 in prize money.
The younger Leather leads his brother Macaulie by eight points in the standings after the two siblings and Collins were the standouts in South Australia.
Boston shocked everyone at August's Isa Rodeo when he won the Open Bull Ride. He was the only cowboy to score in all three rounds in the marquee event and walked away with the country's most prestigious buckle.
Not to be outdone, older brother Macaulie is the reigning PBR champion, crowned at the season's 2023 grand final in Townsville. Macaulie walked away with $75,000 for claiming the title, bringing his total prize money to $170,000 for the season.
The Leather family, from Calliope, are rodeo mad. Boston has 12 siblings and won at Mount Isa on debut and remarkably only weeks after he reached the competition's age requirement.
The Marrabel Rodeo is the only PBR event held in South Australia, about 100 kilometres from Adelaide.
The oldest continuous rodeo in Australia, Marrabel is classed in the top five rodeos and features in the Longreach Stockman's Hall of Fame.
It evolved from a picnic programme arranged to raise funds for new tennis courts in 1934, with the first Rodeo held in 1935.
The fame of Marrabel Rodeo rested upon Curio, a brumby bought in a mob in 1945. Unbeaten for eight years, she became the most famous buckjumper in Australia. She was first successfully ridden in 1953 by Alan Woods.
This year was the first time the famous event had PBR tour points up for grabs, hosting the first round.
On Friday, February 16, the PBR tour heads to the Hunter for the Scone Invitational at White Park Arena.
Ben Carr
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
