A busy day saw a number of first round runs finalised at the 2024 Nutrien Classic Campdraft on Sunday, February 4.
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The Prydes Easifeed Australian Performance Horse Challenge (wet work) first round runs were completed on Sunday morning, where Emma Webb and Western Acres (Acres Destiny x One Moore Diva) scored a huge 83.5 points to clinch top spot on the wet work section leaderboard.
Webb then added another outstanding performance - this time on the Grill family of Berragoon ASH Stud's Roselts Misty Moon (Millungeras Moon Beam x Barnetts Misty) with an 81.5 which was the second highest score.
Twenty-year-old competitor Kate Southern, St George, Qld, leads the Metallic Storm Young Guns Incentive section of the event on her mare Arlee Flotus (Hazelwood Congressman x One Time Chickasha).
She added a 78 in the wet work round to head into the Monday night final to sit in a remarkable 10th position among some of the top senior competitors in Australia.
The Prydes Easifeed Australian Performance Horse Challenge final on Monday, February 5, will be hotly contested with a total prize pool of $60,000 on offer, including a $32,500 custom Navaho trailer.
Continuing the blaze of hot performances from competitors aged 15-25, the 4CYTE Charlie Maher Memorial Young Guns Campdraft ran to completion of round one on Sunday.
A number of young riders on their family-owned horses are among the leaders.
Scone's Jack Hayes came out as the winner of the round with 91 points on Waderman Haze (Acres Destiny x Julie Haze).
Three competitors were not far behind in the 90-point club, with Fergus Friend on Yarrawa Classic (Kneipps Conray x Yarrawa Cadillac), Lane Lamb on Lambs Con Deck (Hazelwood Conman x Duneden Abbey Deck) and Chelsea Peacock on Condor Spin O Lena (C D Rom x Yulgilbar Spin N Stylish) all putting together beautiful runs.
Ashlee Petch riding Try A Whiskey (TR Dual Rey x Whiskey On Ice) was the round one cut-out winner, with a whopping 24.
Evidence of the calibre of young talent on display this year, a score of 88 and up takes 33 competitors into Wednesday night's feature final.
Round one in the Martins Stock Haulage Open Campdraft was also completed where impressive runs and scores of 90 came thick and fast between no less than six combinations.
They were Dan Condon on his and RJL Livestock's Smith Family Gypsy Man (Hazelwood Conman x Spins Gypsy Rose), Troy Palmer on his and Fiona's EB S Bluetoonz (Ima Smooth Blue Cat x EB S Eucalypt), 2023 Young Gun Campdraft champion James Moorhead on his family's Style N Blues (Peptos Stylish Oak x Special Treat), Ben Newbury on his mare Rightway Noon Rosebud (Yarrawa High Noon x Dynamrigan Gleams Daffodil), Tony Mortimer on his stallion Timed and Tuned (A Chic In Time x Uno What Weeno) and Josh Barnett on his and Rebecca Robert's Duck Dynasty (RS Chisum x Ducks Dux).
Hugh Miles on Peter Shumack's stallion Times Up (One Time Pepto x Boon San Kitty) won the cut-out with a 24-point ride in a nail-biting run off.
A total of 207 open campdraft riders are through to round two, which kicked off early Monday morning.
The first of three hotly contested nights in the Prydes Easifeed Champion Rider Title took place when the National Campdraft Council of Australia (NCCA) event kicked off on Sunday afternoon.
ACA team rider Peter Black on Redskins Reycon took the win under the watchful eyes of judges Hugh Miles and Darren Townes.
The last event of a busy Sunday was the final section of round one runs in the Nutrien Classic Campdraft.
Three scores of 89 topped the day with Will Durkin on Charli and Chloe Curr's Hazelwood Drive For A Con (Hazelwood Conman x SDP Hy On Hopeium), Wally Rea on Jewels Metallicat (Metallic Cat x Destinys Fancy Jewel) and Matt Moffat on Brett Hanly's Bighouse Roy (Paradise Roc N On x Halls Songrand).
'Cut-out king' Mark Buttsworth on Rodger Grant's Petes Pet Squirrel (Seligman Spin x One Hellofa Time) dazzled the crowd with a 24-yard score to take the cut-out win.
Day four starts with a bang with round two of the open and classic campdrafts followed by the first Dalgety Animal Health Stallion Shootout competition which is for stallions who have progeny in the 2024 classic sale and who also competed in this year's Open Campdraft.
Round two of the Prydes Easifeed Champion Rider Title on Monday afternoon will be followed by the much anticipated Prydes Easifeed Australian Performance Horse Challenge Final.