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PROMINENT TEXAS OWNER LELAND COOK LEAVES A LEGACY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
Leland Cook, in company with his lovely wife Sue, proved to be a veritable pillar of strength for the Texas Thoroughbred industry through the infancy of Class 1 racing in the Lone Star State beginning in April 1994 and for the next 15 years until his sudden passing on November 6 after a series of health issues.
He liked nothing better than to cheer one of their horses from the balcony of their exquisite Lone Star Park suite through the stretch to victory and then proceed to the winner’s circle. One day he became so excited that he threw his stylish cowboy hat joyously off the balcony. It floated lazily to the crowd below before being reunited atop its owner’s head as he held the winner.
The Cook’s Lone Star suite is testimony to their love of racing and its history as well as their interests in helping others. The walls are adorned with memorabilia from the careers of Hall of Fame jockeys Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay and Bill Shoemaker interspersed with framed photos of stakes wins of some of the Cook runners. Several of the memorable items were high-bid purchases by Leland during the annual luncheons held before the All-Star Jockey Championship competition, one of the highlights of the first few Lone Star Park Thoroughbred meets, with proceeds benefiting the Disabled Jockeys’ Fund. The Cooks enjoyed nothing better than hosting family, friends and newcomers at the races in their suite.
Leland made life on earth a better place during his 75 years. He married Sue, his junior high sweetheart, at 19. A graduate of Texas A&M University, where he was on a football scholarship, Leland began working in Abilene first in banking, then the grocery and newspaper business before moving his family to Corsicana to be circulation manager of the Corsicana Daily Sun. They never left the community, but left an indelible mark of accomplishment.
Leland began to show his entrepreneurial side in 1972, purchasing a small local convenience store, and three years later a vending company. In 1985, he and his oldest of five sons, Byron, now one of the most respected Texas House members, started TRADE WEST, which initially licensed and marketed coin-operated video games. The popular new venue included the top-selling game, Ikari Warrior. In 1987, TRADEWEST became a pioneer in the new home entertainment video game industry and one of the early licensees of Nintendo.
The royalties from those entrepreneurial successes helped the Cooks fulfill a lifelong dream to be ranchers. They bought property in 1989 on I-45 about 10 miles south of their beautiful Corsicana home and named it Richland Ranch. In the early 1990s, the Cooks expanded into racing and made Richland Ranch an all-purpose facility for boarding, breeding and training. Soon thereafter, they had their first stakes winner in Senor Foxfire. Dixieland Heat gave them a memory of a lifetime by taking them to the 1993 Kentucky Derby after making the Louisiana Derby his fifth win in as many starts. The Cooks had several other stakes winners including top sprinter Once A Sailor, the speedy filly Argentina Avenue and their Texas homebred Gold Nugget, the 2000 Texas Horse of the Year. They had a barn full of horses ready to run at Lone Star’s inaugural meet in 1997, and ended the season as leading owners in number of wins.
Leland coached the American Reds little league team for 18 years and also coached youngsters in Gray Y football and soccer. He was also very active in the local community as a Rotarian, member of the Navarro College Foundation Board, and a major benefactor to the Warehouse Living Arts Center, Navarro County Youth Expo and The Cook Center at Navarro College.
The Cooks have been great supporters of Texas Thoroughbred Association as Life Members. They were always among the first to commit to sponsorship support of annual conferences, seminars and other organizational activities. Sue served two 3-year terms on the TTA board of directors. They were also investors in the Texas Thoroughbred Sales Pavilion at Lone Star Park. In 2001, they were honored by TTA as recipients of the T. I. “Pops” Harkins Award for lifetime achievement.
On behalf of the TTA board of directors, staff and all members, Martha and I wish to extend our heartfelt sympathy to Sue and the Cook family on Leland’s passing. They are special folks...the veritable salt of the earth.
RETAMA CROWDS UP, HANDLE DOWN FOR 32-DAY MEET; PISH EARNS 11TH TITLE
Retama Park posted mixed results for the 32-day meet that ended on November 7. Average daily attendance increased 9%, but on-track wagering dropped 15% from 2008. However, thanks to good field sizes, outbound simulcast betting dropped only 4%.
Trainer Danny Pish earned his 11th consecutive training title as he sent out 23 winners, four more than Brent Davidson. Jockey Eguard Tejera captured his fourth riding crown with 36 wins, six more than Jorge Guzman. Tejera also led in earnings with $353,222.
Fast furlongs...The Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund, which is funded from a 6% sales tax on stud fees, may have 30% less revenue to distribute in awards in 2009 based on projections compared with the $15.2 million paid out in 2008 and there will also be significant declines in awards for Standardbreds, Quarter Horses and the non-racing breeds...Sam Houston Race Park officials continue to promote a $1.5 million race on January 30, Connally Cup Day, to lure Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta and Gulfstream Park is touting the Donn Handicap on February 6 as a race for them to meet, but, in reality, it’s all a pipedream as Rachel will still be coming off her freshening and Zenyatta is headed to the broodmare ranks...This week’s business at the respective Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland Fall Breeding Stock Sales gives strong indication that the Thoroughbred industry is still going through a period of correction with many farms awaiting final results before posting 2010 stallion fees...Dairyland Greyhound Park, Wisconsin’s only remaining track, will close its doors on December 31...Magna Entertainment Corporation has not been able to strike a deal with any suitors of the Maryland Jockey Club tracks, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, to establish a “stalking horse” bid and the auction may proceed without one...Jockey Julien Leparoux, whose stock rises from month to month as his total wins and earnings climb, may well be on the brink of an Eclipse Award after riding three Breeders’ Cup winners...Former Dell executive Ro Parra has expanded his Millennium Farms holdings into Louisiana by forming an alliance with John Turner’s Moon Lake Farm near Elk Grove and the entity will be operated as Millennium Farms at Moon Lake...Kentucky State Senator Damon Thayer has pre-filed a bill proposing a constitutional amendment to legalize slot machines at the state horse tracks with a provision calling for $100 million to go to the horse industry for purses, breeders’ awards and marketing...Churchill Downs Inc. is expanding its advanced deposit wagering holdings with the announced purchase of Youbet.com for $126.8 million, which includes United Tote...Membership in the National Cutting Horse Association has reached an all-time record high of 20,255...Texas-based Heiligbrodt Racing Stable ranks sixth in cumulative earnings with $4,253,962 through November 12 behind Juddmonte Farms Inc., Michael J. Gill, Zayat Stables LLC, Darley Stable and Augustin Stable, but ahead of Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss and Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey on the national list...The Texas Racing Commission Rules Committee will meet with industry representatives in Austin this coming Monday to discuss pending rule considerations...Several TRC staffers will join horsemen and jockey representatives to watch horses work over the Sam Houston turf course next Thursday and assure safety of the course for participants after a cut was made near the end of the backstretch to allow busses and trucks into the infield.