Indy Roper is still glowing from her big win just months ago in Oklahoma City when she won the National Reining Horse Association Derby Non Pro Level 4 Championship on her horse Spooks Show Time. The pair are on a role because on Friday afternoon, they added another line to their resume with the NRBC Non Pro Level 4 title. “I’m over the moon,” she said following the awards ceremony.
Roper and Spooks Show Time marked a 221.5 in the finals but had drawn up early and had to wait through many more runs. “I just got out of everyone’s way and went back to the trailer and just took a breath. There were so many nice horses in the finals, there was no way to know what could happen,” she said.
The score held, and Roper received several great prizes, including a year’s use of a two-horse trailer from Twin Cities South, a saddle from Kyle Tack, and numerous other awards. She also was presented with a check for $30,000. Roper was quick to give credit to her trainer Marco Ricotta. “I’m so appreciative of him. He worked very, very hard, and had my horse so prepared,” she said.
For Ricotta, watching Roper show was even more nerve-wracking than competing himself. “I get really nervous. My hands start sweating because it’s a lot of pressure on me, too,” he shared. “I was very proud. Indy is a dream Non Pro rider. She’s super talented and has a lot of feel and is very determined when she is going into the show pen.”
Spooks Show Time is a seven-year-old by Spooks Gotta Whiz out of Dolittle Lena. “This was definitely a bonus year for us,” Roper said, referring to the recent rule change that allows seven-year-olds to show in Derby competition. “He had some injuries last year and we gave him the time off he needed. He came back this year with vengeance, so having this year is a blessing.”
Ricotta added that Spooks Show Time’s demeanor is one of the qualities that makes him a winner. “He is really good-minded, plus he doesn’t require a lot of tuning. It’s easy for me because he is super talented. We just keep him healthy and happy,” he said.
Next up is the Best of the West. “We will give him a little more time off and then show him there,” Roper said. “Eventually this horse is going to home to Roper Farms, and there is a whole line of girls ready for him. We’re pretty excited to have him back home soon.” Ricotta added, “It will be a fight. Everyone wants him.”
Roper said the win was made even more special because her mother was able to be in Tulsa to watch. “She made the trip here this year. It was special to have her. I thank her and all my family. I also thank Marco and Jenny Ricotta and their whole team,” she said.
Addisyn Schmersal Takes NRBC Non Pro Level 4 Reserve Championship on Face The Attitude
When a Schmersal shows Face The Attitude, big things happen. Three years ago, with Craig Schmersal at the reins, the mare won the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Championship. After a three-year hiatus, the great mare returned to the show pen, this time with Addisyn Schmersal. They may not have been a team long, but they executed an awesome run to mark a 221 and win not only the NRBC Non Pro Level 4 Reserve Championship, but also the Championship of Levels 2 and 3. All totaled, Schmersal won $29,500 in the finals.
“I’m pretty excited. It was my third time showing her. She stayed with me and was really good,” Schmersal said. “I felt a lot of pressure because of how much she’s won, and it was a little more stressful with her because I haven’t ridden her as much. I didn’t really know what was going to happen, but she was really good, and I’m excited I get to show her.”
Face The Attitude, by Pale Face Dunnit and out of Miss Lil Addy Tude, returned to the Schmersal’s barn following the NRHA Derby. “I had no idea we were bringing her back. She showed up at the Derby. I saw her get out of the trailer and asked what we were doing with her,” 14-year-old Schmersal explained. “I showed her in Denver and then we brought her here.”
Schmersal and Face The Attitude had a great NRBC from beginning to end, marking a 220 in the preliminary round, pocketing close to $4,000. “I thank my parents for allowing me to show this mare and helping me get to where I am today. I also thank my brothers for supporting me,” she said.
Caroline Buchanan Wins Non Pro Level 1 Championship with Smokin Paleface
Caroline Buchanan had never competed at the NRBC prior to this year, but if Friday’s Non Pro finals are any indication, she’s already a fan. She and her horse Smokin Paleface qualified for the finals of Non Pro Levels 1, 2, and 3, and when the day was done, had finished as the NRBC Non Pro Level 1 Champions. Their score of 214.5 was also good enough to place them in a tie for second in the Level 2, as well as part of a tie for third in the Level 3. All totaled, they won $7,077.
“I’m pretty excited. The run felt really good. He’s been working well for me this past month. Today my game plan was just to be clean and try to make the same run I did in the preliminaries, but fix my mistakes,” she said, referring to the moment in the preliminary round where her horse fell out of stride. “In the finals we fixed that, but I did have an overspin.”
Buchanan and Smokin Paleface, by Pale Face Dunnit out of Lost In Tinseltown, are coming off of another big win, having won the Youth World Reining Championship. “When I ran at the Youth World I went in a little slow, so this time I ran in fast and he felt really good,” she said. “This horse is really easy, and he takes care of me really well. He is such a sweet horse.” Buchanan, a 16-year-old who is about to begin her junior year of high school, also rides with Craig Schmersal. “It’s awesome that Addisyn and I both won today,” she said.
David McGee and Knaughtybyknature Win NRBC Non Pro Prime Time With a score of 215.5
David McGee and Knaughtybyknature won not only the NRBC Non Pro Prime Time title, they also finished reserve in the Level 3, taking home $9,312. “He ran through the gate really strong. He felt really good and relaxed, and stopped and backed up well. Our first two turns felt like plus halves,” McGee recalled of the run. “The best thing he did was he stayed on the circles, and then he just fell in and did that small slow. It’s a tricky move, but he did it.”
McGee likely knows all there is to know about Knaughtybyknature, by Magnum Chic Dream out of Princess In Diamonds. “We’ve had him since he was a baby, and he’s seven years old now,” McGee shared. “I have to give a huge thank you to Andrea Fappani, who helped me with him a couple of nights ago. He didn’t have to help me, but I asked him if he had a few minutes. He got on my horse, rode him around, and showed me some stuff to do. I can tell you it wouldn’t have worked out if he hadn’t done that.”
Friday’s finals was the last hoorah for David McGee and Knaughtybyknature. “This was his last big Derby and my last ride on him. My wife has been wanting to ride him, so she’s going to start showing him in Memphis,” McGee shared. “She’s very excited.”