Rider gets aggressive in her charge to top

Before coming to the Augusta Futurity, Kelle Earnheart departed Texas to visit her family in Mississippi for a few days.

Her father, Pat, helped work her horses. The 1980 Augusta Futurity Open also gave his daughter a piece of advice.

"You have to be very aggressive in this pen," he said, "or you won't win."

So far, she's heeding his words.

Earnheart and Smooth An Boon marked 213.5 in the Futurity Non-Pro second go-round Friday at James Brown Arena.

With a combined total of 431, she and her horse qualified for the finals. Brad Wilson and Rose Colored Cat marked the top go-round score with 219.

Wilson, of Lone Grove, Okla., and his horse finished the go-rounds with the top aggregate score at 435. The top 16 horses with combined totals of 425.5 or better advanced to tonight's finals, which follows the opening ceremonies at 6:30.

Wilson and Rose Colored Cat marked their score despite drawing last in a 13-horse bunch. Wilson said he wasn't surprised his horse rung up a high score out of such a bad position. Rose Colored Cat, who also runs as an Open horse, has won more than $100,000 -- and this is just her third show.

Rose Colored Cat will run twice tonight, in the Non-Pro and Open finals. Wilson said his horse won't have trouble getting ready for both events.

"That mare, we may trot her 20 minutes and she's ready to go," Wilson said. "She doesn't take a lot of riding. That's what keeps her going."

Rose Colored Cat, a mare by High Brow Cat out of Haidas Lil Rose, was raised by Wilson. He owns Haidas Lil Rose and used to ride her. Rose Colored Cat doesn't give him any problems, he said.

"She's easy to get along with," Wilson said. "She's just a sweetheart."

Earnheart, of Weatherford, Texas, said her gelding, by Smooth As A Cat out of Lil Autumn Splendor, is just as easygoing. The pair won the first go-round and will go for their first Augusta Futurity title.

"The competition's very tough over here," she said. "The crowd really gets behind you. Being this early in the year, you come over here and there's really a lot of pressure. There's a lot of different obstacles. In the end, you hope to do the best you can and at least make it to the finals."