September 21, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Amy Vorhes  817.244.6188 ext. 113

 

 

NCHA Gearing Up for World Championship Futurity

Entries up from last year, preparations underway

 

(Fort Worth, TX)  —  The countdown is on for the 2001 NCHA World Championship Futurity. The blockbuster show for 3-year-old cutting horses kicks off on November 27 with an estimated purse of $3 million.

 

The 2001 version of the event, which comes to Fort Worth every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, will consist of 20 full days of activity. The first go-round of competition starts on November 27 at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, and concludes on the evening of December 16 with the Open Finals, which promises to pay $200,000 to the winning horse.

 

All entries in the NCHA World Championship Futurity are 3-year-old horses that are all previously unshown. The Futurity Champion in each division -- Open, Non-Pro and Amateur -- must progress successfully through four rounds of intense pressure in front of thousands of people. To say the least, the NCHA World Championship Futurity is a good test of a young horse's fortitude.

 

The opportunity to see the next NCHA World Champion in action is not the only thing that draws over 100,000 cutters and community members to the Fort Worth Will Rogers Memorial Complex. Visitors from around the globe make an annual pilgrimage to Cowtown to visit their extended family of cutters, to attend record-breaking horse sales, to shop for unique gifts in the Futurity trade show, and to see some of their favorite celebrities in the Cancer Care Celebrity Cutting.

 

The Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza turns the exhibit hall at the Memorial Complex into 100,000 square feet of the most unique shopping in the state of Texas. From Western tack and equipment to customized trucks, trailers and furniture, the Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza is the place to find the perfect gift for any Western lifestyle enthusiast. Admission to the Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza if free, and promises something for everyone. At the NCHA World Championship Futurity, you can watch the next generation of cutting horses and get all of your holiday shopping done at the same time!

 

For more information about the National Cutting Horse Association and the 2001 NCHA World Championship Futurity, or the Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza, please contact the NCHA Marketing Department at 817-244-6188 or visit the NCHA website at www.nchacutting.com.

 

 

 

Brazos Bash

A good number of cutters who will be showing in the Futurity are in the last days of an aged-event cutting in nearby Weatherford, Texas. The Finals of the Brazos Bash at Silverado on the Brazos are underway with 304 entries and a $359,084 purse.

 

So far, three winners have been determined with four yet to go. In the $50,000 Amateur Derby, the winning entry was Cyndi Goodwin, Crowley, Texas. Goodwin was third in the first go on her 4-year-old mare, Dharma Jewel, then earned 219 points in the finals for her largest check to date; $2,559.11.

 

The $50,000 Amateur Classic winner of the Brazos Bash was Weatherford, Texas, cutter Milt Bradford. Bradford is one of three controlling interests in the Western Bloodstock horse sale conglomerate, which will hold eight cutting horse sales during the NCHA World Championship Futurity. The horse he rode, Glamorous Dually, has earned $21,600 in its three years in the cutting pen. Bradford himself has accumulated just under $30,000 showing in the NCHA.

 

Amy Welch King, granddaughter of legendary horseman Buster Welch, took control of the Non-Pro Derby by winning the second go-round and then following up with a win in the finals of the class. The Baird, Texas, cutter rode her 4-year-old gelding, Thorn Doc Whiskey, for 223 points and $8,510 at the Brazos Bash.

 

Look for updated class results in the "Show Results" section on the NCHA website, www.nchacutting.com.