Milestone Aidan’s delight as he lands 1,000th winner of career
TEWKESBURY jockey Aidan Coleman reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners with victory aboard Western Miller at Stratford on Saturday evening.
The 30-year-old Irishman steered the Charlie Longsdon-trained eight-yearold to victory in the Timy Cup Handicap Chase, to join a select group of National Hut jockeys to have ridden that amount of winners.
Coleman joins the likes of four-time Champion Jump Jockey, Richard Johnson, to have reached the milestone, and becomes the eighth jump jockey currently riding to have done so.
Coleman told Racing TV: “It’s a huge milestone, and personally something I’m delighted to have achieved. When you start out, there are many targets along the way, riding out your claim, 100 wins, 500 wins, but to have reached 1,000 wins is fantastic for me.”
“It’s taken me nearly 13 years, but it’s great to do it. It’s a fantastic personal achievement, whether it means anything in the great scheme of things, I don’t know, but to me it’s quite a milestone.
“It’s so competitive these days - I’m 30 now and it’s taken me this long to get there. Maybe by the time I retire I might get 2,000 on the board, but I’ll appreciate this one now. It’s a huge personal milestone.
“It’s great to do it for Charlie as well. I’ve had a lot of support over the years, but Charlie has definitely been one of my main suppliers.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my
career, I’ve always had very good people to ride for. Venetia (Williams) for years, the Bloomfields job for John Ferguson, which was very short, but very sweet at the same time, I really enjoyed that, and then Jonjo (O’neill) and Olly (Murphy) recently.
The win marked his 56th victory at Stratford Racecourse, his second-top performing track, slightly behind Uttoxeter where Coleman has enjoyed 59 successes.
He has also reached 50 or more wins at Fontwell and Worcester.
The 30-year-old has secured a staggering 334 victories for trainer Williams, plus a further 113 for O’neill.
“I’ve had an awful lot of support and I’m very thankful for all of it,” he added.
Last season featured some momentous victories for the jockey, securing his first-ever Grade 1 triumphs with Paisley Park, firstly, in the JLT Hurdle at Ascot and then subsequently in the Sun Racing Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Other notable successes during Coleman’s career to date include two consecutive Betfair Denman Chase wins, with Native River in 2017 and Houblon Des Obeaux in 2016. He also secured the Coral Welsh Grand National back in 2014 with the Venetia Williams-trained, Emperor’s Choice.
Picking out a highlight, he had no hesitation in nominating the Emma Lavelle-trained Paisley Park.
He added: “I really appreciate finding Paisley Park. It’s 1,000 winners now and it wasn’t far off 1,000 without having a Grade One, which would have been an achievement in itself, but not for the right reasons.”