Harper Grace Pierce and Logan Wolfe Top Cinch #13 Gold Shootout Field for $5,126 Payout
Williamson, Georgia, native Harper Grace Pierce teamed up with Wellington, Colorado’s Logan Wolfe to claim the Cinch #13 Gold Shootout title, sorting 27 head in 149.83 seconds over three rounds to earn $5,126.
“The cattle were challenging, making our strategy simple,” Wolfe said, explaining the team’s final round plan. “Go for the win but take what the cattle give you.”
Experience played a key role in the win, particularly in the high-pressure Gold Shootout format.
“Harper Grace is a very talented rider even at the age of 11,” said Wolfe. “That is what makes this sport so special to me. It is a family sport where all ages and levels of riders can compete and have a chance to win.”
Pierce is no stranger to championship performances in Gold Shootout classes. In 2025, she won the Cinch #13 Gold Shootout at the Northeast Regional Super Sort and also captured the Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout championships at the Northeast Circuit Finals and South Central Super Sort.
Horsepower also factored into the championship, with both riders on proven sorting horses with strong resumes.
Wolfe rode See You Dont See You (Sigala Rey x Cool Cat Magic), the same horse he piloted to the top of the open division at the Challenge of the Champions Invitational during the 2025 Cowboy Town Showdown in December. “Swag” is a 2018 gelding owned by Bruce Thompson and Jennifer Marshall.
Pierce returned to her longtime partner, Smooth Spyder Rey. “Spyder”—a 2013 gelding by Smooth As A Cat and out of Margaret Rey—has carried Pierce through many championship runs and, despite giving Spyder some time off, the reunion proved successful.
“At first it was a little different getting back on Spyder, but then when we got to ride, it was better,” she said.
Cherrie Mahon and Bo Wells Click When It Counts in Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout to Win $7,374
Cherrie Mahon and Bo Wells take every opportunity to pair up at events, and that strategy paid off in the Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout. The duo claimed the win, pocketing $7,374 after sorting 23 head in 167.72 seconds over three rounds.
“He rides with me at every show,” said Mahon, who splits her time between New York and Virginia. “I don’t know why he always says yes but he does, and we usually do okay. We ride well together, even though we don’t practice together.”
Wells, from Cullman, Alabama, agreed, pointing to familiarity and trust as key ingredients in their success.
“Cherrie’s a good rider and, I don’t see her often, but I try to ride with her when I do see her,” Wells said. “Over time, we’ve had decent luck together. I don’t know that we’ve ever won anything, but we have pulled some checks before.”
This time, consistency and strategy rose to the top, as Mahon and Wells walked away with the largest payout of the entire Southeast Regional Super Sort.
“We drew pretty early out in the top 10, and we didn’t know what it would take,” Wells explained. “We just tried to be smooth and smart and take what the cattle gave us, and it worked out.”
That approach required patience, particularly with Mahon riding a young horse still gaining experience in the sorting pen.
“I’m just learning her still,” she said about her 2021 mare, Bad Chola (Badboonarising x Kitt And Kadabra). “She did really good. She’s only 5, and I was very pleased.”
Wells rode CD Edge of Desire (Desire Rey x CD Chica San Cat), a 2017 mare affectionately known as “Piggy Smalls,” who helped anchor the team’s steady pace through all three rounds.
Gage Moore and Tanner Sperle Stay the Course to Win $3,276 in the Priefert Open Gold Shootout
Gage Moore and Tanner Sperle stayed consistent when it mattered most to claim the Priefert Open Gold Shootout championship. The pair sorted 28 head in 170.34 seconds over three rounds, earning $3,276 for the win.
The Priefert Open Gold Shootout quickly turned into a race at the top of the leaderboard, but Moore and Sperle trusted the runs they had already put together.
“The plan going into the finals was simple: Keep it smooth and don’t get in a hurry,” Sperle, of Wellington, Colorado, explained. “I told Gage, ‘Let’s just keep doing what we’ve been doing, and let the rest of the teams feel like they have to chase us to win.’”
That strategy paid off. Moore, of Barnesville, Georgia, also picked up the second-place paycheck in the same class with Trent Knight after sorting 27 head. Both teams opened the Shootout by sorting 10 head in the first round, but Moore and Sperle pulled ahead in Round 2 with eight head, while Moore and Knight sorted seven. Each team closed with a clean 10-head run in the finals, with Moore and Sperle’s total of 28 head sealing the win.
For Sperle, the championship run came together with a last-minute change in horsepower. When his usual mount was unable to make the trip to Perry, Georgia, he turned to his wife Emily’s 2016 mare, Gar Play Time Alloy (Metallic Cat x Duals Play Time).
“When my gelding came up sore, she let me borrow ‘Frankie’ for this trip,” Sperle said. “I’m thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has given me this passion and reignited my love for sorting again. I’m also very grateful for my wife’s pep talk before the class started.”
The victory marked Moore’s first trip to the Gold Shootout winner’s circle.
Cherrie Mahon Secures Victory in Gold Shootout, Earning US Rider #5 Gold Shootout Championship and $3,180 with Evie Hooper
He skillfully rode his 2018 mare, My Cat Boo (Lil Catbaloo x Jalapuno), affectionately known as “Sleigh,” to wrap up an exceptional performance with two team checks totaling $5,460 in the event.
Cherrie Mahon continued her winning streak by clinching the US Rider #5 Gold Shootout Championship alongside Evie Hooper. The pair displayed strategic gameplay over three rounds, sorting 14 head in 146.56 seconds to secure a prize of $3,180.
Despite their victory, Mahon and Hooper almost missed the final class of the day as they were initially planning to head home.
“I wasn’t planning to enter initially,” Hooper, who hails from Williamson, Georgia, admitted. “But then they needed two more participants, and my dad called me to inform me that I was in the Gold Shootout. I was about to leave because I hadn’t performed well all weekend.”
Mahon, a rider from New York and Virginia, was also uncertain about participating in the event.
“Although it wasn’t a large class, I don’t usually compete in Shootouts. I was feeling tired and drained, but I decided to stick with it,” Mahon shared. “It was a fantastic experience riding with Evie for the first time.”
Furthermore, Mahon had to adapt to unfamiliar horses, riding Kai Clark’s 2013 mare Halle Cake Berry (Halreycious x Shortcake Berry) at short notice while Hooper rode her experienced 2012 mare Freeze Frame Tyme (One Time Pepto x Playin T Etta).
During the competition, Mahon and Hooper strategically opted for a conservative approach in the final round after observing numerous teams receive no-times.
“We made the right decision in the finals,” Mahon explained. “We started with eight head in the first round, struggled with four or five in the second round, and then decided to focus on just one in the last round, hoping it would be enough.”
Their perseverance paid off, leading to a surprise victory in the Gold Shootout championship.