(Fort Worth, TX) — Morgan Hill, California, newcomer Julie Curts tripled her earnings by winning the $2,000 Limit Rider class at the 2001 Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah, on April 30. Prior to the show, Curts' total NCHA earnings were just over $1,600 and after her championship win in the $2,000 Limit Rider at Ogden, they rose by $3,291.

Curts rode her horse, Customized Playboy, to top the class of 70 with 216 points in the finals. When the class was finished, two riders had scores in second place. Shelley Bird of Cave Creek, Arizona, and Ty Cunningham of Tulsa, Oklahoma, each had 214 points. Bird rode Ill Be A Cowboy, owned by Jim Simpson. Cunningham rode his horse, Playboys Powder Puff.

Finalists at the Chevy Trucks Western Nationals receive awards from NCHA sponsors Gist silversmiths, Cowboy Tack, Murray Leather, Cinch jeans, Chevy Trucks and Walls outerwear.

In a continuing trend, entries for the 2001 Chevy Trucks / NCHA are up 6 percent from last year's numbers. At final count, this year's Ogden, Utah, cutting will host 631 entries, as opposed to last year's 595. In addition to the overall increase in entries the NCHA has been experiencing as a whole, one new program developed by the NCHA and the American Quarter Horse Association has added a whole new level to competition at the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Championships. The program is called the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge, and it was designed to provide greater structure and a "team" concept to the NCHA National Championships. The Western Nationals will take place April 27 - May 5 at the Golden Spike Arena in Ogden, Utah.

Each of the National Cutting Horse Association's 120 different affiliate organizations can send their top 10 competitors from 11 different classes to compete in both the Western National Championships and its sister event, the Eastern National Championships, held earlier in Jackson, Mississippi.

The nature of the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships is traditionally competitive, yet fun for the whole family at the same time. The AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge program will only enhance that feeling. Points will be awarded for both participation and for excellence of performance. The affiliates whose members accumulate the highest scores will receive cash prizes of up to $7,500 with a total of $27,000 to be awarded to the top ten NCHA affiliates at the Western National Championships.

While the NCHA cutters are in Ogden, they will be the guests of honor at a welcome reception, and will have a chance to show their versatility at the annual Cutter's Team Roping at the Hadlock ranch. At the party on Saturday, May 4, one lucky person will win a year's use of a new Sooner three-horse trailer.

The public is welcome to come out and see what the sport of cutting is all about at the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Championships. Admission is free to watch the top cutting horses and riders from across the western United States.

The NCHA and Horsecity.com have developed an interactive, educational site about the sport. Visit and learn more at www.horsecity.com/NCHAcutting/nchacutting.shtml. For more information about the sport of cutting, the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Western National Championships, the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge, or the National Cutting Horse Association, please contact the NCHA at 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.