OBITUARY

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31378, 25 May 1967, Page 4

OBITUARY

MR O. E. HOOPER

Mr 0. E. Hooper, who had a most successful association with trotting as a breeder, owner, trainer and driver extending over some 50 years, died suddenly in Christchurch on Monday. Mr Hooper retired from training and driving in October, 1957, but since then he has raced an occasional horse, the most recent being Queensway, which competed unsuccessfully at Washdyke last Saturday.

as a reinsman. He had a long association with Mr B. Grice, who trained a big team at Tinwald. At a time when stakes were at a low level, Mr Hooper drove the winners of more than £20,000 for Mr Grice. They included the dual New Zealand Cup winner. Haughty, which took a mile record of 1:59 3-5, becoming the first mare outside the United States to achieve that feat Knave of Diamonds, which ’ n close to £20,000, Czardus, Radical, Privateer, Magellan, Mayenga, Starwise, On Approval (New Zealand Sapling Stakes), Lee Todd, Peter McKinney, Elvo's Pride, Consul, Titania and Peter Silk were among the many winners he trained. Among the many winners he drove were Hardy Oak (All Aged Stakes), Master Roy (Canterbury Handicap), Milo Minto, Starwise, Panto, Kilrea (Greymouth Cup), King Pointer (National Cup), Little Nelson (Timaru Cup), Demetrius (Oamaru Juvenile Stakes), Cruiser, Arietta, and Fragment (Manawatu Cup).

Born near Waipiata, in Central Otago, Mr Hooper began to train as a mining engineer at Waikaia, but he went overseas early in the First World Warr. He was invalided home in 1915 and later secured a property between Rakaia and Methven. He sold the property about 1950 and then trained at Harewood.

Mr Hooper’s first connextion with trotting was an an amateur rider. He had his first win at a Canterbury Park meeting in June, 1917, riding Miss Chancellor.

Mr Hooper enjoyed considerable success early in his career, one of his best winners at that time being Linden, which won a £lOOO race at Auckland in 1923 and a number of other races. Soon after this began an association with Mr D. Spence, of Christchurch, which continued right up to Mr Hooper's retirement Later Mr Hooper trained a number of top-class horses for the late Mr W. McDonald, of Edendale. Satin King and King Pointer, which Mr Hooper rated as one of the best horses he ever handled, were two horses to reach cup class for Mr McDonald. King Pointer won the 1930 New Zealand Free-for-all. Mr Hooper won many races with Willow Wave, including the 1937 Auckland Cup and the Dunedin Cud in 1937 and 1938.

Mr D. A. McCormick Mr D. A. McCormick, who had a long association with the administration of .he New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club, died yesterday in Christchurch. Mr McCormick was elected a steward of the club In 1941 and to the committee a year later. He served for some yean on the grounds committee and was one of the original directors of Addington Raceway, Ltd. He acted as totalisator steward for the club from 1948. Mr McCormick was a keen golfer and earlier he represented Canterbury at Rugby. Mr McCormick was for some years the Christchurch representative of Hammond and MeArthur, organisers of the Art Union, and more recently the Golden Kiwi Lottery.

As well as training a big team with great success, Mr Hooper was mucb in demand