Patrick and Laura Collins’ gelding MC Im With The Band, by Smooth As A Cat, took center stage on Saturday with 223.5 points to win the Augusta Futurity and a paycheck of $10,000. Trained and shown by Craig Thompson, MC Im With The Band was the second consecutive Augusta Futurity champion owned by the Collins and shown by Thompson, who won the 2012 event with 222.5 points on Oh Cay Do Over, who had been NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion under Patrick Collins.
Reys Lucky Gal, by Dual Rey, with Jonathon Rogers, and SDP Moms TR, by TR Dual Rey, under Brett McGlothlin, tied for second with 220 points. McGlothlin also placed fifth with 215 points on SDP Gretchens Kitty and in addition, Rogers placed with Starlight Smoothie and Smooth Catallac.
Harris Shepard, 18, carried the banner in the Non-Pro Futurity with a 217-point win worth $6,200 on homegrown Especially Thomas, by Thomas E Hughes. Harris, a college freshman near his home in Verbena, Ala., is the third member of his family to win an Augusta Futurity championship. Collectively, Harris and his father, Sam, and half-brother, Austin, have won the event seven times. Together, they earned a total of $32,554 in this year’s event, alone.
Barnwell Ramsey scored 216 points on Autumn Ruby Reys, by Vaca Rey, for the Non-Pro reserve title, and Amateur champion Alexis Stephas was third, with 215.5 points, on Once You Go Black, by Hydrive Cat.
The high score from all finals divisions was 225 points marked by Fort Worth Pipeline and John Wold in the Open Classic. The win, which paid $12,000, was the first for Wold at Augusta, as well as the first for owner and breeder, Lisa Bankston of Fort Worth. Wold, who also showed Fort Worth Pipeline to win the AQHA World Show last November, was a finalist in the 2003 Augusta Futurity on her sire, Cats Merada.
Great Chief, shown by Austin Shepard for Joel Congrove, was reserve champion of the Open Classic with 222 points. Lahaina Lena, under Phil Rapp, and Bellas Davidson, with Gabe Reynolds, tied for third with 218 points. Shepard also placed sixth on Cats In Ya Dreams, and Rapp tied himself for seventh with 215.5 points aboard Teninas Smooth Cat and Shorty Boonsmal.
Chisholm Clark, 17, and Jason McClure were co-champions of the Classic Non-Pro division with 220 points, respectively, on Jesse Woodson James and Freckles Meow. Elizabeth Queen was second with 219 points on Lil Sting Rey.
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