Tag Rice, on Cat T Masterson, advanced in the Futurity Open. Patrick King/Special

Tag Rice's main concern Sunday was with his horse.

Cat T Masterson had to an allergic reaction Saturday, and the stud was lethargic in the first go-round of the Futurity Open, marking 215 at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center. Still, the score was good enough to advance to the next round.

"We got by," Rice said. "Maybe we'll do a little better next time." If Rice nurses his horse back to health, he could be in the running for more success in the Augusta Futurity. Atop Chiquita Pistol, he won the 2003 Futurity Open, 2004 Classic Open and 2004 Western Horseman Cup Open.

But Rice doesn't have the famed mare to ride anymore, as owner Wallace "Tooter" Dorman retired the horse after last year's Augusta Futurity.

After winning last year's Classic Open on Chiquita Pistol in the mare's final event, Rice understood how tough she'd be to replace.

"I'll never ever ride another horse as good as her," he said after the event.

But he's doing just fine on Cat T Masterson, a horse by High Brow Cat out Pretty Lean Chick. Rice of Crowley, Texas, spent the past year training the horse.

Jack Waggoner, who owns the horse with his wife, Susan, said Rice and his horse have won about $60,000 in three events thus far.

Waggoner decided to choose Rice for the horse because he liked his showmanship.

"He fit this horse," Waggoner said. "It's a very athletic horse. A very smart horse. Tag gets along with horses like that."

Waggoner also chose Rice because of the resume he built on the cutting circuit - even before he met Chiquita Pistol.

Rice won the National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity as a Non-Pro atop Brigapep in 1995. Rice later was inducted into the NCHA Youth Hall of Fame in 1997.

Of course, the 30-year-old Rice and Chiquita Pistol won the 2003 NCHA Triple Crown.

"He's so young, it's hard to throw a lot of plaudits his way," Waggoner said. "It's too bad. I don't think he quite gets the credit he deserves, because of his age."

At the Augusta Futurity, Rice has won three titles in two years. He and father, Ronnie, are tied for fifth on the all-time champions list, four titles behind leader Phil Rapp.

Rice will be looking to add to that total this week. He advanced two horses into today's Classic Open second go-round, with Steves Nurse and Ricochet Pep each finishing in the top 14.

"We enjoy coming down here," Rice said. "The atmosphere is good. I had that mare last year, but I don't have her now. But I have some other horses and we'll try to do the best we can with them and just keep going."