Horses Tony McMahon
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Subscriber only The recent passing (April 11) of John Cooney 82, one of Rockhampton s most successful racehorse trainers over the past three decades has evoked countless memories. John Cooney was one of those larger-than-life racecourse characters, a graduate of the old school of horse trainers, horsemen and cattlemen. Mention of his name and immediately a dossier of top-class racehorses that he trained so successfully spring to mind. Such names as the prolific, and I mean prolific, winning sprinters Bay Poet and Go Garla are just a few. John, ably assisted by his late wife Margaret, won 26 races with Bay Poet in distances ranging from 800m to 1200m.