Joe Wright won the $50,000 Amateur Any Age first go-round on Monday with a score of 218.5 aboard Alittle Street Smart. Patrick King/Special

There's a handful of them trying to protect their turf. But for local cutters, winning an event in the Augusta Futurity isn't so easy.

Douglas Tyson considers the Augusta Futurity a home cutting event, even though he lives 90 minutes away in Metter, Ga. He qualified for the finals of the $20,000 Non-Pro Any Age on Friday night, but he succumbed to the pressure and finished last in the championship.

"When I make the finals here, I have a whole lot of people who come watch the show," the 57-year-old Tyson said. "And most of them don't know beans about cutting. They want you to do good. I think that's the home element involved. You want it so bad. It's just hard to push that aside."

Just making the finals was tough enough for Augusta- area competitors in the $50,000 Amateur Any Age go-round Monday at James Brown Arena. With a score of 213.5, Tyson and Gin N Trona advanced to the finals by a half-point, giving themselves a shot at redemption.

On Alittle Street Smart, Joe Wright won the event with a mark of 218.5. Fourteen horses with scores of 213 or better advanced to today's finals, which begin after the completion of the Classic Non-Pro first go-round.

Tyson said the pressure local riders put on themselves is almost insurmountable. Thus, competitors such as Madeline Collins of Blackville, S.C., Tony Atkins of Augusta, Doug Batchelor of Evans, Greg Driggers of Hephzibah and Ken Warnell of Trenton, S.C., have an added hurdle to clear. None of them qualified for the finals.

"I probably show with less pressure in Fort Worth (Texas) than I do here," Tyson said. "It's home. You want to do good for a lot of home folks here watching you. I think that's one of the biggest factors for the local people."

Tyson first came to the Augusta Futurity six years ago. He said he began two years prior but was overcome by a different type of pressure.

"It took me two years," he said, "just to get the nerve to come here."

Tyson showed Gin N Trona, an 8-year-old gelding by Little Trona out of Gins Honey Bear, in this event four years ago. The pair finished as reserve champions.

Tyson bought him as a yearling. He liked the horse's eyes and build.

"He just seemed different," he said. "He's been a great horse."

Tyson hasn't had much of a chance to work on his cutting. He owns a private underground utilities business. He and his wife, Bonnie, who have two adult children (daughter, Brandi and son, Ty), also own Tyson Ranch LLC.

Tyson stays busy with the 14 horses on his ranch. He also raises pure-bred Black Angus cattle.

To think he continues to work and show cutting horses, Tyson has plenty on his platter.

"It keeps me young," Tyson said.

But he sees a time in the near future when he slows down and dedicates more time to his hobby. Then, he'll take that next step and return to the Augusta Futurity as a Non-Pro.

"I want to be competitive at the next level," he said. "But I know it's going to take more work."

From the Thursday, January 23, 2007 edition of the Augusta Chronicle