Coleman admits comeback defeat but Dettori rides on

AIDAN COLEMAN has brought the curtain down on his illustrious career after being forced to admit defeat in his quest to come back from injury.

Coleman, a multiple Grade One and Cheltenham Festival winning jockey, has been on the sidelines since last summer when he suffered horrific damage to his knee in a fall at Worcester. The impact of the blow he sustained was likened to hitting a wall at 30mph.

The Irishman, who wore JP McManus’s green and gold silks on champions such as Epatante and Jonbon, has tried desperately to overcome the issue, but after consultation with the BHA’s Chief Medical Adviser Jerry Hill, has accepted there will be no comeback.

‘The gym is good because it’s a stable surface but I can’t run or jump,’ Coleman said during an appearance on Luck On Sunday. ‘I can’t ride a horse really. A lot of people would say I couldn’t anyway so what’s the difference!

‘Since Christmas, every time I’ve tried to ride a horse it’s not really gone well. I just can’t do it and I definitely wouldn’t be able to ride in a race.

‘My chances of improving are negative now, so that’s it. My knee won’t stand the demands of being a jockey or get anywhere near it, so that’s it.’

Retirement was once a consideration for Frankie Dettori but the revitalised Italian had a weekend to remember at Santa Anita when he rode six straight winners on an 11-race card on Saturday night, mesmerising the locals in California.

The victories returned at a staggering 77,535-1 and Dettori, who famously went through the card with seven winners at Royal Ascot in September 1996, said: ‘I don’t know how to put it into words. Is it real? Am I dreaming? Is this really happening? It’s incredible.’