Scottsdale, Arizona - March 28, 2003 – Vanessa Lawrence has been riding reined cow horses for less than two years, but she loves it. A student at Cal Poly finishing up a Masters in Business, she's applied a business approach to the event she's come to love and her plan is to ride mares, acquire show records on them, then breed them.

Lawrence took a big step toward enhancing the show record for her current mare, Dun It For Cash (by Nu Cash) on Friday, when she won the 4-Year-Old NRCHA Stakes Amateur Championship, marking a score of 217 in the cow work to take the lead in the Amateur pack with a total composite of 628 points. The win was worth $2,025.

This show marks only the fifth time Vanessa has gone down the fence in competition, but she says it's her favorite part of showing the mare she calls, "Rubena".

Lawrence explained, "She's always good down the fence and that gives me confidence. Sandy did a great job training her!" She's referring to NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion Sandy Collier, for whom she relies on for coaching along with her other trainer, Lance Johnston.

Dave Archer became the Reserve Amateur Champion with a total of 620.5 on Gunna Be Crazy by Cutaways Gun Crazy, earning $1,688.

Former NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion John Ward rode Double R Wright Way by Dual Peppy to a score of 652 to claim the Open Hackamore Stakes Championship and $2,254 for owner H.E. Wright. Tracer Gilson steered Tuff Sliding Peppy by Lil Ruf Peppy to the Reserve Open Championship. That netted $1,879 for owner Randy Paul, but Tracer's 648.5 also won the Intermediate and Limited Open titles, good for another $1,312.

Shadd Parkinson rode Coeur D Mister, (by Lenas Wright On) to a score of 644.5 to claim the Reserve Championship in both the Intermediate and Limited Hackamore Stakes for owners Debra and Dorn Parkinson.

The Hackamore Stakes Non Pro and 50K Non Pro Champion was John Showalter on Kiss My Dot (by Tejons Peppy Doc) with a composite of 643, earning $2,831 and $958, respectively. The Reserve Non Pro Champion was former Non Pro Snaffle Bit Futurity Champions JoAnne Carollo and Plan To Win by A Master Plan. Carollo earned $2,359.

The Reserve 50K Non Pro Hackamore Champion was Supersonics, ridden and owned by Colorado Non Pro Jennifer Unzicker.

The NRCHA Stakes concludes on Saturday with a full day of finals - beginning at 8 am with the Non Pro Herd Work Finals.