Greg Coalson / Quejanaisalena top Non-Pro average going into Super Stakes semi-finals

Carl Gerwein and Elizabeth Queen follow suit in 216-entry class

(Fort Worth, TX) — Weatherford, Texas, non-professional cutter Greg Coalson made two good rides in the Non-Pro division of the 2003 Flowmaster / National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes for the number one spot going into the semi-finals.

Coalson rode a mare owned by he and his wife, Shelly, that is a four-year-old stallion son of Smart Little Lena by the name of Quejanaisalena. The pair marked 219.5 points in the first round for a berth in the second round, where cumulative scores mean the difference between the end of the show for most, but a new life in the semi-finals for a select few. Their second round score was 222, for a total of 441.5 points.

Of the 216 horse and rider combinations that began the Super Stakes Non-Pro, just 60 will advance to tomorrow’s Non-Pro semi-finals. From there, an even smaller group will have what it takes to show in the 2003 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro finals on Sunday, April 20. Total payout for the division is over $545,355.

Two other cutters who were not worried about the bubble score of 424 points were Carl Gerwein and Elizabeth Queen. Each rider earned a total of 435 points in two rounds. Gerwein, of Nanton, Alberta, Canada, showed his Smart Peppy Date mare, Steady Play. Queen, of Allendale, South Carolina, earned her points riding Zee Dually, a Dual Pep mare.

The 2003 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic cutting began at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 2 and will continue daily through Sunday, April 20. A complete daily schedule and list of classes is available on the NCHA website at www.nchacutting.com. Admission is free through April 18^th, and then tickets begin at just $5.

The Super Stakes is a show for only the offspring of nominated stallions. However, with 140 of the industry's top sires on the list of nominees, the show is far from "exclusive."

Each stallion owner paid $3,500 to subscribe, the vast majority of which is added directly to the event’s purse. In addition, each Super Stakes entry paid a fee of $1,500 or more depending on the event division and time of payment, with a major part of that fee adding to the purse.

Flowmaster, a household name in car racing circles, is the title sponsor of the Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic for the second year now. Over the past 19 years, Flowmaster's patented technology has also blazed new trails in the passenger car and tow vehicle markets. Their customers are saving 100 million gallons of fuel per year—a subject of increasing importance for everyone. Learn more about Flowmaster by visiting their booth in the Coors Light Trade Show during the cutting, or visit www.flowmastermufflers.com.

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 2003 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic, or the sport of cutting, please call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.