Tamworth rider steals win from best friend
CAMPDRAFTING: Half a point was all that separated best friends Hugh Miles and Heidi Smith in the final of the Maydan Feedlot Champion of Champions.
Miles and Conductor scored 179.5 to sneak ahead of Smith and Just Like Jess on 179 to claim their first Champion of Champions title.
The Tamworth rider described the win as a special moment for the man and horse combination.
"I couldn't be happier to have gotten the win," Miles said.
"Winning in Warwick is something all campdrafting riders aim for.
"It's wins like this that keeps you coming back every year."
The partnership of Miles and Conductor is approaching a decade and Miles couldn't be happier with his partner in the ring.
"He's a great horse and I'm very lucky to have a horse with so much confidence," he said.
"If you want to go into battle he's the horse you want with you."
The pair has competed at the Paradise Lagoons Campdraft and Landmark Classic Campdraft but rate the Warwick Rodeo the toughest competition.
"Everyone knows how tight the competition here is," he said.
"You just have to train as hard as you can and hope that when it comes to you that you have some luck on your side."
Miles was proud his best friend, Smith, could join him on the leaderboard.
"We've been best mates for years," he said.
"We came to the Warwick Rodeo together so to get a first and second on the same truck is pretty special."
