From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION
CONTACT: Amy Vorhes 817-244-6188 ext. 113
Debra Furst /A Zack Cut Jewel return from Futurity win for SS Limited Non-Pro
Successful return for Futurity Amateur champions
(Fort Worth, TX)
— Debra Furst rode A Zack Cut Jewel for the championship title of the 2001 National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Amateur class in December with 216 points. Furst, who lives in nearby Argyle, Texas, stepped up again at the 2002 Flowmaster / NCHA Super Stakes to win the Limited Non-Pro class on April 12.The Limited Non-Pro is a class within a class in the Super Stakes. Those entered in the Limited Non-Pro use their scores in the Super Stakes Non-Pro class to qualify for the Limited finals. Ten horse and rider teams rode in the Limited Non-Pro finals for just over $31,100. Furst rode her Zack T Wood mare to the herd and was rewarded with 219 points after her two and a half minutes worth of cow work, and a check for $4,852 when she was named Champion.
Reserve Champion in the 2002 Limited Non-Pro Super Stakes was Weatherford, Texas, cutter Lisa Clark. Clark rode JR Smart Haida for 215 points and a $4,467 check. JR Smart Haida is a 4-year-old mare sired by Color Me Smart.
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.