FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION

CONTACT:  Amy Vorhes  817-683-7807

(Fort Worth, TX) — The two competitors who rode for 228 points and the win in the first round of John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals cutting last night returned this evening for leading scores in their classes again.

However, the first rider in the Open second round, Kobie Wood, was ready to win some money tonight. Wood rode Joe and Jennifer Montana's 7-year-old High Brow Cat stallion, That Cool Cat, for 224 points, which went unbeaten by the rest of the field. Round One winner Harriott Playgirl met the challenge set forth by Wood's ride for another score of 224 points this evening in the class. For their efforts, That Cool Cat and Harriott Playgirl each picked up $5,769 to add to their 2001 earnings. That money moves Harriott Playgirl to third in the 2001 NCHA Open World Standings and That Cool Cat into sixth place for the year.

After two rounds, Garner's mare is leading the average with 452 points and Ken Sitton's soon-to-be World Champion gelding is following closely with 445.5 points.

Amy Welch King, 26, of Baird, Texas, set the stage in the Non-Professional division in last night's performance with a winning score of 228 points. Friday night, the granddaughter of legendary horseman and five-time NCHA Futurity Champion Buster Welch topped herself and the other 14 world-class cutters in the Non-Professional division by marking 229 points. Her ride, her 9-year-old CJ Sugar stallion CJ Sugar Lena, has now been her ticket to $$39,019.65 in NCHA earnings during the 2001 season. Welch King advanced one more place in the 2001 NCHA Non-Professional World Standings to sixth with the $6,410 check for first place in Round Two.

She is also leading the Non-Pro average with a combined score of 457 points after two rounds, followed by soon-to-be World Champion Mary Jo Milner with 450 points on Red White And Boon.

The drive of all of the World Finals competitors to succeed and to show the world the what kind of horsepower they have is exactly what got them this far, and it is this drive that means there will be exciting competition in Reliant Arena every evening from February 14 through February 17 for the John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals.

Tickets for the 2001 John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals are available at the HLSR box office. The event highlights will also be broadcast on OLN at 7 pm ET on March 24, and again at 11 pm ET that same evening.

The National Cutting Horse Association's weekend cutters who advance to the World Finals are dedicated 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.

For more information about the NCHA, John Deere, the World Championship Finals or any of the association's 1,400 shows, call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.