Aidan Coleman

Last updated

Aidan Coleman
Aidan Coleman.jpg
Coleman in 2012
OccupationJockey
Born (1988-08-17) 17 August 1988 (age 35) [1]
Cork, Ireland
Nationality Flag of Ireland.svg Irish
Career wins1251
Major racing wins
Top Novices' Hurdle (2022)
Aintree Hurdle (2022)
Fighting Fifth (2020, 2021)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (2021)
Long Walk Hurdle (2018, 2020)
Arkle Challenge Trophy (2020)
Stayers' Hurdle (2019)
JLT Hurdle (2018)
Racing awards
Champion Conditional Jockey (2008/09)
Significant horses
Jonbon, Epatante, Put The Kettle On, Paisley Park

Aidan Coleman (born 17 August 1988) is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. During a seventeen-year career based in Great Britain, he rode four winners at the Cheltenham Festival and a total of 13 Grade 1 winners. In June 2023 he sustained a serious leg injury in a fall at Worcester and was unable to return to race-riding. He announced his retirement on medical advice in April 2024.

Contents

Career

Coleman grew up in the village of Innishannon near Cork in Ireland. The son of schoolteachers, he followed his older brother Kevin into racing, took part in pony racing and moved to England in 2006 to work for trainer Henrietta Knight. [2] His first ride was in December 2006, finishing 9th in a bumper (National Hunt flat race) at Hereford riding Silverbar. His first victory came in October 2007 on Tashkandi in a hurdle race at Uttoxeter. He then switched to the yard of Venetia Williams, winning the 2008/09 champion conditional jockey championship with 55 winners and becoming Williams's retained jockey. [3]

Coleman achieved his first Grade race success aged 19 when Stan, trained by Williams, won the Grade 3 Red Rum Handicap Chase at Aintree on 3 April 2008. [4] Two days later, he rode in his first Grand National and finished in 10th place on the Williams-trained Mon Mome. [5] [6] The following year he opted to ride Stan, the more fancied of Williams's two runners, only to fall at the 7th fence while Mon Mome went on to win under Liam Treadwell. [7] In 2010 he again took the ride on Mon Mome, falling at the 26th fence. Coleman went on to ride in every Grand National up to and including that of 2023 (with the exception of 2020, when the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). His best result was second place on Balko Des Flos in 2022. [6]

In 2015, Coleman left the yard of Williams to become retained rider for the new Bloomfields racing operation of John Ferguson in Newmarket. [8] Bloomfields lasted just one season, with the horses auctioned by Tattersalls in April 2016, as Ferguson had been appointed to the post of chief executive of Godolphin. [9]

Coleman secured his first Group 1 success with Paisley Park, a horse trained by Emma Lavelle that took him to victory in the JLT Hurdle, Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and two Long Walk Hurdle's. [10] [11] [12] In June 2019, Coleman reached the 1,000 career winners mark. [13] Put The Kettle on became another successful horse for Coleman, winning both the Arkle Challenge Trophy and Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. [14] [15] Coleman has also had success with Epatante and Jonbon, winning Grade 1 races at Aintree for owner JP McManus. Whilst Coleman rides a number of the Irish owners horses, he is not officially the number one jockey for the billionaire. [16] In 2022, it was announced Coleman would no longer be the retained jockey by trainer Olly Murphy, who he had been attached to since 2020. [17]

Cheltenham Festival winners (4)

Major wins

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain

Personal life

Coleman lives in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. His brother is the Irish National Hunt jockey, Kevin Coleman, who won the 2007 Galway Plate. [18] Between 2009 and 2011, Coleman was sponsored by horse racing television channel Racing UK. He also appeared on the channel as a presenter. [19] For the 2022-23 season, Coleman is sponsored by Kalooki Sportsbook.

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References

  1. ↑ "Aidan Coleman among those celebrating today". Racing Post. 16 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "An Interview with Top National Hunt Jockey Aidan Coleman". Over The Stable Door. 9 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "'It's been emotional as a jockey is all I've ever wanted to be' - Aidan Coleman retires after losing injury battle". Racing Post. 7 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Aidan Coleman". Racing Post. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Williams backs Coleman's talent". BBC News. 4 April 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Grand National Jockeys: Records of the riders". Sporting Life. 14 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "Mon Mome becomes first 100-1 Grand National winner since Foinavon". The Guardian. 4 April 2009.
  8. ↑ "Aidan Coleman lands role for John Ferguson". Sky Sports. 26 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "John Ferguson stable dispersal sale at Cheltenham in April". The Irish Field. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Paisley Park delivers Aidan Coleman early Christmas present in JLT Hurdle". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  11. ↑ "Paisley Park powers to victory in Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle". Sporting Life. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "Aidan Coleman and Paisley Park regain Long Walk crown with power-packed finish". The Irish Examiner. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  13. ↑ "Landmark for Aidan Coleman as he reaches 1,000 career winners". RacingTV. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "Cheltenham Festival: Put The Kettle On lands Arkle under Aidan Coleman". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  15. ↑ "Put The Kettle On wins Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "im-just-concentrating-on-myself-coleman-plays-down-mcmanus-number-one-talk/442096". Racing Post. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "All change for Olly Murphy as trainer ends Aidan Coleman retainer". Racing Post. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "Aidan Coleman". broughscott.com. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  19. ↑ Kimberly, Sara (12 November 2009). "Racing UK in two-year branding deal with jockey Aidan Coleman". MediaWeek. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
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