FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Judy Mayes

817-244-6444

War Paint Pepto and Alycia Bellenfant outscore competition to win NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Gelding division

Fort Worth, Texas – (April 12, 2001) Alycia Bellenfant and War Paint Pepto scored an impressive 217 to win the NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Gelding Finals at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. War Paint Pepto is a son of Peptoboonsmal and owned by Alycia and her husband Gary of De Leon, Texas. The winner’s share of the $63,562 purse was $9,922.

Reserve Champion, Shelia Welch of Rotan Texas aboard Myhaida was a close 3 points behind the leader, with a 214. Welch is a long time member of the NCHA, began her cutting career more than 35 years ago. Shelia is the wife of cutting World Champion and Hall of Famer Buster Welch. This Reserve Champion title is Myhaida’s first major cutting win. Welch and Myhaidas were one and a half points better than third place finisher Ron Bailey and Right on CD.

Bailey of Wetaskiwin Alberta, Canada and his mount finished one half point in front of Kellys Starlight and Pam Dubin of Genoa, NV.

The NCHA Super Stakes competition continues tomorrow with the finals of the Limited Open and Non-Pro beginning at 12:00 noon.

The sport of cutting has roots in Western ranching tradition, where good horses were a necessity for everyday ranch work and cattle handling. “Cutting horses specialized in their ability to separate or “cut” one cow from a herd of others, for branding, doctoring or shipping. The National Cutting Horse Association was formed in 1946 by a group of cowboys and ranchers, who wanted to promote cutting competitions, have standardized rules and preserve the cutting horse’s Western heritage. Today, the Fort Worth based NCHA represents more than 12,000 members in 22 countries and oversees more than 1,400 NCHA approved shows with more than $22 million in total prize money awarded annually.

For more information, please contact Judy Mayes at (817) 244-6188, or visit the NCHA website at www.nchacutting.com