News from NCHA, December 9

World Championship Futurity

 

 

FINALS FIELD SET AT NCHA FUTURITY…

FIELD OF 20 SET $200,000 WINNERS PURSE

 

 

Fort Worth, Texas --- The final field of 20 Open Division horses and riders has been set for the prestigious $2.8 million National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity, December 10th in Fort Worth, Texas.  The top 20 horses emerging from tonight's pressure-packed Semi-Final field of 60 will meet at 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening in Will Roger Memorial Coliseum to determine this year's Open World Champion.

            During tonight's Semi-Finals, Spookys Cash, ridden by Gary Gonsalves, capped the performance with a sterling 223.5, the highest score in an evening of close competition.  Gonsalves and Spookys Cash, owned by Jeff Barnes of Wilton, California, put on a dazzling display to earn the high mark of the evening.  Last year's Futurity Champion Shannon Hall rode Sneakin Sam, owned by Don and Kathleen Strange of White River, South Dakota, to a score of 221.5 and take second place in the round. 

             In an exciting finale, Tag Rice rode into the arena aboard Smart Lil Badger as the last of the 60 contestants vying for a birth in the finals.  Rice needed at least a 215.5 to tie a handful of horses and be included among the top twenty. He turned a dazzling performance aboard the horse owned by Flying M Ranch of Lake Panasoffkee, Florida to mark a 219, displacing each of those tied at 215.5 and making the cutoff score a 216.

            This year's final field of 20 includes six former Open NCHA Futurity Champions including Shannon Hall, Kathy Daughn, Lindy Burch, Larry Reeder, Ronnie Rice and Jody Gaylean.  Some of the weeks best performers earned a spot in the final 20 including go-round winner Nu I Wood ridden by Matt Gaines, Just a Smart Peanut ridden by Faron Hightower, Bet Your Boons ridden by Lindy Burch, and Swinging Little Gal ridden by Larry Reeder, among others.

            The winner of this year's Open division Championship receives $200,000 as his or her share of the more than $1,000,000 to be awarded during the Open Finals, Sunday night.

            This is the 39th Annual NCHA World Championship Futurity which has been held in Fort Worth since 1967.  This year's gross purse of $2.8 million paid in five divisions is the richest ever.

            For more information and complete results visit www.nchacutting.com.

 

 

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