Rachel Johnson calls her reliable horse "Old Faithful."

Finally Got Smart, a 16-year-old mare, helped Johnson win her first Augusta title five years ago. With the pair in Thursday's $100,000 Non-Pro Any Age Finals, Johnson believed the horse would help her claim victory again.

"You always think Old Faithful is going to come down here and win it," she said. "The one I'm most used to I lost a cow on her. And the one I showed for the third time ever I go in there and mark a 219."

After her main horse let her down, Johnson rallied with her new horse. On Casberlena, she won the first event of the 2008 Augusta Futurity by one point at James Brown Arena.

Johnson, a 20-year-old Clemson senior originally from Lewisburg, W.Va., took home the top prize of $5,280. Brandye Gann of Leighton, Ala., and Duals Little Missy finished second at 218 for $3,520.

Gann, a mother of two young sons and wife of trainer Todd Gann, said she was elated to finish runner-up in her first Augusta showing.

"We did everything we could do," she said. "The horse was good and I felt like we got our cows cut good. I'm tickled."

Kevin Baumann of Red Deer, AB, Canada and No Guns In the Bar placed third (209, $2,720), while Randy Aldridge of Killen, Ala., and Instance finished fourth (201, $2,520). Johnson and Finally Got Smart finished fifth (200, $1,960).

Earlier in the day, Johnson dominated the 24-horse go-round. She and Finally Got Smart, the 2003 $50,000 Amateur Any Age champions, finished first at 218, while she and Casberlena placed second at 217. With a four-hour break between the go-round and finals, a starving Johnson grabbed a quick lunch of chicken nuggets. Real food would have to wait as she prepared her horses for the finals.

Riding first in the five-horse championship round, she and Finally Got Smart put together a strong run until they lost a black cow with 15 seconds remaining. She had one more chance on Casberlena, a 9-year-old gelding she purchased about seven weeks ago.

"I knew I had another chance," Johnson said, "and I made the most of it."

The pair cut two cows, the second one providing a challenge. Losing it with 20 seconds remaining was not an option.

As the clock winded down, she turned her head slightly and out of the corner of eye saw two seconds remaining.

"I was like, 'We can do this. We are not losing this cow,' " she said.

"One thing a lot of people do when they're showing two horses is they're still thinking about their last run. I've learned the hard way you can't do that."

The finals represented a passing of the torch for Johnson's two horses. She is planning to turn Finally Got Smart into a brood mare and make Casberlena her main competition horse.

"He can grow with me," she said, "and we can mature together."

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

From the Friday, January 18, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle