Harness Racing Insider

Down Under Reinsman is a Winner in More Ways Than One

May 22, 2008
By Kimberly Rinker

New Zealand’s Gavin Cook is a winner in my book.

The affable amateur driver–adorned in the black silks with the silver fern leaf of his native New Zealand–captured the World Cup of Amateur Drivers Championship this evening at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

Cook, the appropriately-named former owner of 50+ pizzerias Down Under, steered the diagonally-gaited Kenetic Kid to victory at The Big M in a rousing 2:05.1. And no one deserved this victory more than Cook.

When I first met Cook and his wife Marie on Friday night, May 16th at Chicago’s Maywood Park, I was impressed by the duo’s friendly nature and love of harness racing. In those first two events at the Windy City’s only half-mile oval, Cook showed tremendous sportsmanship after driving two pacers from the dreaded eight-hole.

Few races are won at Maywood Park from the eight-hole, and Cook managed a strong, third-place finish with his first charge from that post, but good-naturedly chalked it up to the luck of the draw.

“That’s just racing,” he said heartily, afterward.

Saturday night, May 17, was a different story for the 51-year-old, as he piloted the Kimberly Roth-trained pacer Western Jet to a 1:54.2 clocking. The drive was Cook’s seventh USA start and his first victory on North American soil.

“That’s my first win in this country,” he said proudly, and when I told him the time of the race, uttered. “That’s also a first. Wow!”

Cook was curious–asking various questions about our horses, our leg wraps and poultices–and seemed genuinely to love every minute of his experience in Chicago and in America.

When I watched him cross the wire first at The Meadowlands tonight from the comfort of my living room, I couldn’t have been happier.

I felt lucky to have gotten to spend just a little chatting with Gavin and Marie during their brief stay in Chicago. They are both definitely folks I’d like to get to know better.