Jim Vangilder, of Weatherford, Texas, rode Quintan Blue to victory in the Western Horseman Cup Non-Pro finals on Friday night, marking 223 at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center. Special

Jim Vangilder and bad draws have become synonymous.
But he hasn't let his poor luck get him down.

Out of the next-to-last hole, Vangilder marked 223 atop Quintan Blue to win the Western Horseman Cup Non-Pro finals Friday night at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center.

Vangilder, of Weatherford, Texas, won his biggest check in Augusta ($30,002).

Beau Galyean and Highlightcat placed second (219 for $16,440), while Skip Queen and Glows finished third (216, $10,618).

It seemed bad luck had fallen upon Vangilder when he drew the No. 12 ping-pong ball in Thursday's Western Horseman Cup draw.

Eleven other cutters had chosen better positions, leaving him four possible choices - last or next-to-last in the first or second bunch of horses.

He decided to ride 14th in the 15-horse event.

"I knew I was going to be in the same spot in either place," he said. "I just chose the second bunch, because I thought I'd give the judges a chance to warm up. We would know what we have to do."

Vangilder was familiar with running late in the draw. He ran last when he won the 2005 Futurity Non-Pro.

"It seems like I wind up with late draws everywhere," he said. "Sometimes, I think they're actually better."

The 59-year-old Vangilder recorded his third Augusta win in three years, moving him into a tie for fifth for most Augusta Futurity victories.

He said he hasn't won more than once anywhere else, yet said he has no special recipe for success in Augusta.

"Just good horses," he said. "The cows have been tough all week. It's a small pen. I think it's tough to show here. I think it brings the really good horses to the top, if you can stand the cows."

Vangilder, who entered the event as the series' top cumulative point gainer throughout the 2005 season, said he and his help had suitable cows selected when he entered the cattle.
"We had several cows we had talked about," Vangilder said. "When we walked in there we had a plan to cut three. And we cut those three."

Vangilder bought Quintan Blue, a mare by Mecom Blue out of Quiolena, as a 2-year-old. He has been riding the 5-year-old for 1 years.

"She's an incredible horse," he said. "She just reads a cow so good. The tougher the cows are, the better she gets. She has a tendency to calm the cows down. She has a way of mesmerizing them."

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

--From the Saturday, January 28, 2006 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle