Michelle Anderson made the most of her brief stay in Augusta Friday night.

Aboard Cats Quixote Jack, Anderson rung up a score of 222 to win the Western Horseman Cup Non-Pro final by 3.5 points at James Brown Arena.

Anderson of Weatherford, Texas, took home the top prize of $15,000. Mary Ann Rapp of Weatherford, Texas and Tootsie Rey placed second at 218.5 for $10,000. Stacy Shepard of Summerdale, Ala., and Thomas L Hughes finished third (217, $7,000).

"I praise God for this and I'm just thankful for the opportunity," said Anderson, making her first Augusta appearance. "I just feel blessed with the opportunity to be here. I feel emotional, because you don't know. I don't expect to win. I'm competitive. I want to win. But I also want everybody else to do good as well.

"So it feels great."

The 35-year-old Anderson flew into Augusta on Thursday afternoon. She and her family are flying back to Texas this morning, taking a silver trophy and prize money with them.

Anderson set things in motion a day earlier, receiving an assist from trainer Jon Burgess. He picked the No. 2 ball in the Western Horseman Cup draw. Burgess called Anderson and gave her three positions in the second bunch to choose from: first, second or fourth. Her husband, Steve, told her to select fourth.

"It gives him a chance to watch (the cows)," she said, "and it gives them a chance to settle down a little bit more."

Steve Anderson purchased Cats Quixote Jack, a 5-year-old stallion by High Brow Cat out of Oh Cay With Me by Oh Cay Quixote, in January 2007. The horse won almost $80,000 in Open and Non-Pro competition throughout the year.

Anderson showed her horse for the first time since winning the NCHA Derby Non-Pro event in July.

"It felt just right again," she said.

During the NBHA Derby, trainer Kory Pounds qualified the horse for the finals. During the finals, Cats Quixote Jack fell down and pulled a stomach muscle. The Andersons gave the horse plenty of time to heal.

"We try to take as good a care of him as we can," she said.

Cats Quixote Jack cut three cows, the last with 10 seconds remaining.

"He was just incredible to me," Anderson said of her horse. "He was right on target. I don't know what to say about him. He's unreal to me."

Rapp, riding seventh and last in the first set of horses, took the lead into intermission. Then it appeared Brad Wilson of Lone Grove, Okla., would vault into first. Aboard Redneck Style, Wilson rode third in the second bunch, one spot ahead of Anderson and her horse.

Wilson and his mare were putting together a solid run. On the second cow, the Redneck Style lost the cow. Wilson and his horse finished with 192.

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

From the Saturday, January 26, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle