FUTURITY NON-PRO Elizabeth Elliott wins title on Mr Gin Corcha As the finals unfolded, it was looking more and more as if a 216, which would match the lowest score ever to win this title, would be good enough for victory. Mary Ann Rapp, as the second rider to work in the 22-horse finals, had marked the 216 on Peppy Hickory San. Because riders were having so many problems laying down a clean run, Rapp's score was still leading with one rider yet to work. That rider, Elizabeth Elliott of Estill, S.C., put together one of the most dramatic runs in show history. She marked a 217.5 on Mr Gin Corcha to win the title and $15,031. It's rare that a rider wins a title from the last spot in the draw because the best cattle usually have been picked over and worked. On this night, with the cattle being even tougher than normal, Elliott wasn't given much of a chance. "I didn't think that much about it," Elliott said. "I've drawn up last here before. I was just glad to be in the finals." Elliott's trainer, David Stewart, was the man who found the cattle that helped win the cutting for Elliott. "We've been sitting here watching cattle every day all week," Stewart said. "We missed a lot of cattle. We picked some we thought were good that weren't, and we just happened to pick some we thought were good that were tonight." "She found some good cows, and I don't know how she did it," said Phil Rapp, who was seeking his third title of the week. "I didn't think there was much left. She went in there and found them." Phil Rapp had 213.5s on both his horses and tied himself for fifth place. He was the 14th and 20th rider to work in the finals. "We had our night last night (when Rapp swept the Classic Division titles) and it was Miss Elliott's tonight," Phil Rapp said. "She had a super little run." Elliott had no idea what the score to beat was when she rode to the herd. "Before I went down there, my trainer, David Stewart, said they sort of left it wide open for us," Elliott said. "I went down there and I was really relaxed, believe it or not. It all fell into place. My horse was great and the cows we cut were great. It was fun. I still can't believe it." Elliott, the winner of the 1996 Area 18 Youth Scholarship Cutting at the Augusta Futurity, has been showing in aged events such as the Futurity and Classic divisions here for four years. While she has always shown promise, nerves were a problem in the past. No longer is that the case. "I don't get as nervous as I used to get," Elliott said. "I know what my horses are like because I see them worked all the time. I know what I need to do to help them. Also, David Stewart started working for us (father Miles and mother Becky Elliott, who own the CFP Ranch) about a year ago. He's done a good job with the horses." "She just has more composure," Becky Elliott said of her daughter. "It was mind over matter. She knows that nerves work against you and you have to be quiet when you ride." "I got over that (the nerves) by doing a lot of showing and practice," Elliott said. "I ride all the time. You kind of have to get by that." Elliott bought the horse seven months before her victory from Creek Plantation in Martin, S.C., Creek is owned by W.S. Morris III of Augusta. Mr Gin Corcha, by Tanquery Gin out of Playboys Corcha, is the first Creek-bred horse to win an Augusta title. "You raise good horses," Elliott told Morris when he congratulated her after the victory. "I'm extremely proud of the horse, David Stewart and Elizabeth," Morris said. "Elizabeth showed a lot of courage being last in the cattle. Most of the cattle had been picked over. And the horse did his job."