William Cootes

William Cootes

Article by Alan Trout

Australian jockey William Cootes rode two winners over hurdles in England, both in December 1908. 

At Sandown Park on December 12 he arrived late on the scene to overhaul Peter Bell, the mount of champion jockey ‘Tich’ Mason, and win the Selling Three-Year-Old Hurdle on Rambling Rector, who was making his hurdling debut. Owned and trained by fellow Australian Richard Wootton, the father of jockeys Frank and Stanley, Rambling Rector never won again in seven subsequent races. 

On Boxing Day at Kempton Park William scored again when Barbarossa beat two rivals to take the Chiswick Selling Hurdle. The three-year-old had shown little in two previous outings but went on to win three races in both 1910 and 1911. 

William rode no more winners in Britain, although he came close at Gatwick on February 25, 1910, when just pipped on Carntoi in the prestigious International Hurdle. The Harry Escott-trained Carntoi was beaten a head in desperately heavy ground by Ernie Piggott on The Clown II, who was winning the race for the second successive year. 

William Cootes did not hold a licence after 1911.