FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 24, 2005 Contact: Megan Darnell (817) 244-6188 Ext. 121
The Chevy Trucks/NCHA World Championships wrapped up in
Amarillo, TX.
(Fort Worth, TX)—As the
curtain dropped on the 2004 Chevy Trucks/NCHA World Championship Finals, 11 new
riders were crowned World Champions.
Chubby Turner, Weatherford,
TX, had waited 40 years for his dream of being a World Champion to come
true. Riding Flickacat, owned by Dave
and Georgia Husby, Turner traveled more than 35,000 miles to claim his title.
“I’ve waited to win this
since I was 17,” said Turner. “I got my
first shot when I was 21, but things didn’t fit right. One year I was pretty close and my horse
died. It’s been one thing after
another, but this year I just hammered it.”
At the start of the World
Finals, the Weatherford, TX duo had more than $75,000 in earnings—more than
$40,000 more than the second place horse.
Even with the substantial lead, Turner kept the competition strong at
Amarillo. He won the first and third
go-rounds and was second in for the Finals average.
“I love this part of the
game,” said Turner of the World Championships.
“More so maybe than aged events.
I’ve been fortunate enough to win a couple of major aged events, but it
doesn’t mean near as much as this.”
Joe Howard Williamson,
Archer City, TX, started the Finals competition more than $10,000 behind the
leader, six time World Champion, Mary Jo Milner of Southlake, TX. Through five rounds competition Williamson
overcame that lead to become the 2004 World Champion.
“I didn’t come here to beat
Mary Jo,” said Williamson. “I came here
to win the Finals. That’s one thing
I’ve wanted to do before I quit hauling.
I’ve won the World, but I’d never even won a go-round at the Finals.”
Williamson, the 1999 Non-Pro
World Champion, accomplished just that, winning three go-rounds and tying for
second in the third round. He also
finished first in the non-working Finals.
The $26,847 that he earned during the week was enough to overcome Milner
for the title. Williamson finished 2004
with $108,596 compared with Milner’s $101,463.
This is the first time two contestants have earned more than $100,000 in
the same year.
A total of 542 cutters and
their families poured into Amarillo, Texas for the event. They arrived from 37 states and Canada. Participants qualified for the World Finals
by competing in weekend shows across the United States and Canada during
2004. The top 50 competitors in each of
the 11 NCHA-approved classes were invited to participate in “Superbowl of
Cutting” event.
$20,000 Non-Professional
In the $20,000
Non-Professional division, Katie Costello, of Exeter, CA held onto her lead to
become the World Champion.
“My help told me to be
smooth and clean since the cows were a little tough,” said Costello of her
strategy for the Finals. “The cows were
really good. They let my horse show his
expression and play around in the middle.
That’s what he likes to do. The
more people cheered, the more he got into it.
I think he likes excitement.”
Costello, 20, was riding
Travalena Times, a 14-year-old gelding she shares with her father, trainer
David Costello. Costello is currently a
sophomore at Cuesta College in Paso Robles, CA.
$50,000 Amateur division
Nancy Graham, Lady Lake, FL,
started the finals ranked in the number one position but had to show well in
order to maintain the leader position.
She marked 212.5 points in the first round with a score of 221 points,
placed second in the second round, and the final round marking 224 points.
“It was very exciting and
very close,” said Graham, whose challenger was Barbi Madgewick,Castaic,
CA. “I’ve been a nervous wreck all day
long. Barbi has a great horse and she’s
a great rider. She’s been doing good
all week, and I just barely made the finals.”
When the final tally was complete, Graham had held her edge by $425 over
Madgewick.
$10,000 Amateur
Raley-Mae Radomske, 14,
Ellensburg, WA, came to Amarillo ranked first in the $10,000 Amateur division,
$1,000 ahead of the second place rider.
She marked 220 points to win the first go-round but lost a cow in the
second round and did not advance to the finals.
“I was definitely nervous
watching from the sidelines,” she admitted.
“I would have much rather made the Finals.” In the end, Raley-Mae Radomske held her edge and won the
championship with $477 to spare.
Radomske, whose family owns
1985 NCHA Open Futurity Champion, The Gemnist, rode Venture On Me, an
8-year-old homegrown gelding named after the ranch – Venture Farms.
$2,000 Limited Rider
Rhonda Benadum, Los Banos,
CA, marked 217 points to finish in the
third place in the first round at World Finals. Her lead going into the competition proved strong enough to
prevail as the World Champion.
“I’ve just shown off and on
over the years, maybe once or twice a year,” said Benadum, whose husband,
trainer Phil Benadum, advised her to go for the Pacific Coast title. “It just kind of snowballed from there. It’s been unbelievable.”
$10,000 Novice
Horse/Non-Professional
Marvin Marmande Jr.,
Theriot, LA, held nearly a $10,000 lead
over the second place horse in the standings prior to the World Finals
competition. It was enough to hold onto
the championship title despite a disappointing finals.
Marmande Jr. captured the
title riding Willys Tivio Dell, a 14 year mare he purchased in 2002. She was in foal when he purchased her at the
NCHA Futurity Sales. The mare hadn’t
been ridden in eight years when he started riding her again.
“She was unbelievable,” he
remembered. “I went to a circuit show
and she won everything. I didn’t even
know what I was doing. She taught me
how to show. She’s a great horse.”
$3,000 & $10,000
Novice Horse
Matt Sargood, Acampo, CA,
put his business on hold last year to haul his stallion, To Short To Play in
the $10,000 and $3,000 Novice Horse.
This is only the second time in NCHA history that a horse has won both
titles in the same year. Dual Rey Me,
ridden by Jeremy Barwick, was reserve champion in both divisions.
“It’s really quite a shame
that two horses of that caliber would come up against one another in the same
year,” said Sargood. “Dual Rey Me
deserves to win everything the same way my horse did. I’m not saying I’m not glad I got both, but for his sake, I kind
of feel bad. I can see how it could
have gone the other way.”
Denver Jo Williamson, Archer
City, TX, marked 222 points and 219 points to finish in first place of the
first and second round at World Finals.
She then finished in third place during the Finals round of the competition.
This was the first time
Williamson, a freshman at Weatherford College, had qualified for the World
Finals. Her father, Joe Howard
Williamson, won the Non-Professional World Championship in 1999, who also
competed in the World Finals.
McKenzieMullins, Gordon, TX,
marked 221 points to tie for second place in the second round at World
Finals. She then finished in first
place during the Finals round of the competition, marking 225 points.
“It was amazing,” Mullins
admitted. “I’m not very good at cutting
for shape, but Robert, (Rust, McKenzie’s stepfather) told me I might have to do
that. It shook me up a bit, but
everything started falling into place.
The more the run went on, the more confident I got. I was very fortunate to have those cows to
cut.”
Mullins, 14, is no stranger
to high pressure competition. In 2003,
she was Non-Pro Reserve World Champion and Junior Youth Reserve World Champion;
in 2002, she rode Open World Champion Rosies Lena in the World Finals.
With a total payout of
$639,625 the competition was fierce.
Along with cash prizes, participants competed for prizes from the
following NCHA sponsors; M.L. Leddy’s, Gist Silversmiths, Lucchese Boot
Company, Read’s Custom Jewelers, Cowboy Tack, and EQ Solutions.
The sport of cutting has
roots in Western ranching traditions, where good horses were a necessity for
everyday ranch work and cattle handling. The National Cutting Horse Association
was formed in 1946 by a group of cowboys and ranchers, who wanted to promote
cutting competition, standardize rules and preserve the cutting horses' Western
heritage. Today, the Fort Worth-based NCHA represents over 16,000 people and
oversees more than 2,200 NCHA-approved shows with more than $35 million in
total prize money awarded annually. For more information about the NCHA or the
sport of cutting, please call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.
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