Rapp hopes to add to his record haul

Phil Rapp's won everything he can in the Augusta Futurity.

The all-time winningest cutter in the show's 30-year history owns three Futurity Open titles, three Futurity Non-Pro titles, two Classic Non-Pro titles and a Classic Open title.

So with nine victories in 19 years, Rapp will make the drive for 10 titles this year.

Aboard Dont Look Twice, the Weatherford, Texas, cutter marked 228 to capture the 2009 Futurity Open title by an astounding eight-point margin. Rapp, who posted the third-highest score in the show's history, has won more than $450,000 at the Augusta Futurity.

"I love it here in Augusta, and it's fun to come back," Rapp said after last year's show. "It's a great place and people love it.

"It's just fantastic."

The Augusta Futurity, which returns today and runs through Saturday, Jan. 30 at James Brown Arena, features seven official events and several non-official ones. The show begins with the $100,000 Amateur for 5/6-Year-Olds go-round at 9 a.m. At 7 tonight, the Area 18 Youth Scholarship Cutting finals will be held and will be followed by the $100,000 Amateur for 5/6-Year-Olds and a Celebrity Cutting Contest.

On Saturday, the popular Wrangler Family Fun Fest will be held at the arena's Seventh Street plaza from 10 a.m-1 p.m. The event will feature a petting zoo, pony rides, cloggers and live music.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, the USC Aiken Benefit Bull Riding Championship, a Professional Bull Riders event, will begin.

Another companion event expected to draw interest is the second annual Champions Challenge on Thursday night.

One event continuing to gain momentum is the Atlantic Coast Cutting Horse Association Subscribed Stallion Stakes Auction, which began in 2006. Stallion services (one breeding per stallion) are donated to the ACCHA. The donated services are offered for sale through the auction.

The stallions' foals from the first auction will be eligible for a share of an $80,000 purse in 2011. The following year, the prize money is expected to surpass $100,000.

The ACCHA Subscribed Stallion Stakes Auction will be held at 2 p.m. on Jan. 29.

The crown jewel of the eight-day show is the Augusta Futurity Open finals, which will be held Jan. 30. Opening ceremonies begin at 6:30 that evening and will be followed by the Futurity Non-Pro.

Later, the Futurity Open finals will be held. Will Rapp be able to add to his total and further his Augusta legacy? Will a young cutter like Austin Shepard, who's won three titles the past three years, be able to add another championship?

Or will be it a new face stepping up under pressure?

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

From the Friday, January 22, 2010 edition of the Augusta Chronicle