Matt Miller, on Hokies Cat, wins the Fururity Non Pro Division with a score of 225. Steve Norman/Special

Matt Miller pulled a fast one on his father, Danny.

The older Miller bought Hokies Cat during the summer of 2005. The younger Miller kept a close eye on the horse.

"I talked him into selling him about a couple of months later," Matt Miller said.

That might have been one of the best purchases Matt Miller has ever made.

He and Hokies Cat marked 225 to win the Futurity Non-Pro finals Saturday night at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center.

"This is big, really big," he said. "This is up there with the best of the best shows."
With his first Augusta Futurity win, Miller, of Millsap, Texas, took home $19,298. Kelle Earnheart of Hernando, Miss., and High Steppin Cat tied with Skip Queen of Lipan, Texas, and Sister CD for second place at 220. They each won $12,441.

Three-time Augusta champion Jim Vangilder and Guys Little Jewel entered the finals with the top combined go-round score. Despite a good draw with the fourth hole in the second bunch, the pair could only a muster a score of 211 for an 11th-place finish.

The 21-year-old Miller bought Hokies Cat, a gelding by High Brow Cat out of Katie Be Acre Doc, late last year. He was smitten by the horse's demeanor.

"It's one of the best horses I've ever rode," Miller said. "He's got the most laid-back, easygoing personality of any horse. It doesn't take much riding him. He's just a good one."
Trainer Clint Allen began working with the horse when Danny Miller bought him. Allen continues to help the horse with its work ethic.

"When you get a cow in front of him and you ask him to go do something, he'll do it," Matt Miller said. "He likes to play, but whenever he gets out there he's serious."

Earnheart, whose father, Pat, won the inaugural Augusta Futurity Open in 1980, looked to add a title of her own. She and her gelding took the lead late in the first bunch of horses.
But riding 17th out of 20 horses, Miller knew the competition wasn't finished.

"I knew it was still open to have somebody step up there and mark something," he said. "I was hoping we could get the cows to cooperate, and they did."

When Miller entered the pen, helper Tim McCloud gave him some advice about a potential game-breaking yellow cow.

"He said if you want to mark a (2)16 and get a good check, don't cut her," Miller said. "If you want to win, go cut her."

Miller, who's been cutting and coming to the Augusta Futurity since the late 1990s, spends his time showing cutting horses and helping manage his family's ranch.

He's unsure of what he wants to do in the future. For now, he enjoys competing as an owner and rider.

"You don't have to split the money with anybody," he said. "I'd like to stay where I am right now."

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

--From the Sunday, January 29, 2006 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle