KEY Magazine Fort Worth

The 2004 NCHA Super Stakes and Super Stakes
Classic at the Will Rogers Complex

The excitement of cutting horse action returns to Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum March 31 through April 18 with the National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes. More than 1,400 entries will compete for over $2 million in prize money. The NCHA Super Stakes is the second leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of Cutting events held annually in Fort Worth.

All eyes will be on Craig Morris riding One Smart Lookin' Cat, owned by John McClaren, the 2003 NCHA World Championship Futurity Open Champion, hoping to see a repeat of the Triple Crown win of 2003. In the Super Stakes Non-Pro division, Scott Ferguson is returning after capturing the Non-Pro title at the 2003 NCHA World Championship Futurity riding Laredo Blue. Ferguson is currently leading in the 2004 Western Horseman Cup spring season standings. He will show two horses in the Non-Pro division of the Super Stakes.

The Super Stakes is an event for four-year old horses and the Super Stakes Classic is for five and six year old horses. Each day the cutting begins at 8 a.m. with free admission to the public.

The Super Stakes is a show for only the offspring of nominated stallions. However, with over 100 of the industry's top sires on the list of nominees, the show is far from “exclusive.” Each stallion owner paid $3,500 to subscribe, the vast majority of which goes directly to the event's million dollar purse. In addition, each Super Stakes entry requires a fee of $1,500 or more, depending on the event division and time of payment, with a major part of that fee also going into the purse.

The sport of cutting has roots in Western ranching traditions, where good horses were a necessity for everyday ranch work and cattle handling. The National Cutting Horse Association was formed in 1946 by a group of cowboys and ranchers who wanted to promote cutting competition, standardize rules, and preserve the cutting horses' Western heritage. Today, the Fort Worth-based NCHA represents over 15,000 people and oversees more than 1,400 NCHA-approved shows with more than $28 million in total prize money awarded annually.

Shopping opportunities abound at the Western Mercantile, presented by Coors Light, throughout this year's 19-day event. The Western Mercantile will feature many exhibitors with Western clothing, tack, jewelry, art, and much more in the Amon G. Carter Exhibit Hall.

A complete daily schedule and list of classes is available at www.nchacutting.com. For more information about the NCHA, the NCHA Super Stakes and Super Stakes Classic, or the sport of cutting, please call 817-244-6188 or log-on to NCHA's website.

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