Open division of the Mercuria/NCHA World Series of Cutting Event from the Tulsa Breeders Invitational rescheduled for July 23 in Fort Worth.

Source: National Cutting Horse Association Press Release

3 June 2011

(Fort Worth, TX)- The finals of the Open Division of the Mercuria/NCHA World Seriesof Cutting event that had originally been scheduled for May 15 in conjunction with the Breeders’ Invitational (BI) in Tulsa, Okla. will now be held on Saturday evening, July 23, in conjunction with the NCHA Summer Spectacular in Fort Worth. The finals will take place in the Will Rogers Coliseum immediately following the NCHA Summer Spectacular Classic Challenge Amateur Finals.

The Open Division Finals will feature the 13 qualifiers from the go-round held May 14 in Tulsa. The Open Finals had to be rescheduled due to the potential threat of the Equine Herpes Virus-1 during the BI. Management of the BI made the appropriate decision to cancel the entire event after the open go-round had concluded. The purse for the Open Division Finals is a reported $42,664.

Chris Benedict, NCHA President, said that the NCHA is pleased to have worked with the management of the Breeders Invitational to develop a plan to continue with the finals.

“The management of the BI, and all of the contestants who were affected, have been outstanding to work with through this process. We’ll have a great show for people to come and watch on July 23rd,” said Benedict.

“We also want to thank the leadership of Mercuria Global Energy, the title sponsor of the World Series of Cutting. They have been tremendous to work with throughout this process. They were interested in the health and welfare of horses, and participated in and supported the precautionary approach that the NCHA and BI took in this matter.”

The Breeders’ Invitational will be issuing refunds of all entry fees to contestants who had entered the Non-Professional Division of the Mercuria/NCHA World Series event in Tulsa. No go-round activity of the Non-Pro Division had commenced when the decision was made to cancel the event in Tulsa.

The Mercuria/NCHA World Series of Cutting is a series of nine shows across the United States, with events also scheduled in 2011 for Calgary, Alberta Canada and Lyon, France. Each show features a $25,000-added in both the Open and Non-Pro divisions showcasing many of the nation’s top seasoned cutting horses.

The National Cutting Horse Association has more than 20,000 members from a wide range of backgrounds. Each year more than 2,200 NCHA-approved events are held throughout North America, with more than $43 million in prize money awarded. For more information visit www.nchacutting.com or call (817) 244-6188.