21/02/2026
๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฃ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ข ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ฌ!
Big crowds to match the big blue sky on a perfect day for rodeo at Waikato and with just 3 full points rodeos to go plus the 2nd Divi Rodeo at Kakahi Rodeo Club tomorrow there was a lot on the line for our cowboys and cowgirls and the open performances matched their desire to make the top eight to contend for national honours at Waikouaiti Rodeo on the 14th March and our Rookie and Junior cowboys and cowgirls are just four events away from knowing who the champions of each event will be โฆ and the title races in all divisions just got that little bit tighter after today!
Hereโs some of the highlights:
๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ก!
Congratulations to Lylah Wood and โDiceโ who broke open today in the Barrel Race contest stopping the clock in 17.304 secs to win the 2nd Divi Barrel Race contest. Lylah now joins her sister Riley who broke open earlier in the season on board โBostonโ so now for mum Shelley, thereโs definitely no early mark leaving the rodeo !
And congratulations to Annie OโCallaghan who broke open in Barrel Racing earlier this season and today with the fabulous โVegasโ under her saddle also broke open in the Breakaway Roping event with a 4.55 sec run in the 2nd Divi Breakaway Roping for second place behind Taylor des Barres-Williams and โZeusโ who were first to the pay window with their 4.03 sec time.
And last, but certainly not least, a big congratulations to Sophie Smith who paired up with big brother Angus to stop the clock in 12.90 secs to claim third place in the Team Roping contest and in so doing Sophie broke into the open ranks and moves into the lead in the Rookie Team Roping Header standings by just $165.30 from Amelia Knowles (no pressure Danny!!)
๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐
Itโs Mervyn Church Jnrโs fourth Rope and Tie win for the season, just one win behind Will Pottโs five but todayโs win puts him a bit closer to trying to catch the Rope and Tie leader (still some $1880 behind) who is also the current All-Around standings leader and for those chasing, unfortunately Will once again made a couple of visits to the pay window collecting third place money in R&T and fourth place money with heeling partner Dean Hudson in the Team Roping! Heโs proving tough to catch for sure!!
Kurtis Pertab was second today in the Rope and Tie and moves into third spot in that event and is now second place in the All-Around Champion Cowboy of New Zealand title race, a little over $2300 behind Will with three full points events and the Waikouaiti Rodeo hosted National Finals Rodeo on the 14th March still to come. Itโs getting tight at the top!!
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ก๐ โ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐โ ๐๐๐ข๐ฆ๐!
7-time NZRCA Barrel Race Champion Rhondine Long and her superstar gelding โRocโ showed they are a force to be reckoned with around the drums stopping the clock in 17.002 secs to win today, their second win for the season here at Waikato but just behind them were Fairlie cowgirl Kate Hughes and โSisterโ who banked a cheque to now lead by $1425 and change from Brooke Atkinson and โMethvenโโ in what is now a two horse race for the NZRCA 2025-26 Barrel Race title.
Can Kate win her first ever Barrel Race title?
Can the current Rookie All-Around Champion and Rookie Barrel Race Champion win her first Open Barrel Race title to follow in the footsteps of her mum Jenny who has a record equalling seven NZRCA Barrel Race titles on three different horses to her name?
Thereโs not much between them, either way, amazing stories to be told, canโt wait to tell them!!
๐ก๐ข-๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ '๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐๐ฌ' ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ง!
Itโs one of the closest contests this season and itโs the runaway event in the world of rodeo.
It is of course, Breakaway Roping and since itโs inauguration into our National title program two years ago, wow, how good are our cowgirls!
Today, Ariana Halley and โSassyโ collected title number four for the season in a personal best time for the year of 2.68 secs moving them into fourth place in the standings behind standings leader Sky Sanders with just $1660 between the top 5 contestants.
Good luck picking a winner in this event, these cowgirls are on fire !!
๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐?
Cambridge cowboy Klay Lanigan won the NZRCA Rookie Steer Wrestling title in 2015 right here at Waikato.
A year later his older brother Brad won the Rookie Steer Wrestling title at Outram Rodeo Club then went on to win the NZRCA Open Steer Wrestling title the following year at Wairoa.
This season, both brothers are in the mix for the NZRCA Open title, and after todayโs event at Waikato Rodeo where Klay placed second behind winner Buster Tauariki, a win that sees Buster move from ninth place into fourth in the standings and then Klay with the second and only other qualified run of 5.33 seconds moves into top spot just $129.20 ahead of defending champion, the injured and gutsy Ryan Adam who placed third with a 6 second flat run that must have hurt like hell; gotta hand it to you champion, you share your amazing horse โStreakerโ with many of your competitors and then compete dealing with an injury that would sideline many others but you still go โฆ thatโs cowboy right there.
Brad is in contention, sitting seventh in the current standings, just a couple of event wins behind his brother Klay, this is an awesome contest.
๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ง๐ฆ๐ข๐ก!
Invercargill cowboy Nate Roberton broke open in Ba****ck way back at Hawkes Bay last year and this cowboy has been on the rise ever since!
Heโs second in the standings in the Open Ba****ck and added to his bank account with his third win for the year in the Open division today at Waikato marking 68pts on โMisterโ matching his personal high score of the season with โTrishโ at Omarama Rodeo before Christmas.
In the Open event he wonโt be able to catch leader Sam Church who will win his first NZRCA Open Ba****ck title but Nate will be the 2026 All-Around Rookie Cowboy Champion of New Zealand and he will also be the Rookie Saddle Bronc Champion of New Zealand and could this talented young fella make it three titles in a season?
Heโs just $44.17 ahead of great rival Te Karaka cowboy Zack Taylor in the Rookie Ba****ck title race.
Both have broken open this season and now we have just three rodeo events to go to see who will be the Rookie Ba****ck Champion.
This is as good as it gets!
๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐?
Jonny Ward is a legend in our sport.
He is the 2007 All Around Champion of New Zealand and the 4-time NZRCA Bull Ride Champion and his sons Klay and Rylee are both exceptional Bull Riders, both competing around the world and Rylee is the current and three times in-a-row NZRCA Bull Ride Champion.
To be an All-Around NZRCA Champion you need go to the pay window in two events just like Jonny did.
But does it have to be the two toughest events in Rodeo ?
In Klayโs case, heโs setting it up to be Bull Ride and Ba****ck on his way to a future All-Around title! Thatโs cowboy โ big time!
Last weekend at Southland Rodeo Association Inc Klay won the 2nd Divi Ba****ck ride and this weekend at Waikato Rodeo he did the same, a winner with 65pts beside his name, the highest point score of the season! Until today Klay was second in the Open Bull Ride standings and after a 78pt marking to split third on โDonโt Come Mondayโ now sits in fourth place in the Bull Ride standings where just $815 plus change separates the top four Bull Riders.
The closest contest weโve had for quite a few years and in the weeks ahead theyโll match-up against the best bulls in the land before they face the finals string at the Waikouaiti Rodeo grounds.
Fraser Babbington won the Bull Ride today at Waikato marking his highest score for the season on โNun Chuckโ matching the 86pt marking Zane Hall made on โBad Hitsโ at Maniototo Rodeo Club earlier in the season.
Babbz moves into a split for second place in the title race with three-time champion Rylee Ward, both just $814.90 behind leader and 4-time Bull Ride Champion of New Zealand Johnson Davis who is also the current All-Around Champion of New Zealand.
What an awesome title race contest this is!
๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ!
Gore cowboy Clayton Perkins won his first NZRCA All-Around Junior Champion cowboy title in 2024 and since then this talented young cowboy has worked hard at his sport and with an exceptional homebred horse in โMiss Kittyโ under his saddle, this team have proven to be tough to beat all season!
Clayton will once again be crowned the All-Around Champion Junior Cowboy of New Zealand and has his sights set on Junior Breakaway Roping Champion (but can still be overtaken) and just maybe could win the Junior Barrel Race title but Felicity Montgomery just made that title race seriously exciting winning today at Waikato and is now just 30pts behind Clayton who is the standings leader.
In the Novice Steer Ride Clayton is just 90pts behind standings leader Angus Smith. Can this young cowboy do what's never been done before and win four titles in a season? It's possible and you can bet this young fella will put in the work to try and make it happen!
At the Kakahi Rodeo, some of these questions just might be answered!
This is one of the most exciting seasons of rodeo weโve ever experienced.
No wonder the season attendance around the country has been exceptional!
Rodeo, rural New Zealandโs favourite sport!
Hereโs the final few events, come and experience world class rodeo n a community near you.
https://www.rodeonz.co.nz/upcoming-events/
Full results from Waikato Rodeo here:
https://www.rodeonz.co.nz/results/2025-2026-club-results/waikato-rodeo-21-february-2026/
