Aidan Coleman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aidan Coleman |
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Coleman in 2012
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| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 17 August 1988 Cork, Ireland |
| Nationality |  Irish |
| Career wins | 1251 |
| 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) |
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| Racing awards | |
| Champion Conditional Jockey (2008/09) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Jonbon, Epatante, Put The Kettle On, Paisley Park | |
Aidan Coleman (born August 17, 1988) is a retired Irish jockey who rode in National Hunt races. He had a great career for 17 years in Great Britain. He won four races at the famous Cheltenham Festival and 13 top-level (Grade 1) races. Sadly, in June 2023, he got a serious leg injury during a race at Worcester. He couldn't race again after that. In April 2024, he announced he was retiring because of his injury.
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Aidan Coleman's Racing Journey
Aidan Coleman grew up in a small village called Innishannon near Cork in Ireland. His parents were schoolteachers. He followed his older brother, Kevin, into the world of horse racing. Aidan started by taking part in pony races.
In 2006, when he was 18, he moved to England. He began working for a horse trainer named Henrietta Knight. His very first race was in December 2006. He finished 9th in a flat race for young horses at Hereford.
His first win came in October 2007. He won a hurdle race on a horse named Tashkandi at Uttoxeter. After that, he started working for trainer Venetia Williams.
Becoming a Champion Jockey
In the 2008-2009 racing season, Aidan became the "champion conditional jockey." This award goes to the best young jockey who is still learning. He won 55 races that season! He then became the main jockey for Venetia Williams's horses.
Aidan won his first big race (a Grade 3 race) when he was only 19. This was on April 3, 2008, at Aintree. The horse was Stan, trained by Williams.
Riding in the Grand National
Just two days after his first big win, Aidan rode in his first Grand National. This is a very famous and challenging race. He finished 10th on a horse called Mon Mome.
The next year, he chose to ride Stan in the Grand National. But he fell off at the 7th fence. Interestingly, Mon Mome, the horse he rode the year before, went on to win that race with a different jockey!
Aidan rode in almost every Grand National from 2008 until 2023. The only year he missed was 2020 because the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His best finish in the Grand National was second place in 2022 on a horse named Balko Des Flos.
First Cheltenham Festival Win
In 2009, Aidan got his first win at the Cheltenham Festival. This is one of the most important horse racing events of the year. He won the Pertemps Final on a horse called Kayf Aramis.
New Teams and Big Wins
In 2015, Aidan left Venetia Williams's team. He became the main jockey for a new racing group called Bloomfields. This group only lasted one season.
After that, Aidan spent two seasons as the main jockey for trainer Jonjo O'Neill (jockey). Then, he decided to become a "freelance" jockey. This means he could ride for different trainers and owners.
Aidan got his first Grade 1 win (the highest level of race) in December 2018. He won the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on a horse named Paisley Park. This pair became very successful! They also won the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019. They won the Long Walk Hurdle two more times, in 2020 and 2022.
In June 2019, Aidan reached a big milestone: 1,000 career wins!
He also had great success with a horse called Put The Kettle On. They won two Grade 1 races at the Cheltenham Festival: the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2020 and the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2021.
Aidan also won many top races on horses owned by J. P. McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson. These included Epatante, who won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle twice (2020, 2021) and the Aintree Hurdle in 2022. He also rode Jonbon to four more Grade 1 wins in 2022 and 2023.
For two seasons (2020-2022), Aidan was the main jockey for trainer Ollie Murphy. After that, he went back to being freelance. This allowed him to focus on riding his best horses like Epatante, Jonbon, and Paisley Park.
Retirement
In June 2023, Aidan suffered a serious leg injury during a race at Worcester. Because of this injury, he was unable to return to racing. In April 2024, he officially announced his retirement from horse racing, following advice from doctors.
Cheltenham Festival Wins (4)
- Arkle Challenge Trophy - (1) - Put The Kettle On (2020)
- Queen Mother Champion Chase - (1) - Put The Kettle On (2021)
- Pertemps Final - (1) - Kayf Aramis (2009)
- Stayers' Hurdle - (1) - Paisley Park (2019)
Major Wins
- Aintree Hurdle - (1) - Epatante (2022)
- Celebration Chase - (1) - Jonbon (2023)
- Fighting Fifth Hurdle - (2) - Epatante (2020, 2021 (dead heat))
- Henry VIII Novices' Chase - (1) - Jonbon (2022)
- Long Walk Hurdle - (3) - Paisley Park (2018, 2020, 2022)
- Top Novices' Hurdle - (1) - Jonbon (2022)
- Maghull Novices' Chase - (1) - Jonbon (2023)
