FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 28, 2005 Contact: Megan Darnell (817) 244-6188 Ext. 125
(Fort Worth, TX)—The excitement of cutting horse action
returns to the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum March 30 through April 17 with the
National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes. There are 1,554 entries vying for nearly $2.4 million in prize
money. The NCHA Super Stakes is the
second leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of Cutting events held annually in
Fort Worth.
All eyes will be on Wesley Gaylean riding Spots Hot, the 2004
NCHA World Championship Futurity Open Champion. The 21-year old from Ardmore, OK became the youngest rider to
capture the prestigious title in December aboard the stallion that he owns.
In the Super Stakes Non-Pro division, Sandy Bonelli is
returning after capturing the Non-Pro title at the 2004 NCHA World Championship
Futurity riding Midnight Rondeevous.
Bonelli is currently tied for the lead in the 2005 Western Horseman Cup
Quarter Horse News Spring season standings with Wesley Gaylean.
The Super Stakes is an event for four-year old horses while
the Super Stakes Classic is for five and six year old horses. Each day the cutting begins at 8 a.m. with
free admission to the public through the finals weekend. Admission will begin at $5 on April 16 and
17. A complete daily schedule and list
of classes is available on the NCHA website at www.nchacutting.com.
The Western Mercantile presented by Coors Light will be open
to the public beginning on Thursday, March 19th and remain open
throughout the entire 19-day span of the event. The Western Mercantile will feature many exhibitors with Western
clothing, tack, jewelry, art, and much more in the Amon G. Carter Exhibit Hall.
The Super Stakes is a show for only the offspring of
nominated stallions. However, with over
110 of the industry’s top sires on the list of nominees, the show is far from
“exclusive”. Each stallion owner paid
$3,500 to subscribe, the vast majority of which is added directly to the event’s
million dollar purse. In addition, each
Super Stakes entry has paid a fee of $1,500 or more depending on the event
division and time of payment, with a major part of that fee also added to the
purse.
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, the NCHA Super Stakes
and Super Stakes Classic, or the sport of cutting, please call 817/244.6188 or
log-on to www.nchacutting.com.
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