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Michael Cooper didn’t plan on riding Quintan Boon (Badboonarising x Quintessential High x Smooth As A Cat) at the Southern Cutting Futurity. With a few short days of practice though, the 2021 stallion carried him to the Southern Cutting Horse Futurity Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

“I didn’t actually know I was going to show that horse until I was headed down there,” Cooper said. “Adan [Banuelos] called me and asked if I would show that horse.”

Once he got there, Cooper was able to ride the horse a little and get used to him. They landed in a four way tie for twelfth place in the first go-round with a score of 214.5. Cooper’s other horse actually placed higher in that round with a 221 for second.

Cooper then topped the second go with Jimi Hendreyx, scoring a 221. A 430.5 combined score from the first two rounds was required to advance to the finals, Cooper and Quintan Boon slid right in marking a 219 in the second round for a combined score of 433.5. In that round, they climbed the ranks to fourth for owners Plantation Farms LLC.

“I cut all three cows we talked about cutting, I was early in the draw,” Cooper said of the finals. “They were as-advertised. They cut like they settled and so having a good draw was a big part of everything.”

The duo earned a 220 in the finals and a check for $16,393 and said that the Southern Futurity stallion auction incentive “paid like a slot machine.”

“That horse showed like he practiced and he showed up there and seems like he always tries hard,” he said.

Cooper said typically catch rides don’t work out quite that well but Banuelos is easy to ride behind. Earlier this year, Banuelos showed Quintan Boon to a third place finish at the West Texas Futurity.

“He [Banuelos] did a great job training him. He’s a real good horse, kind horse and cowy,” Cooper said. “The Badboonarising‘s, this is their first year and I’ve got a Badboon I’m going to show at the Futurity I think.”

This year is the first year that Badboonarising offspring have hit the show pens and they’re taking the nation by storm. Banuelos showed Badboonarising to the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open Reserve Championship and the West Texas Futurity Classic Open Championship.

Quarter Horse News
by Amy Olson
View article on QHN