Lisa Langdon stood in the red Georgia clay with her hands clasped around her mouth.

After a 30-minute wait, the Aubrey, Texas, resident leaped from worst to first to capture the $100,000 Amateur for 4-Year-Olds finals by one point Sunday night at James Brown Arena.

"I can't believe it," she said. "This is so great. This has been a dream of mine to win Augusta. I thought I had already shown my way right out of it."

After a video review, Langdon and Little Bitty Hippy had a score of 212 to win the grand prize of $5,716. Go-round winner Michael Morris of Seale, Ala., and FMR Double The Pep placed second at 211 for $3,637. Steve Owen of Vero Beach, Fla., and A Peppy Little Widow finished third (208, $3,118), Dan Brent of Lufkin, Texas, and Smart Leo Badger fourth (205, $2,771) and Kevin Baumann of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, and San Tules Heritage fifth (202, $2,078).

After originally receiving a mark of 199, Langdon stood to finish fifth in the five-horse finals. After the event's conclusion, judges reviewed her run.

She thought the judges may have originally penalized her for a hot quit, a three-point infraction.

"I knew they had gotten me for something," she said. "I knew when I quit the second cow it was standing dead still. I picked my hand up and quit the cow and right after I picked up my hand the cow moved. It was all going so fast. They thought I hot quit that cow."

Then on her third cut, a red cow and a black cow got out in the middle. Langdon said judges may have reviewed that part of her run as well.

"I saw that red cow getting crazy so I was going to stay with the black," she said. "Then when that cow peeled off she was going with it and I had to pull her back over there."

Langdon's husband, Tony, found Little Bitty Hippy, by Hickorys Indian Pep out of Little Bitty Boon, two days before last month's National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas.

The mare has been everything Langdon could've imagined.

"She just gives you everything she's got out there," Langdon said. "I've not shown a horse like her before."

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

From the Monday, January 21, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle