The Ike Hamilton Expo Center in West Monroe, Louisiana, hosted the cutting industry’s fiercest competitors at The 2025 Ike Derby and Classic Cutting event. Michael Cooper and Lil Sue Von (Stevie Rey Von x Nikes Lil Sue x Boon Too Suen) rose to the top in the 4-Year-Old Open Derby, marking another milestone in Cooper’s exceptional career.
The trainer from Weatherford, Texas, piloted the 4-year-old red roan mare to a commanding a score of 226, securing the championship title and $32,013 payout. The duo’s performance stood out in a field packed with elite horses and top-tier trainers, proving that timing, skill and a little bit of luck all need to align for consistent and big wins in the sport of cutting.
“Any time you can get a win amongst these guys and these horses; it’s special no matter where it’s at. It is very hard to win with as many top horses and trainers as there are. That’s just plain and simple. Everything has to fit. It all has to come together,” Cooper said.
A testament to his horsemanship and Lil Sue Von’s ability, Cooper set the tone early with an exceptional first cow, then carefully navigated the pen to secure a strong finish.
“The first cow was really, really good, and it took me a while to get the second. When I cut a yellow baldy next, it was also really good and just worked out to where I got to stay on it all the way to the buzzer,” Cooper noted.
The significance of the win wasn’t lost on Cooper, who had endured an unpredictable road leading up to the Derby finals. Drawing first five times leading up to this win, Cooper only made it through one run, with some string of bad luck each time.
“The cows kicked the fence, kicked the gate, kicked the wall and literally ran out or something happened. I changed settlers three different times, because something happened every single time,” Cooper recalled. “Then, I come in like that and have to have the Mamba mentality to give me the ball one more time. I wanted to go and shoot it. It’s just one of those storybook, funny deals, and it kind of became a joke. That’s why I took my hat off at the end, because I was like, ‘Holy cow, I made the buzzer.’ I mean, if I had marked a 213 or 216, I’d have probably done the same thing.”
Lil Sue Von’s journey to the winner’s circle started long before stepping into the Ike Hamilton Expo Center. Cooper and owner EJ Huntley acquired the talented mare from George Bongiorno in December of 2024. After seeing her natural ability in the cutting pen, Cooper called Huntley wanting to purchase the mare, which they did without even trying her.
“She is really smart on a cow, and she’s got a really nice style. Her style is just one you can’t train in a horse, and she is so serious about wanting to cut a cow. She absolutely loves it,” Cooper said. “I think she is going to be one of those horses that is super consistent and wins a lot of money, because she wants to win herself; and to me, that’s a big deal. I tweaked some stuff around, but George did such a great job on her.”
“I did train this mare, but RL Chartier had her for the first part of her three-year-old year, and he did an awesome job. He had a lot to do with it, and I wouldn’t have had the success on her I did without him,” Bongiorno said. “She’s just low-headed and cowy, just naturally very composed. We did pretty well at the Futurity in the Non-Pro, and EJ and Michael liked her. I’m ecstatic about where she went, and I feel like she is going to do great there. I don’t think she could have landed in a better home.”
As trailers pull out of West Monroe, the focus shifts to the next stop on the calendar, which includes the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and NCHA Super Stakes in Fort Worth, Texas, for this team.
“There is a lot that we love about her, but it’s been amazing how well she’s adapted to what Michael has asked her to do and how well she’s learned to do it in such a short amount of time,” Huntley said. “We’re going to go show her. We’re going to let Michael show her in the Open, I’ll show her in the Non-Pro and my daughter will probably show her in the Amateur at some point. We are excited to see her continue to progress and develop, and we’re just going to show her, win money on her and raise babies out of her.”
Cade Shepard and Martinis Gotcha (CR Gotcha Covered x Olive Martini x Metallic Cat) earned a 222 to take reserve honors, collecting $27,583. Wesley Galyean and Cobra Kaii (Badboonarising x Lil Rattler x Dual Rey) rounded out the top three with a 219.5-point score, earning $23,153.
Other strong performances included a three-way tie for fourth place with a 219, featuring Matt Miller on Stevie Rey Blonde (Stevie Rey Von x Looking for Caviar x WR This Cats Smart), Austin Shepard on Rollz Eh (Rollz Royce x This Cats Smilen x WR This Cats Smart) and Tarin Rice on Bethesarebel (Metallic Rebel x Stylish Bet x Docs Stylish Oak). Each team earned $17,451. With a large payout, great event production and leading horses and trainers, the 4-Year-Old Open Derby reaffirmed The Ike Derby and Classic’s reputation as a premier event in cutting.
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