Fort Worth, Texas (April 9, 2000)- The National Cutting Horse Association crowned Eddy Longley of Aledo, Texas the Amateur Champion of the 2000 NCHA Super Stakes, a competition for four-year-old cutting horses, April 9, 2000 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.

Aboard Travs Smart Buy, Longley marked a score of 219, earning a check of $3,979, a NCHA Official Trophy, Gist Buckle, Cowboy Tack hand-woven blanket, Stetson hat and a pair of M.L. Leddy's handmade custom trophy boots.

"She's easy to cut a cow on," Longley said of Travs Smart Buy. "Her strongest quality is her mind.

"She's just extremely smart and extremely cowy. Of course, the way she moves you steal points because she's so fluid. She's sneaky fast across the pen."

Another amateur to put on a spectacular show was Don Dubin of Genoa, Nevada aboard Travalano who won the 2000 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Amateur, for five and six-year-olds, the previous night.

Dubin, a retired resort developer who owns the Canyon Creek Ranch, cut the same cow twice during his run, a task sometimes proving difficult for riders of any class. However Dubin was rewarded for his skill in handling the situation as the judges awarded the duo a score of 225, earning a check of $4,569, a NCHA Official Trophy, Gist Buckle, Cowboy Tack hand-woven blanket and a Stetson hat. Incidentally, this was Dubin's first limited age event win.

"He's a big-time athlete," Dubin said of Travalano. "It's really easy for him. Training him, the deal was he'll jump off a cow over here and jump back just because it's fun for him. He gives me huge confidence because I know he's there."

Travalano, like Travs Smart Buy is by Travalena. Additionally, Dubin and Travalano finished more than five points ahead of Super Stakes Classic Reserve Champion H.B. Bartlett of Pike Road, Alabama riding Can You Handle It.

Can You Handle It made a strong showing having been entered in all three classes of the Super Stakes Classic-- the Amateur and the Non-Professional divisions ridden by Bartlett and the Super Stakes Classic Open by Boyd Rice. She qualified for the Finals in all three classes.

The Super Stakes and Super Stakes Classic are highly prestigious events opened to foals of nominated stallions only, featuring more than 900 cutting horses and riders competing for a total purse exceeding $1.7 million. Bloodlines seen in the pedigrees of the cutting horses competing in the Super Stakes and Super Stakes Classic represent many of the industry's foundation horses as well as some of the top horses in cutting history.

For more information on the NCHA call (817) 244-6188 or visit us online at www.nchacutting.com

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