FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION

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

Consistency key in Derby Non-Pro for Hope Justice/Freckles Lena Boon
Justice follows first round lead with another leading score in round two, followed closely by Paula Wood/My Blue Hagan

(Fort Worth, TX) — Hope Justice and Freckles Lena Boon are a force to be reckoned with when they enter the cutting pen. The Canton, Texas, non-professional cutter has returned to the Fort Worth for the 2002 National Cutting Horse Association Summer Cutting Spectacular after an April win in the class at the Flowmaster Super Stakes.

In the first round of the Summer Cutting Spectacular, Justice and her four-year-old Peptoboonsmal mare laid down a 222.5-point work good for first place in the round. The pair followed that today with another leading score of 220 points, making theirs the first on the leader board as 54 non-professional riders continue on to the semi-final round tomorrow evening.

Stephenville, Texas, cutter Paula Wood is not wasting any time, either. She and her Duals Blue Boon DNA gelding My Blue Hagan put up 219.5 points in the second round, just one-half point behind Justice. Combined with her first-round score of 217.5 on My Blue Hagan, Wood is positioned in second place after the initial two rounds of Derby Non-Pro cutting at the 2002 Summer Cutting Spectacular.

In the semi-finals, and then again in the final round of cutting, those scores are only used to qualify to continue on in the clean-slate format from here on out. The Derby Non-Pro semi-finals will take place Friday evening, and those 30-some who make the cut into the finals will compete again on Friday at 3 pm.

The 2002 NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular began July 9 and will conclude on Sunday, July 28, 2002, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The Summer Cutting Spectacular is the third portion of NCHA's Triple Crown of Cutting, which are limited age events beginning with the Futurity in December, the Flowmaster Super Stakes in April, and concluding with the July Summer Cutting Spectacular.

Thanks to the support of the Emison Insurance Agency and the Insurance Corporation of Hannover, added money for the 2002 Summer Cutting Spectacular will reach $221,000.

Among a host of insurance services provided worldwide, the Insurance Corporation of Hannover writes policies for livestock mortality through agent and NCHA member Ben Emison. ICH is a niche, special-program insurance company that carries a rating of "A" from A.M. Best rating services, and are the fifth largest reinsurer in the world. Currently, ICH insures roughly 20,000 horses ranging from miniature breeding animals to cutting horses to Grand Prix jumping horses.

During the 20 full days of cutting at the 2002 Summer Cutting Spectacular, special events like the youth scholarship cuttings, the East/West Work-offs, the Sponsors cutting and the Sooner Trailer/NCHA Day Work-off offer something for everyone involved with NCHA cutting. Plus, there will be lots of great shopping next door to the cutting at the Coors Light Trade Show.

Awards for class finalists and champions will be presented by NCHA sponsors including Cowboy Tack, Gist Silversmiths, M.L. Leddy's, Cinch Jeans, Sean Ryon Western Store and Saddle Shop, Walls, Stetson, Sooner Trailers, and KO Trading.

For a schedule of events at the 2002 NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular, hours for the Coors Light Trade Show, to learn more about the sport of cutting, how to get tickets for the finals, or for more information about the sport of cutting, please call the NCHA office at 817-244-6188 or visit our website at www.nchacutting.com.