Kurt Shephard has recorded his sixth win of the PBR Australia season, with a clutch 2-for-3 performance at the 2026 Monster Energy Mackay Invitational over the weekend.

The defending National Champion tallied 176 points, with $7,300 in prize money banked over two tough nights of competition. His victory strengthened his bid for a second consecutive gold buckle.

The 32-year-old began his weekend in fine style, finishing third in the opening round on Friday night with an 86.10-point ride aboard Aussie Gangster (CF7 Bucking Bulls). The bull faked right before turning back left and into Shephard’s riding hand.

After bucking off his Round 2 bull, Shephard was in line for the fifth pick in the Monster Energy Championship Round. The Mareeba bull rider didn’t hesitate, selecting Last Post (Dunne Bulls), who had earlier moved into the No. 1 spot in the Bucking Bull of the Year rankings, setting up a mouth-watering clash in the final round. The pair had previously met this season at Burnett Heads, with the bull winning in 4.58 seconds.

Shephard made no mistakes in the rematch, staying in complete control as he rode into his hand, while the bull made his rounds with plenty of vigour in the Sugar City sand. 

The judges awarded the season's highest score for the outstanding ride: 89.90 points, with Shephard’s share at 45.70 points. The score was Shephard’s highest career score on Australian soil and the second-highest in PBR competition.

See the full results from the 2026 Mackay Invitational.

Charlie Bailey equalled his best career PBR result, finishing runner-up at Mackay. The Oberon cowboy rode both of his long-round bulls, starting with 84.80 points aboard TK307 (Kleier Bucking Bulls) in Round 1. The bull initially faked right, then turned back left and into Bailey’s riding hand.

He then made it 2-for-2, handling everything Jabiru (Dittmann Bucking Bulls) threw at him to score 81.70 and finish 7th in the second round. 

Bailey selected Mooseys Moto Moto (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls/McGuire) with the first pick in the Championship Round draft, but was down early.

Rylee Ward finished as the top rider with a single score. The Kiwi talent teamed up with Or What (TF Bucking Bulls) for their third round-winning score in PBR competition. This time, they were marked 88.20 points after the bull turned back to the right and wound his way across the arena.

Fourth place went to Hayes Weight, who won Round 1 with 87.10 points aboard Uncle Sam (Dunne Bulls). The Utahan dominated the matchup after the bull turned back to the right and into his hand. The ride earned Weight a $5,000 bonus as the competition leader at the end of the opening round.

Keny Roger de Oliveira picked up some much-needed championship points to keep his gold buckle dreams alive, finishing fifth. The Brazilian’s 86.60 points came in the opening round against Little Meany (CF7 Bucking Bulls).

Glamorgan Vale young gun Nash Jones filled sixth with a gem of a ride in Round 2 aboard Seven Eleven (CF7 Bucking Bulls/Pugh Brothers), scoring 86 points.

Miriam Vale rookie Ethan Coster finished in seventh place with 85.20 points aboard Nine Ball (TF Bucking Bulls) in Round 1.

Moura talent Bryn Francis put together a great ride in Round 2 aboard Golden Touch (TF Bucking Bulls), finishing eighth on 84.50 points. 

Calliope cowboy Ben Bode finished just behind with 84.10 points, with his score from the same round against Maker's Mark (Keliher Bucking Bulls).

Clint Glass rounded out the top 10. The Willow Tree bull rider won the battle of the veterans, riding Ambush (CF7 Bucking Bulls) for 83.90 points in Round 2, the bull’s 67th PBR Australia trip.

Brazilian Rider Alison Aguiar was awarded 83.30 points for his ride aboard I’m an Outlaw (Kleier Bucking Bulls) in Round 2, while Oberon’s Jack Rowlandson completed the rundown with 79.50 points against On Edge (TF Bucking Bulls/Jaxon Burrell) early in Round 1.

View the latest PBR Australia News.

The victory earned Kurt Shephard 274 championship points, extending his lead in the race for the 2026 PBR Australian National Championship to more than the points available for a clean sweep at either of the remaining regular-season events.

He now sits 316 points clear of No. 2 Zane Hall, who remains in second place. Hall bucked off both of his long-round bulls in Mackay.

Keny Roger de Oliveria's fifth-place finish earned him 74 points, and he remains ranked No. 3 in the standings, 815 points behind Shephard.

Event runner-up Charlie Bailey made a strong push towards PBR Australia Grand Finals qualification, jumping from 33rd to 23rd with his 165-point haul. He now sits just inside the anticipated cut line, which is expected to settle around the No. 25 spot.

Rylee Ward moved up one spot to No. 4 after finishing third.

Other riders ranked outside the cut line, hoping to make a late run towards Grand Finals qualification, include Hayes Weight, who finds himself in 35th place after his fourth-place finish, and Nash Jones, who climbed to 32nd with his sixth-place finish.

View the updated 2026 PBR Australian National Standings.

The YETI High Marked Bull of the Event award went to Dark Side (Keliher Bucking Bulls), who produced an electrifying trip worth 44.80 points in the Championship Round. The score was the highest awarded at a Monster Energy Tour stop this season.

There was plenty of movement on the bull side of the draw in the hotly contested 2026 PBR Australia Bucking Bull of the Year race.

Most contenders were out twice, with Last Post (Dunne Bulls) moving to the top of the standings with 44.40 points in Round 1 and 44.20 in the Championship Round. Those trips moved his six-trip average to 44.08 points.

No. 2 Stetson Nirvana (Dittmann Bucking Bulls) had just one trip, which was as good as they come and was marked 44.50 points by the judges in the final round. Its average now sits at 44.07 points. 

Alpha Blokes Warden (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) backed up his strong showing at Kilkivan with another sensational weekend. The No 3. bull continued his late-season and his bid for back-to-back titles, scoring 44.10 points in Round 1 and 44.50 in the Championship Round, boosting his season average to 43.97 points.

Winchester (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) holds the No. 5 spot with an average of 43.67 points after posting solid scores of 43.20 and 44.10 points.

Dark Side (Keliher Bucking Bulls) was the standout performer over the weekend. He climbed from 11th to fifth place in the standings, posting electrifying bull scores of 44.20 and 44.80 points.

View the updated 2026 YETI PBR Australia Bucking Bull of the Year Standings.

The cowboys finished just below the season -average riding percentage in Mackay, completing 24.56 per cent of their opportunities, but their average ride score was well above average at 85.06 points. The bulls posted their second-highest average bull score of the season at 42.51 points, more than one point higher than the event average.

UP NEXT - The Monster Energy Tour returns to New South Wales for the final time this season, with the 2026 Tamworth Invitational on Saturday, 24 October. The event also features the 2026 Can-Am Junior Academy Grand Finals with champions to be decided across all four divisions, plus the 2026 Challenger Series Grand Finals.

Then it’s one final stop at Clermont in Western Queensland for the Cattle & Coal PBR Touring Pro on Saturday, 31 October, before we head across to the coast for the 2026 PBR Australia Grand Finals in Townsville on 13–14 November.

View the full Event Schedule and Ticket Information for the 2026 PBR Australia season.