FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION

CONTACT:   Amy Vorhes 817-244-6188 ext. 113

 

Two horses take Garner to money in World Finals Open

Harriott Playgirl and Oh Cay Liberty polish off $84,623 in Open

(Fort Worth, TX) — Lee Garner managed to qualify two of his horses for the 2001 John Deere/National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Finals, and both finished in the top 13 of their class for the year.

Garner, of Batesville, Mississippi, rode Oh Cay Liberty in the Open and the Non-Professional divisions at the year-end Houston show. His 6-year-old Oh Cay Quixote mare began the show in 20th place, and after earning $11,025 at the World Finals, moved into 13th place. Winning round four of the Open tonight added $6,410 of that money.

Garner and Oh Cay Liberty wound up in 8th place in the Non-Professional division this year.

Allen Crouch of Noxapater, Mississippi, had tremendous success riding Garner's 9-year-old Case Of Freckles mare, Harriott Playgirl, in Houston. The team won round one, tied for first in round two, were third place in round three and fourth in round four to overtake the World Finals average for another $6,410 check. The $25,512 added to Harriott Playgirl's pre-show total moved the mare into third place at the end of the 2001 year, behind Ken Sitton's gelding, Rosies Lena, and Robert and Andrea Finger's stallion, Christys Acre.

The two horses' Open winnings for the 2001 year were $84,623. Oh Cay Liberty's Non-Pro winnings boost that total to $123,568. Lee Garner has been active in cutting since 1987. He first competed in the World Championship Finals in 1993 and earned a spot among the NCHA Top Ten seven times. At the age of six, Oh Cay Liberty was the youngest horse in the World Finals.

The drive of all of the World Finals competitors to succeed and to show the world what kind of horsepower they have is exactly what got them this far. To see how the competition progressed at this year's World Finals, visit the show's page inside www.nchacutting.com. The National Cutting Horse Association's top weekend cutters are world-class competitors with a deep love of the sport. "Haulers," as they are called, spend months at a time traveling from one cutting to the next with hopes of being the highest-earning competitor in their division, and thus a World Champion.

Visit www.deere.com to learn more about the complete line of John Deere procucts. For more information about the NCHA, the World Championship Finals, Mary Jo Milner or any of the association's 1,400 shows call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.