Born in Cheltenham on April 12, 1946, Paul Allan Cook was the first of many young flat-race jockeys who passed through the Frenchie Nicholson academy.
(Others that followed included Ian Johnson, Roger Wernham, Fred Messer, Richard Fox, Tony Murray, Pat Eddery, Walter Swinburn, Chris Leonard and Walter Wharton. A few others, like Barry Davies, Sooty White, Geoff Shoemark and Keith Barnfield, became jump jockeys. John Farrell was a promising rider who was forced to quit after just one win because he suffered badly from asthma.)
Taking the advice of his local butcher, 14-year-old Paul from Cheltenham wrote to Frenchie in early 1960 asking for a job at his stable.
Unfortunately, there was no vacancy at that time and, in any case, he was too young and far too small to be put on a horse.
However, he was allowed to help out in the school holidays: keen as mustard he would cycle to the stables whenever possible and was rewarded with a few shillings a week pocket money from Frenchie.
Paul loved stable life and after nearly a year of sweeping up the yard and mucking out stables he was allowed to ride the stable pony or sit on the old steeplechaser Desert Fort on the way back from the downs. He had never sat on a horse or pony before, so being led on Desert Fort was a real thrill.
Five days after his fifteenth birthday on 12 April, 1961, Paul signed on as an apprentice.
Frenchie's son, David, was given the task of teaching the new boy to ride.
Paul was not a natural and took an age to learn the basics of riding. However, he displayed so much spirit that he was soon allowed each morning to ride the quieter, more straightforward horses in the string.
Impressed with his prodigy's undoubted skill, Frenchie took the unusual step of buying two horses, Tenor & Balle d'Or, specifically for him to ride in races.
Much to the amazement of Frenchie's wife, Diana, Paul made his début on Balle d'Or on July, 1962.
Diana recalls: 'For a long time we didn't think Paul would make it. If he rode with his stirrups too short he usually ended up suffering from cramp. He was just like a frog. His hands would get further and further forward and his legs would slip further and further backwards!'
Paul's first win came at Warwick on 9 September, 1963. He actually finished second, a short head behind Joe Mercer, but got the race on an objection.
He was soon in great demand and, on 6 May, 1964, was snapped up by Paddy Prendergast to ride Credo in the Chester Cup. Paul finished fast and late on Credo to beat Scobie Breasley and Utrillo in a tight finish.
Prendergast said afterwards: 'That is the best apprentice I have ever seen. I never thought a boy could carry out instructions so exactly.'
He then secured first claim on Paul's service and in the Irish Classics of 1965.
Other trainers quickly tuned in to his talents, and the offers to ride began flooding in. So swift was his progress that he became champion apprentice in both 1964 & 1965.
Paul himself was rather bemused at his own success.
'Frenchie must have seen something in me because I was a hopeless case at first,' he said later. 'The problem was that I could never hold much and was never really in control. I think it was basically a lack of strength.'
Frenchie's own strengths included knowing when to praise a boy – and when to chastise him.
Paul confirmed this, saying: 'When you rode a few winners, he would quickly put you back in your place. He would reprimand you in the nicest way then give you a right bollocking for nothing. He once pinned me up against a wall and told me that I knew damn all. He said that he himself was still learning.'
When Paul finished his apprenticeship he was appointed first jockey to Jack Jarvis at Newmarket. Bruce Hobbs, who also trained there – and was also godfather to David Nicholson – had second claim on him.
Frenchie told Bruce to kick Paul's backside six days a week and twice on Sundays – Bruce replied that he had his own way of dealing with young jockeys.
Nonetheless, it proved to be an unhappy episode in Paul's life who found it hard to cope with life away from home.
Yet there were good times: Paul won the 1966 1,000 Guineas on Glad Rags for Vincent O'Brien and came desperately close to victory in that year's Derby on Pretendre for Jack Jarvis.
But that was as good as it got. He lost his job with Jarvis after just two seasons and, in 1968, after turning freelance, his career nosedived calamitously.
He continued to ride a useful number of winners, but nothing like what had been forecast. He stayed no better than an average jockey and, in 1970, suffered the indignity of riding just nine winners.
Then, suddenly, in 1982, his prodigious talent re-emerged.
Second in the Derby on Touching Wood, he then won the St Leger. He was also runner-up in the Oaks on Slightly Dangerous.
In his 'quiet' years he still managed to win the Stewards' Cup on Touch Paper in 1972 and again in 1973 on Alphadamus. He also took the 1973 Ascot Stakes on Full of Beans, the 1975 July Stakes on Super Cavalier and the 1975 Newbury Autumn Cup on Coed Cochion. In 1977 he won the July Cup and the Diadem Stakes on the brilliant sprinter Gentilhombre.
His career came to a sudden end when he was involved in what became an infamous pile-up at Doncaster which led to the 1989 St Leger being run at Ayr.
He was making the running on Madraco in the Portland Handicap when his mount abruptly fell, bringing down Pendor Dancer (Ian Johnson) and Tolo (Ray Cochrane). Cochrane suffered a broken collarbone. Cook and Johnson, both severely injured, never rode again.
Four years after the melee, Cook was awarded £352,000 in compensation by the High Court who ruled that there was a very strong possibility that Madraco fell because of the state of the ground.
In retirement he concentrated on his daughter Aimee's riding career.
Along with a former weighing room colleague John Lowe, he became a part-time race-reader for the Press Association.
Paul lived at 'Two Rivers', London Road, Newbury. He was married on February 4 1969 to Carol Anne.
His recreations include hunting, golf and fishing.
Paul's height was 5ft 5ins.
Paul Cook
Classic winners
1966: One Thousand Guineas – Glad Rags
1982: St Leger – Touching Wood
1982: Irish St Leger – Touching Wood
Other big wins
1964: Chester Cup – Credo
1964: Stewards' Cup – Dunme
1964: Midlands Cambridgeshire – Ruby Wedding
1965: Ebor Handicap – Twelfth Man
1966: Blue Riband Trial – Pretendre
1966: Great Jubilee Handicap – Antiquarian
1966: Chester Vase – General Gordon
1966: Dee Stakes – Grey Moss
1966: King Edward VII Stakes – Pretendre
1967: Chester Cup – Mahbub Aly
1969: King George V Stakes – Precipice Wood
1972: Stewards Cup – Touch Paper
1973: Stewards Cup – Alphadamus
1975: July Stakes – Super Cavalier
1975: Diomed Stakes – All Friends
1976: Cork and Orrery Stakes – Gentilhombre
1976: Queen Alexandra Stakes – Coed Cochion
1976: Diomed Stakes – All Friends
1977: Jersey Stakes – Etienne Gerard
1977: Britannia Stakes – Finite
1977: July Cup – Gentilhombre
1977: Diadem Stakes – Gentilhombre
1978: Bunbury Cup – Greenhill God
1978: Ebor Handicap – Totowah
1978: Mill Reef Stakes – King Of Spain
1979: July Stakes – Final Straw
1979: Richmond Stakes – Castle Green
1979: Champagne Stakes – Final Straw
1979: November Handicap – Morse Code
1980: Queen's Vase – Toondra
1980: Lancashire Oaks – Vielle
1981: Queen Mary Stakes – Fly Baby
1981: King George V Stakes – Queen Of Spain
1981: Bessborough Stakes – Russian George
1982: Chester Vase – Super Sunrise
1983: Diomed Stakes – Lofty
1985: Ebor Handicap – Western Dancer
1986: Chester Cup – Western Dancer
1987: Sandown Classic Trial – Gulf King
