Phil Rapp furthered his legacy in Augusta in the 2007 Augusta Futurity.

Rapp and My Guy Rey won the Futurity Open finals. It marked Rapp's eighth Augusta title. He owns three more Augusta victories than any other rider.

"It's just a great show," Rapp said after his win last year. "It's been here such a long time, and they try very hard. It's just a first-class operation."

The 29th annual Augusta Futurity begins today and will continue through Saturday at James Brown Arena. It is much of the same for the Western show.

The Classic Open first go-round begins at 8 a.m. and will be followed by the $100,000 Amateur 5/6-Year-Old finals and the $100,000 Amateur 4-Year-Old finals.

The Futurity Open first go-round begins Monday afternoon after the conclusion of the Classic Open second go-round.

The Classic Non-Pro finals will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday and will be followed by the Classic Open finals.

The following evening, the Western Horseman Cup finals begin at 7 p.m. The Western Horseman Cup is an unofficial event of the Augusta Futurity.

The crown jewel of the show, the Futurity Non-Pro and Open finals, will be held Saturday. Opening ceremonies begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by the Non-Pro at 6. The Futurity Open follows the Non-Pro.

For those interested in Western attire, vendors will line both levels of James Brown Arena, as well as the adjacent Bell Auditorium. There's also a Futurity Dance from 8 p.m. to midnight at Coyotes Nightclub in south Augusta.

For fans of cutting, familiar faces are expected to return this week. Rapp returns to the place where he won his first title in 1991, the Futurity Non-Pro. Rapp won his first title in five years when he claimed last year's top prize.

Now the question for Rapp is this: Can the Weatherford, Texas, cutter reach the 10-win mark?

Rapp is more than capable, but has plenty of competition. Faron Hightower owns five Augusta titles, with wins in both the Classic and Futurity Opens. Tag Rice owns four titles. Lloyd Cox has three.

One of the hottest cutters on the scene is Austin Shepard, of Summerdale, Ala. Shepard won the Classic Open finals on Woody Be Tuff last year -- his first Augusta title -- and is expected to compete again.

Shepard and High Brow CD won the sport's top event, the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Open finals, in December.

From the Sunday, January 20, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle