Benjie Neely, riding Annabella Lea, marked 222 to win the Classic Non-Pro title by 3.5 points Thursday night. Special

It's hard to say who wanted the Classic Non-Pro title more: Benjie Neely or her father, Ben.

Ben Neely's been coming to the Augusta Futurity for more than two decades, but never competed.

Benjie Neely's competed in the show for more than a decade. She never won the "big one" until she and Annabella Lea marked 222 in Thursday's finals to best the competition by 3.5 points at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center.

"This is very special to say the least," said Ben Neely, an Augusta Futurity director who's been coming to the show for 21 years. "This is the tops. We've had some success here, but never a championship other than the $50,000 Amateur."

"It means so much for my dad; it means so much for me, too," Benjie Neely said. "He finally got his trophy. I don't think I'm going to get that back."

ith the victory, Neely of Lyons, Ga., took home $19,551. Chad Bushaw of Weatherford, Texas, and A Cat Above finished second at 217.5 for $13,761. Dustin Adams of Dublin, Texas, and Billies Smart Lena, along with Danny Miller of Millsap, Texas, and CD Stars and Khader Daoud of Baker, Fla., and Peponita Times Two all tied for third (216, $9,750).

It's the second Augusta Futurity title for Neely, who won the 1994 $50,000 Amateur on Chiquita Tari.

A regular Augusta competitor, Neely missed last year's show. She competed in just four events in 2005 as Ben recovered from cancer surgery.

While she took time off, Neely helped out at Ben's doctor's office and rode horses at night.
Neely hasn't spent a lot of time showing Annabella Lea, a 5-year-old mare by Little Trona out of Annabelle Lea.

It's taken awhile for the team to form a bond.

"I used to be a little timid showing her," she said. "But now that I've spent more time with her and gotten to know her better, she's actually one of the funnest ones to show."

Neely entered the show with high hopes on Chex Party Mix 601. But the pair faltered in the first go-round.

"I had spent a lot of time on my other 5-year-old mare," she said. "I was really getting along with her good. And then I come here and I was excited, I missed my first cut on her."

Riding sixth in the first bunch of 10 horses, Neely didn't miss anything in the finals. Beforehand, she studied the cows with an extra bit of enthusiasm.

"I was a little hyped up watching the cattle," she said. "I was afraid we didn't have enough cattle. There were a lot of good riders in front of me. And actually, the whole time, the first cow I cut, nobody ever cut it."

She ended her run after cutting three cows.

"I just wanted to really concentrate and get my cows cut well," she said. "I wanted to really watch that cow strong."

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

--From the Friday, January 27, 2006 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle