FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                            CONTACT:  Judy Mayes

                                                                                                    817-244-6188

 

 

 

Matt Gaines And Sunettes Dually Mark The Highest Score Ever At The 2001 NCHA Super Stakes To Take The Open Finals

 

 

            Fort Worth, TX (April, 12, 2001)--The crowd roared at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum as Matt Gaines from Weatherford, Texas received the highest score ever of 231 on Sunettes Dually after just barley making the semi-finals cut off score of 215.5 to advance to the finals.  A check for $62,813 was presented to Matt and the horse's owner, Joe Katin of Parker, Texas.  Sunettes Dually now has NCHA lifetime earnings of over $113,000 after tonight's win.   The NCHA Super Stakes featured a bountiful purse of $638,296 that the 24 contestants were vying for.

 

            "This is the greatest win to happen in my cutting career since I won the 1990 Non-Pro Futurity," said Matt, "these are the best group of horses that I ever competed against tonight."  Matt has already been on a roll this year on Sunettes Dually by placing 3rd at the Augusta Futurity and then 2nd at the Sun Coast Open in Las Vegas.  Gaines now has over $1,400,000 in NCHA lifetime earnings. 

 

Justa Smart Peanut took reserve champion honors with a score of 228 with a great run with rider Faron Hightower.  The horse is owned by Dean Sanders from Anderson, Texas and has over $300,000 in NCHA lifetime earnings after receiving the winning check of $54,322.

           

The sport of Cutting has roots in Western ranching traditions, 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 standardize 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