FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION

CONTACT:  Amy Vorhes   817-244-6188 ext. 113

(Fort Worth, TX) — The list is complete and all entries are final. Fifteen of the top Open cutting horses from the 2001-point year, and 15 of the top Non-Professional riders are on their way to Houston, Texas, for the pinnacle competition for weekend cutters, the John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals cutting.

The John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals is held every February as part of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Title sponsor John Deere added $100,000 to the purse in each division, for a total contribution of $200,000 to the $256,000 purse in the 4-day competition. On the evenings of February 14,15, 16 and 17, the 30 invited entries will go head-to-head in four exciting rounds, plus a payout in the average, for a last chance to advance in the 2001 NCHA World standings.

This year's Open contender list includes:
1 - ROSIES LENA ($71,054.60) owned by Ken Sitton, ridden by Robert Rust.
3 - SMART N SLICK ($37,683.85) owned by R B Quarter Horses, ridden by Dan Simpson.
4 - HARRIOTT PLAYGIRL ($35,271.15) owned by Lee Garner, ridden by Allen Crouch.
5 - FRECKLES DOCTOR JAY ($31,479.86) owned by Steven Norris, ridden by Faron Hightower.
6 - SO WILD ABOUT YOU ($28,467.22) owned by Katherine Wells MacMillan, ridden by Curly Tully.
7 - THAT COOL CAT ($24,840.63) owned by Joe Montana, ridden by Kobie Wood.
8 - J B FLETCH ($23,454.36) owned by Kelly & Donna Graham, ridden by Kelly Graham.
9 - SPECIAL LIL PLAYBOY (22,531.51) owned by Bobby & Geneva Kennedy, ridden by Rock Hedlund.
10 - CATS SUMMERTIME ($21,721.56) owned by Lawson & Heidi Hadlock, ridden by Lawson Hadlock.
11 - HOPEFLETCHLY ($19,535.44) owned by Jackie & Cynthia Bryan, ridden by Austin Shepard.
14 - SMART LITTLE JAEBAR ($17,022.88) owned by Lonnie & Barbara Allsup, ridden by Glen Blankenship.
15 - PLAYBOYS GUARD ($16,781.99) owned by Gordon Dean Appenzeller, ridden by Ronnie Hodges.
16 - REBAS LITTLE LENA ($16,550.02) owned by Kelly Pittman, ridden by Les Bates.
18 - TRAVALENA TIMES ($15,462.64) owned by David & Georgia Costello, ridden by David Costello.
20 - OH CAY LIBERTY ($12,814.49) owned and ridden by Lee Garner.

The Non-Pro riders who will be participating are:
1 - Mary Jo Milner riding Red White And Boon ($93,645.01).
2 - Joey Milner riding Pappion Cat ($53,747.80).
3 - Jim Milner riding Hicapoo ($49,904.08).
4 - Robert C. Brown riding Olena Dually ($49,028.13).
5 - Tim May riding Hey Little Jude ($41,324.39).
6 - Debbie Patterson riding Gun Smokes Wimpy ($31,774.64).
7 - Lee Garner riding Oh Cay Liberty ($29,970.84).
8 - Kathy Boone riding Bayou Shorty ($29,468.37).
10 - Amy Welch King riding C J Sugar Lena ($26,199.65).
11 - Heidi Hadlock riding Cats Summertime ($23,290.37).
12 - Bob Kennedy riding Hes A Missouri Doc ($23,173.60).
13 - Jerry Linaweaver riding San Jo Johnie ($22,062.80).
14 - Robert Middleton riding Colonel Lil Pepper ($22,004.78).
15 - Kelly Pittman riding Rebas Little Lena ($21,111.18).
16 - Karen Brooks riding Plumbs Blaze (20,710.01).

Tickets for the 2001 John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals are available at the HLSR box office. The event highlights will also be broadcast on OLN at 7 pm ET on March 24, and again at 11 pm ET that same evening.

The National Cutting Horse Association's weekend cutters who advance to the World Finals are dedicated competitors with a deep love of the sport. "Haulers," as they are called, spend months at a time traveling from one cutting to the next with hopes of being the highest-earning competitor in their division, and thus a World Champion.

For more information about the NCHA, John Deere, the World Championship Finals or any of the association's 1,400 shows, call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.