Adam Koontz, of Weatherford, Texas, scored 222 in the $50,000 Amateur Any Age finals. His early score held up for the win Tuesday. Special

Adam Koontz jokes and calls his horse the "Lone Ranger." It's the only horse he owns.

Right now, it's the only horse he needs.

Koontz and Cloud Nine marked 222 early in the $50,000 Amateur Any Age finals and held on for the victory Tuesday night at James Brown Arena.

Koontz of Weatherford, Texas, collected his second Augusta title. In 2002, he won the $50,000 Amateur for 4-Year-Olds. Also that year, he won the go-round of the $50,000 Amateur for 5/6-Year-Olds on Cloud Nine. It was his first aged event.

"It was a good week," he said. "It was a lot of fun that week."

This week hasn't been bad, either. With his victory, Koontz collected $6,296.

Atop Dual Mud Flaps, Mandy Chisum of Salinas, Calif., who won the $100,000 Non-Pro Any Age on Friday, placed second at 217 for $5,003. Nancy Turner of Bushnell, Fla., and Strait CD finished third (216, $3,793).

Koontz said the Augusta Futurity marked his first major show with Cloud Nine in the past three years since he's been matriculating at Clemson. He graduated last summer with a business management degree.

In September, he moved to Weatherford, and he recently got a job with Ben Emison, who sells insurance and manages horse sales. Koontz, who's going to help Emison on both fronts, is helping him with the annual Augusta Futurity Horse Sale on Saturday morning.

The 23-year-old Koontz, originally from Belton, S.C., said working for Emison is probably the sole reason he made his third Augusta appearance. In 2003, he and Cloud Nine made the $50,000 Amateur for 5/6-Year-Olds finals.

Koontz has had Cloud Nine, a 10-year-old gelding by Poco San Lena out of Moria Sugar, for five years. His family purchased the horse just before the 2002 Augusta Futurity.

"He's been a real good horse," Koontz said. "He just tries every time. He really does."

In the go-round, Koontz marked 215.5 on his horse to finish fifth. In the 14-horse final, the pair rode first and made the most of their early position.

"My cuts weren't as good as they needed to be in the go-round," he said.

"Tonight, they worked out a little better. Drawing up first made it a little easier to cut. The cuts just worked out right and shaped up good."

Koontz isn't sure how much he can show cutting horses in the near future now that he has a new profession. He just has Cloud Nine, and he said he has no plans to purchase another horse.

"I'm going to wait awhile," he said. "I better get used to my job first."

From the Thursday, January 24, 2007 edition of the Augusta Chronicle