Clay Smith and Nicky Northcott are having a big week.
Hot off a $8,491-per-man win at the North Dakota Roughriders Cup in Mandan last weekend, Smith and Northcott dropped into the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, to win $92,000 at the Riata Championships Pro Futurity for roping five steers in 34.25 seconds. Smith rode his Premier Performance Horse’s Sammis Version, a 2020 daughter of Winners Version out of Sammi James Smith by Jessi James Jr. Northcott—an 18-year-old who’s running away with the PRCA’s Resistol Rookie of the Year title for 2025—was aboard his gelding Oncena Harvest Moon by Once In A Blu Boon out of Sally Merada by Leo Merada.
Unofficial Riata Championship Results
“You rodeo all year long, and if you have a pretty good year, an event like this is half your year right there,” Smith, 34, said. “These kinds of ropings that pay this kind of money—we have to show up.”
The Riata is on the way from Texas to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the Governor’s Cup, where Smith and Northcott will determine their fate as a team for the season. Northcott is 12th in the PRCA world standings, with $111,029.01 won on the year.
The Riata Rundown
Smith’s Sammis Version has been there, done that in the futurity game. And with the straight run she’s got on both sides of her papers, the hard-running steers in Guthrie were no big deal for the horse that came from the Richard family’s A&C Racing and Roping’s program as a 2-year-old.
“That mare is really fast—one of the faster ones I’ve ever ridden,” Smith said. “I had Flinty, and he was fast, but I didn’t get him until he was 7. She’s easy to handle a steer on. She’ll stay off the cow and not overrun my throw. She’s running-bred, but looks like a cow horse. She really watches the cow. That’s kind of rare for a running-bred horse. She scores good and gives me a good start every time. I can go close and catch when I need to, and she watches the cow. She lets me use my rope—I can pick up just a little early and she slows down. She really listens.”
Northcott’s horse was a tick more green.
“I was kind of chasing the whole time on that first steer,” Northcott said. “I got spun out a little in the turn, but it worked out. The second one felt a lot better, and I was in a better position. I’m mostly just hand down and kicking the whole time. I’m not training him—I’m just letting him work.”
Smith was high call with Harrison, but that steer tried them on a little more, compared to Smith and Northcott ran, and the chips fell in Northcott’s favor.
“I felt like we built through the day,” Northcott said. “The first couple I was a little late, just figuring out the start, but once I found my timing it got better. That last steer was perfect—I just stayed in position and let the horse do his job.”
Northcott’s Big Year
In the last 12 months, Northcott has grossed $203,460 in jackpot earnings before the Riata win. He heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s Governor’s Cup to clinch his spot in Las Vegas at his first NFR. This early in his career, his focus hasn’t been on young horses—but lucky for Northcott, the Riata win rewarded him for the win on the cutting-bred colt Oncena Harvest Moon.
“I don’t think I’m amazing at riding young horses yet,” Northcott said. “I’m still green. My dad helped me a bunch growing up — I mainly rode older horses. I like young ones, but I wouldn’t call myself a horse trainer. I just try to rope on them normal. That seems to work best for me.”
