Mary Ann Rapp rides Amanda Stargun to Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro victory

Jeff Barnes / Spookys Cash finish reserve in finals class of 40

(Fort Worth, TX) — Mary Ann Rapp not only qualified three horses for the finals of the 2003 Flowmaster / National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro class, but she also won the class with a score of 222 points.

Rapp found the largest marks of the 40-horse Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro finals riding Amanda Stargun. Amanda Stargun is a daughter of Playgun, and is owned by Phil and Mary Ann Rapp of Weatherford, Texas. The class paid out over $317,000, not including awards from NCHA sponsors.

The 2003 Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro Reserve Champion hails from Wilton, California. Jeff Barnes rode the Miss N Starlight daughter, Spookys Cash, for 219 points and second place in the large finals.

Four riders—Rapp, Dean Sanders of Anderson, Texas, Dustin Adams of Logandale, Nevada, and Glade Knight of Richmond, Virginia—qualified multiple horses for the Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro finals.

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.