Taking a hiatus from the Mitt Romney campaign trail, Matthew Blewitt returned to Augusta as a youth one final time.

In his last Area 18 Youth Scholarship Cutting finals at James Brown Arena, Blewitt and Tronas Elainalena marked 221 to win the event by four points.

"It was a good way to go out," Blewitt said.

The 19-year-old Blewitt, the 2004 and 2005 champion, won a $3,000 scholarship. In this event, he collected $9,000 to go toward his studies. Blewitt, who just began classes at Florence-Darlington Technical College, said he wants to become a chiropractor.

Travis Barton, a 12-year-old competitor from Penhook, Va., posted a score of 217 on High Brow Doll to finish second. Barton, son of trainer Tracy Barton, made his first appearance in Augusta.

"I was nervous," said Travis, who rode ninth in the 13-horse event. "The second cow slipped, and I was scared. But it was fun. The cows were great. I think I got the last of the good cows."

Defending champion Priscilla Crawley of Unadilla, Ga., marked 216 to finish third. She added $1,500 in scholarship to more than $10,000 she's earned from two firsts, two seconds and two thirds.

Brett Lawson and San Del Sugar finished fourth (214, $1,000), while Nicholas Johnson and Kits Corona Playboy finished fifth (212, $500).

Blewitt is returning today to Hartsville, S.C., to stump for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. A campaign volunteer, Blewitt said he's hoping Romney gets enough votes in today's South Carolina Republican primary to pull off a surprise victory.

Blewitt knows a little bit about politics. He just served a two-year term as president of the National Youth Cutting Horse Association for 2006-07. He defeated the incumbent president by fewer than 10 votes.

"Most people said I couldn't win," he said. "I set out to prove them wrong."

Blewitt proved Friday night he once again would be the one to beat. Blewitt showed Tronas Elainalena just two previous times, a strategy that worked in his earlier wins.

"That's pretty much the way it is when I do good here," he said. "I haven't shown them much."

Tronas Elainalena, a 5-year-old mare, by Little Trona out of Abilenas Little Pep, is owned by Gray Segars of Hartsville, S.C.

"She's just been a special horse since Day 1," trainer Michael Blewitt, Matthew's father said. "She's got a lot of heart, got a lot of strength and all the pieces of the puzzle."

The younger Blewitt put together all the pieces during his run.

Experience kept him calm.

"I wasn't really all that nervous," he said. "I just went down and showed my horse. God did the rest.

"I got three cows, and they were good. They challenged my horse. And my horse challenged back."

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

From the Saturday, January 19, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle