Author(s): David Brasch

Sport/Games

Peter Cook is one of the greatest jockeys Australia has ever seen. Son of the great jockey Bill Cook, he followed in his father's footsteps, winning two Melbourne Cups and more than 1000 other races, from the Caufield Cup, to maiden races, to high stakes, high prize-money races in France. He has his own style of riding and was able to extract the best performance from the horses he rode by using his hands and heels, rather than the whip. Peter clashed with officials because he refused to bow down to the treatment of jockeys as 'second class citizens', and believed that jockeys were elite, professional athletes who should be treated as such. He rode for many well known and well respected trainers, including Geoff Murphy, Tommy (TJ) Smith and Bart Cummings and some have written tributes to him in this book. In Canberra in 1990, Peter suffered a heart attack in a sauna before a race - trying to lose the last few ounces so he could make the weight to ride. He lost 47 per cent of his heart function, and although tried to make a comeback, it was too difficult.
The loss of his job as a jockey - the one thing he knew - and his livelihood, as well as the subsequent court cases, drew him into a deep depression. This is the story of the trials and triumphs of being a jockey, and of one of Australia's greatest horsemen.