With the temperatures outside in the high 20s Friday morning, Stacy Shepard remained cool inside James Brown Arena.

Despite drawing up late in the second bunch of chilled cattle, Shepard wasn't bothered.

"I just wanted to survive since it didn't look like it was going to take much," she said. "I just didn't want to mess up since I already had a big score. Sometimes that's easier said than done."

Shepard and Smartlena Quixote didn't approach messing up. Instead, the pair marked the top score of the Futurity Non-Pro second go-round with 218.

Shepard of Summerdale, Ala., and Smartlena Quixote, who also won the first go-round with 219, recorded the top aggregate score of 437, besting the field by six points.

The top 22 horses with combined totals of 423 or better advanced to tonight's finals, which follow the opening ceremonies at 5:30 p.m. The Futurity Open finals will follow the Non-Pro competition.

Shepard has no problem entering the finals with the top score.

"It makes you feel like you can do it," she said. "You've just got to get the right cows and get shown."

Riding 11th in the 13-horse set, she and Smartlena Quixote by Dulces Smart Lena out of Floyd Quixote, cut two cows. She said she didn't expect her first cow to move much, but it did, which led to a good cut. She worked the second cow to the buzzer.

"They were both good," she said.

Mary Ann Rapp of Weatherford, Texas, pulled off a rare feat, qualifying all three of her horses into the finals out of the same bunch of 13 horses. She rode third on Every Little Thing for a score of 212 for a 425 total. Rapp also drew up fifth on Want Frys Withat (213.5, 427) and 12th on Swingin Star Pepto (214, 429).

"I've only had that happen one other time and that was in Las Vegas. It worked out well for me there, too," Rapp said. "All I said to Phil was I hoped it was a good bunch of cows. I wondered who was settling it. Fortunately, Austin (Shepard) settled it and did a great job. They were decent cows and you get all the way through."

Her most interesting horse may be Want Frys Withat, a gelding by Bobs Freckle out of Miss Boon Cat. When she and husband Phil Rapp bought the horse from Slate River Ranch, his name was Mr Booneckle.

"I thought it was a ridiculous name," she said.

The Rapps always wanted to name a gelding after the Tim McGraw song, "Do You Want Fries With That." They seized the opportunity.

"He's a cute little gelding, and we're going to keep him around for awhile," she said. "That's why we decided to change his name."

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

From the Saturday, January 26, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle