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Queen family adds title to collection
By Chris Gay
Staff Writer
Skip Queen wasn't going to let his wife, Elizabeth, be the only one in the family to own a Non-Pro title.
On Tys Twister DG, the 32-year-old cutter marked a 223 and won the Classic Non-Pro finals by 3.5 points over Greg Coalson and Quejanapep at the Augusta Futurity on Friday night.
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Skip Queen on Tys Twister DG won the 5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro Dividion with a score of 223.0.
Special/Steve Norman
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Queen won $18,773 with his run and added a second Non-Pro title to his family's legacy. Elizabeth Queen won the 1998 Augusta Futurity Non-Pro championship.
"We're both pretty competitive," said Skip Queen, of Allendale, S.C. "But we're both each other's biggest supporters. If she beats me, I'd be just as happy."
Elizabeth had her opportunity to try and knock her husband off the leaderboard. But she could only manage a 214.5 on Smart Lil Maverick.
Skip Queen rode second in the first group of 10 horses. He brilliantly cut two cows as the crowd rewarded his run with loud applause. He later cut a third cow as time expired.
"It was definitely an advantage (drawing early)," said Queen, who marked the second-highest score of the event's 18-year history. "The cows have been tough. Drawing early and having your pick is definitely an advantage over drawing later in the bunch."
Tys Twister DG, a 6-year-old gelding by Freckles Fancy Twist out of Tari Renee, is owned by Skip and Elizabeth Queen, who celebrated the seven-month birthday of their son Elliott on Friday. Skip said he's been riding Tys Twister for three years. The two finished third in the Classic Non-Pro event in the Abilene Spectacular in January.
Queen and Tys Twister DG matched the high score of the 2001 show. In the first go-round of the $20,000 Non-Pro Any Age event, Ken Warnell and Haidas Peprico marked a 223.
Queen failed to make the finals in the Classic and Futurity Non-Pro events a year ago. But he spent time with trainer Matt Gaines and improved his cutting.
"My wife made the finals, but I didn't have a very good week that week," Queen said. "I spent a lot of time with Matt. That was either going to be the turning point where I get competitive and really going to put 100 percent in it."
First and second go-round leader Coalson, who earned $13,702, put together a good run. But he took too much time cutting his first two cows. He was cutting his third cow as time expired.
"I brought some cattle out there and too many came out," said Coalson, who rode 17th in the 20-horse finals. "I just ran out of time."
Defending champion Deborah Kelley Bartlett, on Playguns Desire, marked a 209 and finished out of the top-10.
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