From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION
CONTACT: Amy Vorhes 817-244-6188 ext. 113
Cookie Coleman/Haidas CD named Gelding Non-Pro Champions
Paula Wood / My Blue Hagan & Sarah Warren / Mr CD Perry tie for Reserve
(Fort Worth, TX)
Two of the top three horses in the Gelding Non-Pro class were sired by CD Olena at the 2002 Flowmaster / National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes. The stallion, owned by Bar H Ranche in Weatherford, Texas, sired first-place horse Haidas CD, ridden by Cookie Coleman, and one of two horses that tied for reserve, Mr CD Perry, ridden by Sarah Warren.Cookie Coleman and Haidas CD cut for 219 points in the Gelding Non-Pro on April 13. Coleman is from Texarkana, Texas, and has NCHA lifetime earnings of $242,705 after winning over $5,000 in the class within a class at the Super Stakes. The Gelding Non-Pro finalists competed within the Super Stakes Non-Pro division to qualify for their finals, which paid ten riders total money of $37,114.
Sarah Warren riding Mr CD Perry and Paula Wood riding My Blue Hagan tied for second place in the class finals with 218 points each. Warren, who lives in Weatherford, Texas, had only $3,400 in NCHA earnings prior to the Gelding Non-Pro finals. The $4,645 check for second more than doubled that sum.
Wood, of Stephenville, Texas, had over $650,000 in NCHA earnings prior to the finals. She had a good horse underneath her, too. My Blue Hagan is a 4-year-old Duals Blue Boon gelding that Wood also qualified for the Super Stakes Non-Pro finals that will be held later this evening.
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.