Two horses made their most of their second chances Monday.

Riders warm up their horses during a cattle change of Monday's Classic Open go-round. Special

Zacks Little Bowman and Smartys Shadow began the year with uncertain futures. Zacks Little Bowman was coming off a freak injury suffered in the spring of 2005. Smartys Shadow began 2006 without a human competitor.

Both horses proved their mettle in the Classic Open second go-round. Ridden by Bubba Matlock, Zacks Little Bowman posted the score of the day with 221.5, and Brett Davis and Smartys Shadow finished just behind at 220.5.

They were two of the top 26 horses with combined totals of 432.5 or better that advanced to Thursday night's finals. Phil Rapp and Light N Lena breezed into the finals with the top aggregate score of 441.5.

Rapp qualified three horses into the finals, along with Ronnie Rice and Clint Allen. Defending champions Faron Hightower and Just Playin Smart will vie for a second title after recording a combined total of 434.5.

Zacks Little Bowman, who posted a combined 435.5 total, is competing in her second aged event after tearing her hind suspensory ligament at the NCHA Super Stakes in spring 2005. The 5-year-old mare, by Zack T Wood out of Bowmans Little Jewel and owned by GCH Land & Cattle LLC, tied for seventh in the NCHA World Championship Futurity in 2004, four months before the injury.

"I gave her a lot of time to get healed up," Matlock said. "I just wanted to make sure I gave her extra time, because I really liked her. She tries so hard I didn't want her to re-injure herself."

Smartys Shadow recorded an aggregate 438 score with Davis on board. He began riding the horse two weeks ago, when trainer Roy Carter decided he wasn't going to show the horse anymore.

The 6-year-old stud, owned by S&S Farms, is by Smart Lil Scoot out of Real Peppy Doc. The horse has earned more than $80,000.

Davis, of Texarkana, Texas, took the horse to a weekend cutting before competing in Augusta.

"We work really well," he said. "He's a nice horse. He's well-trained."

Zacks Little Bowman is well rested. It showed in the second go.

"She gives 150 percent every time you go down there," Matlock said. "She's smart about a cow. She stops hard. The main thing is she just tries so hard for you every time."

The 33-year-old Matlock, of Weatherford, Texas, is trying hard to make his mark in Augusta this year. In two previous appearances, he's made one final.

"Young guy starting out and there's a lot of pressure," he said. "You just got to overcome that."

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Tuesday, January 24, 2006 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle