Jill Freeman, 35, who grew up on a large cow/calf ranch in Missouri, thought she knew how to show cutting horses after she took up the sport about five years ago.

However, she found that she had a lot to learn when she married Bill Freeman, the industry's top money-earning trainer.

"I just learned everything wrong the first time," she said. "I basically started over when I married Bill."

Freeman, who was expecting to give birth to the couple's first baby early this month, put her new-found cutting knowledge to good use at the 2004 Augusta Futurity, where she marked a winning 218 on Wild Thing DNA in the $20,000 Non-Pro Any Age. She won by two points over Tammy Freeman (no relation), Burgaw, N.C., who had won the class on Hickorys Candy Man at the 2003 Augusta Futurity.

"He performed extremely well for me with what we had going on," Freeman said. "I just pretty much stepped down there, cut the cows my help told me to cut and it worked out. I needed to drive out and give my horse a chance and not to keep those cows stirred up."

Wild Thing DNA is a 1998 stallion by Smart Little Lena out of Autumn Boon DNA, the mare Bill Freeman rode to the championship of the 1998 Augusta Futurity.

Jill had been concerned with the stallion's condition coming into the show because his hocks were fusing - a long, natural process in which a horse grows bone spurs and has limited movement in the joints - and it slowed him down. But it failed to hamper his Augusta performance.

Her check for $4,441 easily doubled her prior earnings of $2,000.

"I'm thrilled," she said.