Brian Cooper

Brian Cooper

Brian Cooper was a leading Irish jockey of the 1950s who rode occasionally in Britain and recorded a Cheltenham National Hunt meeting victory in the 1955 Broadway Novices’ Chase, known today as the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.  

He rode his first winner on Northern Dandy, trained by Barney Nugent, in the Quoile Chase at Downpatrick on April 7, 1948. He then won on the Nugent-trained Hurri-Bomber at Galway in July and at Waterford & Tramore in August.

In April 1949 he partnered 20-1 outsider Edge On to land the Novices’ Chase at the annual Louth Hunt fixture. Later that month he had his first ride in the Irish Grand National, finishing ninth on Rara Avis. Reunited with Hurri-Bomber, he landed the Governor’s Perpetual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Down Royal in May, followed by a handicap chase at Sligo in June. He finished the year with 11 wins. 

He recorded a career-best score of 16 winners in 1950, which included the Gap o’ the North Handicap Chase at Dundalk on Injunction. He later rode Injunction in the 1951 Irish Grand National but pulled up. 

He achieved his first success on British soil when seven-year-old Country Planning, trained by David Machin, won the De Aston Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen by four lengths on March 8, 1952. Back at Market Rasen on Easter Monday, Brian rode Raffles to dead-heat with Announced, partnered by Colin Dukes, in the Risby Long Distance Handicap Hurdle.  

Brian registered 11 wins in Ireland in 1952, including Shanbally in the Crafty Prince Cup Handicap Chase at Killarney and Bay Emerald in the Dundalk Handicap Hurdle, both in July.

He rode two winners in England during the 1952/53 season, both on The Rozzer, landing the Somerby Handicap Hurdle at Leicester by a head on February 10, followed by the Adbolton Handicap Hurdle at Southwell a fortnight later. In between those two victories, he won the Baldoyle Handicap Chase on Arctic Silver, beating odds-on favourite Mariner’s Log, the mount of Tos Taaffe, with Early Mist, destined to win the Grand National the following month, back in fifth place. 

Brian finished fourth on Cloncaw in the 1953 Irish Grand National and ended the year with 14 wins in Ireland plus those two English successes on The Rozzer. .  

His last English victory was by far his most important, coming at Cheltenham on March 9, 1955, in the Broadway Novices’ Chase aboard 7-2 favourite Great Eliza, trained in Ireland by Danny Morgan. Great Eliza won by a length from the Dorothy Paget-owned Buckingham, ridden by Johnny Bullock. Following their Cheltenham triumph, Brian and Great Eliza went on to finish fourth in the Irish Grand National. 

Brian won three races on Barney Nugent’s Copper Palm during the 1956/57 season, including the Keith Donaldson Cup Chase at Mullingar in December. He also rode Copper Palm in the 1957 Irish Grand National but was unplaced, although completing the course. By then, his yearly scores had fallen to single figures, and he relinquished his licence before the end of the decade.

Brian Cooper’s British winners were, in chronological order:

1. Country Planning, Market Rasen, March 8, 1952

2. Raffles, Market Rasem, April 14, 1952

3. The Rozzer, Leicester, February 10, 1953 

4. The Rozzer, Southwell, February 24, 1953

5. Great Eliza, Cheltenham, March 9, 1955