William Henry Cook (12 January 191029 January 1985) was an Australian
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
.
Career
Billy earned the nickname "Last-Race Cookie" following his riding of the winner in the last race 13 Saturdays in succession in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. He was also known as "The Champ", due to his exquisite riding skills.
He won six Sydney jockeys' premierships during a distinguished career riding in Australia and overseas.
Some of the achievements during his career included winning the 1941 and 1945
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...
s (
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...
and
Rainbird), the 1930
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...
(
Amounis
Amounis was an Australian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. He won 33 races over distances ranging from 6 to 12 furlongs (1,200 to 2,400 metres). Of these wins, 27 were in "Principal Races" (equivalent to today's Group races or "Black Type" ra ...
), the 1953
Sydney Cup
The Sydney Cup is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred handicap horse race, for horses three years old and older, run over 3200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in the autumn during the ATC Championships series and it is ...
(
Carioca
Carioca ( or ) is a demonym used to refer to anything related to the City of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The original meaning of the term is controversial, maybe from Tupi language "''kari' oka''", meaning "white house" as the whitewashed stone ...
), and the 1954
CB Fisher Plate
The VRC C.B. Fisher Plate was a weight-for-age thoroughbred horse race over 2400 metres (a mile and a half). It was run at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Australia on the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup in early November from 1870 till 1978. It ...
(
Rising Fast
Rising Fast (1949 - 1978) was a champion New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is the only horse to complete the Spring Grand Slam, winning the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, and Cox Plate in 1954. He also won the 1955 Caulfield Cup and c ...
).
Perhaps his most famous victory was defeating
Phar Lap
Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial ...
on Mollison in the 1929
Chelmsford Stakes
The Chelmsford Stakes is a Tattersalls Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race run over 1600 metres at Weight for Age at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in September. Prize money is A$250,000.
History
The race was first run in 1895.
...
.
Retirement
He officially retired from riding in 1959. His son
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
was also a successful jockey.
Death
Cook died in 1985 and was posthumously inducted in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2002.
Further reading
* Brasch, D. (2011). ''Jockeying to the top: the story of horseracing legend Peter Cook''. New Holland Publishers.
* Pollard, J. (1988). ''Australian Horse Racing''. Angus & Robertson Publishers.
External links
Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame Champions – Billy CookAustralian Dictionary of Biography - William Henry (Billy) Cook
1910 births
1985 deaths
Australian jockeys
Australian Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees
20th-century Australian people
Place of birth missing
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