William Henry ‘Billy’ Cook (12 January 1910 – 29 January 1985) was a famous Australian jockey.
Billy earned the nicknames “Last-Race Cookie” following his riding of the winner in the last race 13 Saturday’s in succession in Sydney and also “The Champ” due to his exquisite riding skills.
He won six Sydney jockey’s premierships during a distinguished career riding in Australia and overseas.
Some of the achievements during his career included winning the 1941 and 1945 Melbourne Cups (Skipton and Rainbird), the 1930 Caulfield Cup (Amounis), the 1953 Sydney Cup (Carioca) and the 1954 CB Fisher Plate (Rising Fast).
Perhaps his most famous victory was defeating Phar Lap on Mollison in the 1929 Chelmsford Stakes.
He officially retired from riding in 1959. His son Peter was also a successful jockey in his own right.
Cook was posthumously inducted in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2002.