General News
6 August, 2025
Young gun has his sights set on Mount Isa buckle
Bailey O'Dell will contest his first Mount Isa open bronc ride this weekend.
Remember the name Bailey O’Dell, because there’s a good chance you won’t see him back in Mount Isa for a while.
Considered the next big thing in saddle bronc riding, O’Dell is off to the United States at the end of the Golden Run and appears destined to match it with the best in America.
The 20-year-old is not only the leading saddle bronc earner on the APRA circuit, but he’s also a runaway leader in the Rookie of the Year race.
This year, he’s earned $44,000 at APRA events, about $20,000 more than his nearest rivals Will Crosby and Tyler Kenny.
“I’ve been really lucky,” the modest cowboy told North West Weekly in Cloncurry, where he finished third in the open saddle bronc and second in the Ken Coleman Chute Out.
“I’ve had a lot of support behind me, including the likes of Brad Pierce and Toby Collins.”
The rising star still has a way to go to be considered better than his old man, champion bronc rider Bruce O’Dell, but most believe he’s tracking that way.
The Victorian, who is about to take a placement at a college in West Texas, said he hoped to be leaving Australia with a Mount Isa Mines Rodeo buckle to his name in what will be his first year in the open saddle bronc.