Widows Freckles / Austin Shepard take Open Championship at Eastern Nationals

Second Champion title of the day & the show for Widows Freckles

(Fort Worth, TX) — Widows Freckles, a registered AQHA stallion owned by Robert Middleton, was the horse of choice for two of the toughest classes at the 2002 Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Eastern National Championships.

First, Middleton’s daughter, Lauren, rode Widows Freckles to first place in the Non-Pro Finals this morning with a score of 222. Then in the second finals of the day, the Open finals, trainer Austin Shepard rode Widows Freckles to a 225-point work and the win.

There were 85 horses that began the Open class at the Chevy Trucks Eastern Nationals, and four of those tied for the Reserve Championship in the division: Unos Smart Alma, Scratchin, Vibrant Docogold, and Miss Genuine Ote. Each horse marked 219 points in the finals. Unos Smart Alma is owned by George Ward of Lees Summit, Missouri, and was ridden by Evan Wells. Scratchin is owned by Bill and Jo Ellard of Pilot Point, Texas, and was shown by Jo Ellard. Vibrant Docogold is owned by Bethel Steward of Mansfield, Texas, and was shown by Mark Mills. Miss Genuine Ote is owned by Kimberly Mullins of Knoxville, Tennessee, and was shown by Todd Gann.

For the first time ever, entries at the Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Eastern National Championships topped 1,000. A record 1,005 contestants vied for a share of the $288,391 purse in the big show which opened in Jackson, Mississippi on March 11. The annual cutting continued through March 22, with cutting beginning every day at 8 a.m.

The City of Jackson, Mississippi, has been home of the Eastern Nationals cutting for 22 years. The 2002 show was another 12-day cutting that brought 1,005 cutters and their families to the metro Jackson area. Past figures credit the Chevy Trucks / NCHA Eastern National Championships for bringing an economic impact to the city of $8 million.

The Chevy Trucks / NCHA Eastern National Championships are also home to the AQHA Affiliate Challenge. The Affiliate Challenge format encourages affiliates to send as many entries as they can to the Jackson cutting. In addition to the individual competition, all entrants in the show also competed on behalf of their local NCHA Affiliate.

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 14,000 people and oversees more than 1,400 NCHA-approved shows with more than $26 million in total prize money awarded annually. For more information about the NCHA, the Chevy Trucks / NCHA Eastern National Championships, or the sport of cutting, please call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.