woody-be-lucky

San Antonio to kick off Mercuria NCHA World Series

woody-be-luckyDan Hanson, who won the Mercuria/NCHA World Series of Cutting Non-Pro at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo last year aboard Woody Be Lucky (pictured) will be competing this year with Play Corn. • Photo by Dan TroutThe San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo will host the first event this year for the Mercuria/National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Series of Cutting. Star-studded fields will ride to the herd in the first round of the Open and Non-Pro, with the finals of the $25,000-added events scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14.

World champion riders Matt Gaines, Pete Branch, Lindy Burch, Chubby Turner, Kobie Wood and Faron Hightower are among the 41 entries in the Open division.The Open field includes NCHA Super Stakes Open Champion Olenasduallyfeather (Cats Red Feather x Olenas Dually x Dual Pep), recent NCHA Futurity Reserve Champion Bet Shes Smooth (Smooth As A Cat x Bet Yer Blue Boons x Freckles Playboy), NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champions Donas Suen Boon (Boon Too Suen x Donas Cool Cat x High Brow Cat) and Woodys Bad Boy (Nitas Wood x Nimble Jazzy Lee x Jazzy Joe Lena), and two-time Mercuria/NCHA World Finals winner CR Sun Reys (Dual Rey x Play Peek A Boon x Freckles Playboy).

Highlighting the Non-Pro division are Joe Howard Williamson, Mary Jo Milner, Constance Jaeggi and Dan Hanson, who own a combined 15 NCHA Non-Pro World titles. Williamson, Milner and Jaeggi will be riding Sweet Little Cats (High Brow Cat x Sweet Little CD x CD Olena), Saguaro Ichi (Cat Ichi x Playboys Heidi x Freckles Playboy), and Smooth Asa Zee (Smooth As A Cat x Zaa Dualy x Dual Pep), respectively, horses the played a role in their most recent World Championships.

Offering a total of $50,000 in added money at each series event, the Mercuria/NCHA World Series of Cutting has become a highlight of the annual cutting horse competition year attracting highly competitive horses and riders to the event in their quest for NCHA World Champion and Horse of the Year honors.

2016 Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting Tentative Schedule:

  • Feb. 13-14, San Antonio Stock Show, San Antonio, Texas
  • Feb. 26-27, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Houston, Texas
  • June 17-18, PCCHA Derby – Classic Challenge, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • July 11-13, Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Aug. TBA, Las Vegas CHA Futurity, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Aug. 29-30, Idaho Futurity, Nampa, Idaho
  • Sept. 15-16, El Rancho Futurity, Rancho Murieta, California
  • Oct. TBA, All American Quarter Horse Congress, Columbus, Ohio

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