(WIN PHOTO ABOVE and BELOW - As a teenager, Allen Hadley got to go into the winner's circle with his grandpa Allen's filly Mrs. Pat Cooke and it was a significant day in Hadley's life)
The horse that changed my life
Mrs. Pat Cooke made quite an impression on a teenage Allen Hadley in 1989. That's Mrs. Pat Cooke, the horse.
Hadley, racing secretary at Ajax Downs in Ajax, ON since 2008, was on a family trip to visit his grandparents in Medicine Hat, Alberta. His grandfather, Allen, dabbled in racing Quarter Horses at the bush tracks and one day, took his grandson to the races at Whoop Up Downs in Lethbridge.
Mrs. Pat Cooke was racing that July afternoon ;a filly named after a family acquaintance, "I think the real Mrs. Pat Cooke was my grandparents' insurance person," said Hadley,
The chunky bay, sporting bright blue blinkers put in such a thrilling rally to win a 440-yeard dash that the memory is still fresh in Hadley's mind,
"I will never forget how she came on late to take that win,' said Hadley. "I got to stand in the win picture with her and my grandfather. I think that is why I continued the family tradition to work in Quarter Horse Racing.
Racing Quarter Horses was a social event in Alberta, harkening back to the days of 'my horse is faster than your horse.' Hadley has many good memories of his summer vacations, not just of the racing, but driving around just this time with his grandfather and friends.
"I still remember driving with my Grandfather, and another fellow (Perry), and learning how to spit out the window," said Hadley. "The first attempt was not so successful: it went out and right back in and hit the partition where the window goes up and down. "
Originally from Ontario, Hadley found himself back in Alberta a decade later when he signed on to work for the Alberta Quarter Horse Racing Association in Calgary as Program Coordinator from 2000 to 2007.
"I was there for the 50th anniversary of Quarter Horse Racing in Alberta, That was special."
The next year, Hadley came to Ajax Downs to take a job as its racing secretary. "I started during the last year of the old 'J' track, Picov Downs ,and then did the transition to the new track."
Mrs. Pat Cooke retired on a farm with Hadley's grandparents and had a couple of foals including a winner, The Outer Limits. But perhaps her most influential moment as a running Quarter Horse was leading Allen Hadley to his career path.
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