December 13, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Amy Vorhes

817.244.6188 ext. 113

Mary Ann Rapp / Little Janey Lena take
command in Futurity Non-Pro Finals

Pair marks 228 points, puts Scott Ferguson / Royalty Cat in Reserve

(Fort Worth, TX) – There were highs and lows in the 2002 Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity Non-Pro Finals.

Twenty of the sport’s best Non-Professional riders went to the herd in the 2002 Futurity finals for a record-setting total of $818,688. To say the least, it was going to be a tough night for everyone with that much money up for grabs.

It looked like Scott Ferguson and Royalty Cat might just take the title with a score of 225 points. Ferguson is from Hempstead, Texas.

But the next horse and rider combo up in the draw was Mary Ann Rapp and Little Janey Lena. Rapp and her husband, Phil, live in Weatherford, Texas, and own the mare. Her run brought the house down, and the judges agreed, marking her a score of 228 points.

Rapp’s first-place check was made out for $50,696, and Ferguson’s second-place check was for $48,609.

Of the original group of 378 Non-Professional riders, just 20 performed well enough through these three phases of competition and earned the right to compete in the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA World Championship Futurity Non-Pro finals tomorrow evening. It took a score of 216 points or greater to move ahead from the semis to the finals.

A record-breaking total of 378 Non-Professional riders entered the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA World Championship Futurity, making for an equally-record breaking purse of $818,688. The record-breaking total of 1,468 entries paid up for the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA World Championship Futurity speak to the important role the Western lifestyle plays in the lives of NCHA members. Cutting is more than a hobby -- it is a business and a way of life.

The Futurity will pay out $2,777,597 through the course of 19 days, November 27 - December 15, 2002 at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be the very first showing of these three-year-old cutting horses, and the stakes are high. With well over $2.7 million up for grabs, competition is fierce and the action is spectacular.

The show and its accompanying activities will run for 19 days, culminating on December 15 with the Open Futurity Finals. In addition to world-class cutting, the NCHA also hosts the Flowmaster presents the Kick-off to the Chevy Trucks World Championship Futurity, the Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza trade and gift show, nine cutting horse sales, a Cowboy Santa, and a celebrity cutting.

For more information about the National Cutting Horse Association, the 41^st Annual Chevy Trucks / NCHA World Championship Futurity, or the long list of activities that accompany the 19-day show, please call the NCHA at 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.