From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION
CONTACT: Amy Vorhes 817-244-6188 ext. 113
Smart Lil Scoot / Roy Carter take Super Stakes Classic Open with 225 points
Former bullrider turned cutter picks up $48,257 for S&S Farms
(Fort Worth, TX)
— Smart Lil Scoot did more than just "scoot" to win the 2002 Flowmaster / National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes Open finals on April 21. The Smart Little Lena stallion has been ridden by Roy Carter since its debut at the 1999 NCHA World Championship Futurity, where the pair finished fifth in the Open.Since that time, Smart Lil Scoot and the Hempstead, Texas, cutting horse trainer have garnered $155,325. They added an additional $48,257 to that by winning the Super Stakes Classic Open over 33 other horses. Smart Lil Scoot is owned by S & S Farms in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Reserve in the Classic Open was Whittle Mike Odual, a Dual Pep stallion owned by Paula Gaughn of Las Vegas, Nevada. Greg Welch, the NCHA President-Elect, finished the third round of Classic Open competition with a 221-point work. The 34 horses that worked in the class finals cut for a total of $318,921.
The 2002 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic cutting concludes 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 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 were 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 -- competed 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.