FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION
CONACT: Amy Vorhes 817-244-6188 ext. 113
Tennessee cutter wins Super Stakes Amateur
Suzanne Thomas / Boonsmal O Lena rise to top of their class
(Fort Worth, TX)
— Suzanne Thomas of Savannah, Tennessee, made her way to the head of the class with 217 points in the 2002 Flowmaster / National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes Amateur division on the morning of April 13.Thomas rode Boonsmal O Lena, a 4-year-old Peptoboonsmal mare that is owned by Suzanne and her husband, James. Suzanne began cutting in 1991 and has been doing it ever since. The $4,800 first-place check in the Super Stakes Amateur brings her NCHA lifetime earnings to $56,435.
James Vangilder, whose horses tied for first and second place in the Super Stakes Amateur semi-finals, finished the class in second place and third place. The Jackson, Missouri, amateur cutter was second with 216 points on the Meradas Money talks gelding Merada Clone. He was third on Tiger Wood, a DNA gelding son of Zack T Wood, with 214 points. Those two checks added just over $9,000 to Vangilder's NCHA earnings.
The 2002 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic cutting will continue through Sunday, April 21, and pay out an estimated $2.2 million over the course of the show. Entries for the 2002 edition of the annual spring Fort Worth show have jumped an incredible 7 percent from last year's number, from 1,235 entries in 2001 to 1,328 entries in 2002. The $2.2 million purse is a record payout for the Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic show, which dates back to 1981.
Favorites from the 2001 NCHA World Championship Futurity will be returning for a second shot at a major win at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in the Super Stakes. They will be joined by a host of other 4-year-old potential champions in seven divisions. Meanwhile, the 5- and 6-year-old horses -- many of which have built outstanding records -- will compete in three divisions of their own. All told, 10 champions will be crowned during the 2002 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic.
The Super Stakes is a show for only the offspring of nominated stallions. However, with 137 of the industry's top sires on the list of nominees, the show is far from "exclusive." The Super Stakes is for 4-year-old cutting horses and the Super Stakes Classic portion of the show is for horses aged 5 and 6 years old.
In addition to the hefty checks that will be distributed, winners will also receive awards from NCHA sponsors like Gist silversmiths, Cowboy Tack, M.L. Leddy's, Flowmaster, Walls, and Cinch jeans.
Flowmaster, the title sponsor of the 18-day April cutting, is a household name in car racing circles. The company came on board as an NCHA sponsor this fall. Over the past 18 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.
The sport of cutting has evolved into a thriving industry with members of many backgrounds. From CEOs to cattle raisers to former rodeo stars and professional athletes, National Cutting Horse Association members find a common thread in one of the most challenging, exhilarating and exciting sports in the world -- riding good cutting horses.
In addition to the outstanding athleticism required of a standout cutting horse, the equine athletes must also be able to read cows and outmaneuver the herd-natured animals with lightning-quick movements from side to side, hard stops and split-second bursts of speed.
For more information about the Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic, the history of the sport or how to become an NCHA member, please call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.