Mandy McCutcheon Tops First Round of USET Futures Competition

Gladstone, New Jersey – (June 21, 2002) – Her husband, Tom, won the first round of the Bayer/USET Reining Championship on Wednesday. Today Mandy McCutcheon made it family week at the USET Festival of Champions, when she rode Haidachino Cherry to top the first go of the USET Futures competition.

McCutcheon is the National Reining Horse Association’s Leading All Time Non Pro and has won titles at every major reining event besides the Festival of Champions, a situation she’s no doubt hoping to remedy this week. The Pilot Point, Texas reiner got a good start on that today, marking a 219.5 to sweep the 19-horse field of Futures riders, but she’s quick to point out that competition will remain tough right until the last. “It’s far from over – there is still one more round of competition.”

Mandy was enthusiastic about competing at the Festival. “It’s great to be at Gladstone – this is a different type show than our normal reining events. Plus, the feeling of team support with the Nations Cup competition makes it really fun!”

Interestingly, McCutcheon has ridden at the Festival of Champions both as a reiner and a jumper. Besides having qualified for the reining both in the Open and Futures competition, she’s also won the show jumping Youth Talent Derby.

Haidachino Cherry is an Open and Non Pro NRHA Derby Finalist, with earnings over $23,000. According to McCutcheon, she was “on” today. ”She was good. She did everything I asked her to do!”

Just behind McCutcheon with a score of 218 was Ben Gerst on Joses Bueno Chex, owned by Nick Chavez of Los Angeles, California. Rounding out the top three with a score of 217.5 was Wisconsin trainer Brian Welman on Jennifer Easton’s Boogernic.

Zane Haverty of Krum, Texas scored 218 to win the first round of Young Rider competition on Who Whiz It, a horse that his father, Clint Haverty, rode to NRHA Futurity and National Reining Breeders Classic finalist rankings and earnings of over $40,000. Suzanne Wilson of Tallahassee, Florida, - rode Catalyst Command to finish second, with Matthew Palmer of Elverson, Pennsylvania finishing third on Hercules.