At the end of the season, one competitor will leave with the title of Top Rider and the custom 2026 Hart 6H SmartTack Trailer, thanks to Stephenville Trailers. The standings combine each rider’s earnings from round wins, average payouts, and the rider’s share of the Elite Stallion and Elite Breeders Incentives across both Gold Buckle Futurities events, rewarding consistency just as much as championship performances.
This year, though, the race comes with an added twist.
After claiming the inaugural Top Rider title and trailer in 2025, Trevor Brazile is not eligible to win the trailer again until 2028. While Brazile can still finish atop the leaderboard on earnings, the trailer itself is guaranteed to go to the highest eligible rider, creating one of the most intriguing season-long storylines in the Gold Buckle Futurities.
With one event complete and the World Finals still to come, the leaderboard is beginning to take shape.
Current Top Rider Standings
Trevor Brazile — $75,501
Cody McCartney — $54,959
Cheyanne McCartney — $52,330
Beau Peterson — $42,092
Colton McCarley — $41,390
Trevor Brazile – $75,501
Brazile has built his lead the same way he has throughout his career: by showing up across multiple events and capitalizing on every opportunity. His $75,501 total wasn’t built on a single standout performance, but on a string of high-paying finishes that stretched across the tie-down, heading and heeling.
Kryptoniite proved to be one of the biggest contributors to Brazile’s total. In the Futurity Heading, the pair won Rounds 1 and 3 before capturing the Average with a 903.63 on four head. Those performances were backed up by victories in both the Elite Stallion Incentive and Elite Breeders Incentive, adding valuable points to the season-long race.
The Metallic Cattack horse also delivered in the Futurity Tie-Down, finishing third in the Open Average while collecting checks in both the Elite Stallion and Elite Breeders Incentives. Brazile added another major payday aboard RR Gunners Affair, winning the Maturity Heading Average and the Elite Stallion Incentive, while This Star Is Special added runner-up finishes in the Futurity Heeling Average and Elite Stallion Incentive.
The result is a commanding lead entering the second half of the season, even if Brazile himself is ineligible for the trailer.
Behind him, however, the battle is anything but settled.
Cody McCartney – $54,959
McCartney put together one of the strongest performances of the entire Spring Showdown, piecing together victories across both the Futurity and Maturity divisions to move into second on the leaderboard.
His biggest earnings came aboard Thiccthirty (Metallic Cattack x Nurse Connie) in the Futurity Tie-Down. McCartney set the tone early by winning both Round 1 and Round 2, collecting $1,500 each time. He finished the week by winning the Average for $8,020, then capitalized on the incentives by claiming the Elite Stallion Incentive, adding $5,656, and the Elite Breeders Incentive for another $3,000.
He wasn’t finished there.
Riding Dont Quote Me, McCartney won Round 3 for another $1,500 before finishing second in the Average for $6,015. The horse also added second-place Elite Stallion Incentive earnings worth $3,393.50.
The Maturity Tie-Down kept the momentum going.
Aboard Icingonthedeal, McCartney won the third round for $1,500 before claiming the Average Championship and another $10,000. Hez Talkin Smack added another $8,000 with a runner-up finish in the Average before winning the Elite Stallion Incentive, contributing another $4,875 to McCartney’s season total.
The result is a rider who has been remarkably consistent across multiple horses, and with less than $22,000 separating him from Brazile, McCartney remains firmly in the hunt entering the World Finals. More importantly, as an eligible rider, he currently controls one of the strongest positions in the race for the Hart trailer.
Cheyanne McCartney – $52,330
Just behind Cody sits Cheyanne McCartney, whose Spring Showdown was built on standout performances in the breakaway.
Like her husband, Cheyanne spread her earnings across multiple horses, but Thiccthirty was undoubtedly the cornerstone of her spring show as well.
In the Futurity Breakaway, the pair caught fire by winning both Round 2 and Round 3 for $1,500 each before taking the Average Championship with a 922.95 on four head for another $10,000. They added an Elite Stallion Incentive victory worth $5,225 and also topped the Elite Breeders Incentive, making it one of the most valuable performances of the week.
Dont Quote Me continued the momentum, finishing third in the Average for $5,110 while adding another runner-up finish in the Elite Stallion Incentive worth $3,918.50.
McCartney carried that consistency into the Maturity Breakaway.
Riding Icingonthedeal, she won the third round for $1,500 before finishing second in the Average to collect $9,168.
Another solid contributor was Evereything, who finished third in the Average for $6,876 and added second-place Elite Stallion Incentive earnings worth $4,312.50.
Cheyanne’s season has been defined by consistency. She has assembled earnings across multiple championship-caliber performances, leaving her less than $3,000 behind Cody McCartney and within striking distance of both second place and the trailer race heading into the World Finals.
Beau Peterson – $42,092
Few riders made a bigger statement in the breakaway than Beau Peterson.
Currently fourth in the standings, Peterson’s campaign has been highlighted by depth across both the Futurity and Maturity divisions, with multiple horses contributing valuable earnings.
The biggest performance came aboard none other than Aldo The Apache, in the Maturity Breakaway. Peterson won Round 2 with a 231.98 for $1,500 before claiming the Average Championship with a 927.10 on four head, earning $11,460. The pair also won the Elite Stallion Incentive, adding another $5,750.
Kitty Corona continued the scoring by finishing fifth in the Average for $3,438, fourth in the Elite Stallion Incentive for $1,437.50 and winning the Elite Breeders Incentive for another $3,000.
Alloy Catt also found the pay window with a sixth-place finish in the Average worth $2,674.
Peterson’s Futurity Breakaway campaign added even more momentum.
Villians Hot Rod finished second in the Average with a 920.03 on four head for $7,665, while Afulldancecard added fourth in the Average for $2,555 and third in the Elite Stallion Incentive, contributing another $2,612.50.
Peterson has quietly assembled one of the deepest resumes in the standings, and with another event remaining, she sits well within reach of making a serious run at the season title.
Colton McCarley – $41,390
Colton McCarley rounds out the top five, and much of his climb can be traced to one exceptional horse.
Fly Mister turned in one of the most complete performances of the Spring Showdown in the Futurity Heeling, giving McCarley a massive jump in the standings.
The pair won the Average with an 896.64 on four head for $12,380 before claiming the Intermediate Championship for $5,640. They continued piling on incentive earnings by winning the Elite Stallion Incentive for $5,820, the Intermediate Stallion Incentive for $4,815 and the Elite Breeders Incentive for another $3,000.
McCarley also added to his season total aboard Dreaming Of Pepto, finishing fourth in the Intermediate division of the Maturity Heeling for another $2,150.
While Fly Mister accounts for the majority of McCarley’s current earnings, the World Finals present another opportunity to add to that total and close the gap on the riders ahead of him.
One Event Left
The leaderboard is beginning to take shape, but the race for Top Rider is anything but over.
Every round win, Average title and incentive payout at the World Finals has the potential to shift the standings. While the top five have separated themselves after the Spring Showdown, history has already shown how quickly things can change. At last year’s Fall Event alone, Jeremy Buhler earned more than $66,000, proving that one outstanding week is all it takes to climb the leaderboard.
With the custom 2026 Hart 6H SmartTack Trailer still up for grabs and the World Finals remaining, the season’s biggest prize is still within reach.
The race isn’t over.
It’s just getting interesting.
