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Haidas Peprico marks 223 in $20,000 Non-Pro first go
By Chris Gay
Staff Writer for the Augusta Chronicle
Days like Friday are reasons why Genevieve Barker left a television news career.
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Haidas Peprico, ridden by Ken Warnell of Ellabell, Ga., works a cow during Friday's $20,000 Non-Pro Any Age competition at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center. Haidas Peprico marked a 223 to lead the first go-round.
Click on the image to see a larger view.
TODD BENNETT/STAFF
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The first-time Augusta Futurity cutter marked a 216 on Berettas Shorty Girl and advanced to tonight's finals of the $20,000 Non-Pro Any Age event. The top 12 scorers of the 57-horse competition had at least a 215.5 and advanced to the finals.
Ken Warnell, of Ellabell, Ga., scored a 223 on Haidas Peprico to win the go-round by two points over 15-year-old Lauren Middleton, a high school student from Summit, Miss.
"We tried to step up a little bit," said Warnell, whose score was higher than any score in the 2001 Augusta Futurity.
Warnell, 32, making his fourth trip to Augusta, finished fourth in this event last year. Before his run, one of his trainers found a pair of cows for Warnell to cut.
"We stepped in there and tried to get 'em cut," he said. "If they shaped up, I was going to cut 'em. If they didn't, I wasn't going to mess with 'em. Fortunately, they both shaped up."
No rider was more pleased with his or her run than Barker. At the conclusion of her 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Barker's wide grin told the story.
"I could not be happier," she said. "I'm tickled to death. All that hard work is finally paying off."
Barker, of Warsaw, N.C., has been riding cutting horses for the past 18 months. The lure of riding cutting horses pulled her away from the television news scene, where she spent 10 years in Wilmington, N.C.
"When I go out in the pen, it's like doing a live shot," Barker said. "You're on, let's go. I laugh about it, but that's how it's been."
Barker said she has no urge to get back into television.
"The only time I really get itchy is when I watch the commentators in this sport," she said. "I can't help it. But I love the horses. It's exhilarating, but it's calming and nurturing at the same time. There's a lot of stress in TV."
Middleton was feeling no stress after posting a 221. But she said she was a bit edgy entering her run.
"When I cut my first calf, the cows wouldn't move," Middleton said. "I had to really push on them. It made me get mad. I just did everything more aggressively."
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