Tommy Manion won the Classic Non-Pro's first go-round Tuesday with 218.5 on Daintys Cat. Special

Tommy Manion is having the time of his life.

He owns two great horses that will be competing in the Augusta Futurity Open finals later in the week. And after a fantastic run Tuesday, Manion is one step closer to making a finals appearance himself.

Atop Daintys Cat, Manion marked 218.5 to win the Classic Non-Pro's first go-round. The top 50 horses with scores of 209 or better advanced to the second go-round.

Manion, a three-time Augusta Futurity winner, is seeking his first title here since 1997.

"It's always fun to come to Augusta and do well," said Manion, who's been competing in Augusta since 1985. "The conditions are tough. And when you come and do well it has a little special meaning to it."

Manion has won this event twice. He also won the 1995 Futurity Non-Pro in a workoff over his son Kyle.

Tommy Manion is one of the top contenders again with Daintys Cat, a 6-year-old mare by High Brow Cat out of Daintys Playgirl. Her mother won the 1998 NCHA World Championship Futurity. Her father won the Augusta Futurity's Classic Open in 1993.

"She's a great bred mare, and we're always looking for mares to breed our young studs to," Manion said. "I just don't think you can ride a better pedigree than this mare."

Manion bought the horse a year ago, but has taken her to only one other show. She suffered a pulled suspensory ligament in May and spent most of the year recovering.

Manion, of Aubrey, Texas, owns a breeding ranch that houses five studs, including famed horses Smart Little Lena, Highbrow Hickory and 2005 NCHA horse of the year Smooth As A Cat.

Add Autumn Acre and Im Counting Checks - a pair of 4-year-olds he owns - to the stable as well. Autumn Acre finished the Futurity Open second go-round with the top aggregate score, while Im Counting Checks was third.

"I'm just thrilled to have both horses at the same time," he said. "They're both real special horses. I'm very lucky.

"They're just beginning their careers. If they keep up their winning ways, they'll breed a lot of mares."

The two horses finished third- and fourth in the NCHA World Championship Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas, in December. Manion earned $215,000.

"Fort Worth is just a very special event," he said. "In our business, it's the premier event. Both of those horses were contenders, and there were a lot of good horses in the finals that night."

Manion could have another big payday ahead. He has three horses in the finals (two in the Futurity Open and one in the Classic Open) and another in the second go-round of the Classic Non-Pro. He's also riding another, Evalita, in Thursday's first go-round of the Futurity Non-Pro.

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

--From the Wednesday, January 25, 2006 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle