Cooper was born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland and in his short career scored notable wins at the National Hunt Cheltenham Festival.
Knowing that a life in the horse industry was for him, Cooper left school before completing his final exams and took up a post in the yard of Kevin Prendergast which led to his first racecourse ride in The Curragh on 14 September 2008.
[3] He also won two Grade 2 races for Dessie Hughes at Thurles and Limerick and managed to ride a few placed horses at the Cheltenham Festival meet.
He also managed to place fifth in the Grand National at Aintree on Rare Bob, but his season was cut short after he broke his femur while riding at Down Royal.
[5] On the second day of the 2014 Cheltenham Festival, Cooper sustained fractures to his tibia and fibula in a fall at the last in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle.