46 horses advance to Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes Classic Open Finals

My Blue Hagan / Kobie Wood lead average after two rounds

(Fort Worth, TX) — The field of 226 five-and six-year-old cutting horses that started in the Classic Open division of the 2003 Flowmaster / National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes cutting has been narrowed to 46 after three days and two rounds of cutting at historic Will Rogers Coliseum.

Leading the finals qualifers into the money round after two gos was My Blue Hagan, ridden by Kobie Wood and owned by his wife, Paula Wood. The Woods live in Stephenville, Texas. Kobie rode My Blue Hagan for 219.5 points in the first round and followed that with an additional 219 points in the second round for a grand total of 428.5 points and a guaranteed spot in the Classic Open finals on Wednesday, April 9.

Three horses followed My Blue Hagan by just one-half point into the Classic Open finals. I Sho Spensive, owned by James Vangilder of Jackson, Missouri, and ridden by Roger Wagner; Playin With Bones, owned by Glade Knight of Richmond, Virginia, and ridden by John Mitchell; and Spookys Cash, owned by Jeff Barnes of Wilton, California, and ridden by Gary Gonsalves, all tied after two rounds with 438 points.

The Super Stakes Classic Open finals will take place on the evening of Wednesday, April 9. The remaining 46 horses will compete for a purse of $366,120.

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.