As soon as her run ended, Elizabeth Queen lifted her left hand into the air. She knew.
When the score flashed, applause erupted from James Brown Arena. Queen looked up to see '226' on the scoreboard. Another winner.
Queen and Sister CD made themselves at home again, this time capturing the inaugural Champions Challenge Non-Pro competition by six points Friday night.
Queen, of Lipan, Texas, collected $5,700. Glade Knight, of Richmond, Va., and Lynx of Style placed second at 220 for $4,750. Robbie Gale, of Conway, S.C., and Short A Shay, finished third (218, $3,230).
Queen, who turned 33 on Tuesday, added her fourth Augusta Futurity title and second in two nights -- she won the Classic Non-Pro on Thursday. She also won a pair of Futurity Non-Pro championships in 1998 and 2008.
Queen, who's married to Open cutter Skip and has two children, 7-year-old Elliott and 4-year-old Katherine, now is the winningest female rider in Augusta Futurity history.
"I love showing here. I love it," said Queen, who grew up in nearby Estill, S.C. "It's just the crowd. It's cool that the people can (sit up close) and feel like they're right in there with you."
Sister CD, a 7-year-old gelding by CD Olena out of Little Baby Sister, is owned by the Queens. Sister CD added his third Augusta win as well. In 2007, the horse won the Classic Non-Pro finals and Western Horseman Cup Open finals.
"Every single ounce of energy, he just loves to cut," she said. "He just gets so excited, especially when there's a crowd like this. He just turns it up a notch. He know what's going on."
Skip Queen rode Sister CD in the Champions Challenge Open competition earlier in the evening.
Despite a terrible draw, the pair finished in a tie for second.
"He was really good for Skip, but Skip didn't have a good draw," she said. "I had a better draw and was able to cut some good cows."
Elizabeth Queen and Sister CD drew up fifth in the nine-horse first bunch. With a good draw, the pair cut a pair of cows as the Augusta fans cheered on. With about 20 seconds remaining, Queen said she felt a little rattled, because she knew her run was good. Then, trainer Phil Rapp, told her to go get a final cow.
"That really got me focused again," she said. "I found one that was fresh and came on with her and it worked."
Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.
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