We live in a social media era. Whether on Instagram,
The Irishman has worked with almost 150 winners since moving to the UK in 2021. But dissatisfied with last year's record of 33 wins and 328 rides, which was down compared to 47 wins and 375 rides in 2023, he spoke openly about how 2024 was a disappointment, at least professionally.
Make no mistake, Coakley isn't complaining about his lot. Instead, he simply pointed out that not everything has to be perfect on social media, and his post may well have resonated with others who might not have blown his mind last year.
In this week's Q&A, the 30-year-old explains his reasons for moving to the UK, his goals for 2025 and more.
You were refreshingly sincere on Facebook about how your year went. What prompted you to write this post, as I'm sure it resonated with many people?
Sometimes these things come to mind, and more often you don't bother to post. But you know what? I decided to publish it because I thought it might resonate with some people. It's significant to be sincere about these things when you can. I wrote this Facebook post in about three minutes because it was sincere. If you tell the truth, you hardly have to think about it. We live in a time where everyone shows the best version of themselves on social media. I wanted to do an end-of-year post, but when I looked back at all of my winners, nothing stood out to me. That's why I decided to be sincere and say that 2024 wasn't quite what I had hoped for. It's been one of those years where the winners' record has been disappointing, but all you can do is regroup and look ahead to 2025. I'm going to Dubai in a few weeks and hope to get some rides. I'm looking forward to that. When I come back from this it will be the beginning of February and the actual flat season is almost upon us at this point.
You said in the post that it wasn't a great year for you on the track. Okay, your numbers are down compared to previous seasons, but 33 winners from 328 rides and over £360,000 in prize money isn't bad by any means.
There are two points of view. You could be someone who completes a lot of rides and although not many winners, but generates an income from the ride fee. But from my perspective, last year was a low point and as a jockey you always hope to keep building. The fact that it fell off was disappointing. They want it to go up again and can't afford for it to go down again because it takes a lot of sacrifice and work to keep the show on track here. There is a lot of racing in the UK and the work-life balance is a little compromised compared to Ireland. Therefore, you need to achieve good results on the track to justify the sacrifices.
It may be a bit of an intrusive question, but what numbers would you need to achieve to earn a good living as a motorcyclist in the UK?
There is no magic number. The truth is, I got off pretty well last year. However, in the UK your expenses are much higher because you spend a lot of time on the road, so fuel, hotels and all those things add up. You have to try to cover a much larger area than in Ireland. Many flat jockeys are based in Newmarket but due to the way my contacts have developed I am split between Newmarket and Lambourn. I cover more topics than most people would. I don't mind that, it just means my expenses will be higher than most people's. I pay my bills, but you also want to be rewarded for the sacrifices you make to justify it. For me that's more than 33 winners per year. If you ride 50 winning rides and complete about 500 rides per season, you will make a very good living. There are probably more platforms at this level here than in Ireland. What's also intriguing is that in Ireland, many jockeys' income is split between morning rides and racing. Since there are a lot more races here, there aren't the same opportunities to ride out on a farm in the morning. It would therefore be demanding to justify earning a wage on a farm where you have to ride out every morning. Essentially, your income is more or less equal to your riding fee and the prize money you earn in a season. Some jockeys also receive sponsorship contracts, but these are becoming increasingly complex to obtain.
Overall, moving to the UK has suited you well as travel in Ireland seems to have dried up.
I guess my hand was forced a little because if John Oxx hadn't retired I probably never would have moved here. By the time John Oxx retired I had spent the last few years of my career there, so I had no base left when he ended his career. As it is in Ireland, there are only a narrow number of seats at each table and if you are not at the table it is very complex to get in. That was my reason for this step at the time. When I first moved, which was mid-summer 2021, I settled in with Hugo Palmer, who was based in Newmarket at the time. Things were in full swing here and as a result people were in their own rhythm about which jockeys they used, so it took a while to get my footing. Rod Millman was instrumental in giving me some opportunities early on and I spent a lot of time racing on the tracks in the South West. I picked up a bit of momentum there and made some contacts at Lambourn as I broke up my trips to Chepstow and similar places by driving for as many people as I could. Towards the end of my first season here I got the opportunity to work for Simon and Ed Crisford and that gave me a solid base from which to start.
At 30 you are still relatively newborn for a flat jockey. You said that 33 winners doesn't necessarily reward the sacrifices you make. So what do you hope to achieve from the game?
I'm sure everyone feels like their efforts aren't rewarded at certain times in this business. Plus, this is a game that will leave you wanting more no matter what you achieve. I think it's just the nature of the animal. I don't set goals because I don't think you have much control over them. The fact that I have 10, 40 or 80 winners does not reflect my abilities. It's more a reflection of the luck I've had along the way, the momentum I've built or the horses I've been able to board at the right time. I'm still the same rider and I feel like I've improved every year. I gained a lot of experience through my training in Ireland and am very confident in my abilities in this regard. I went into last season hoping to reach the 50-win mark. I've also had a few listed winners since moving here and I hope you get more chances on Saturdays. You would like to take part in the meetings that will be broadcast on terrestrial television. That didn't happen last year, but it's a very competitive field and there are so many good jockeys here that nothing is given to you. You only have to control what you can control. After that, you just hope that the results come on their own over time.
From a mindset perspective, it's all well and good when things go well. But how do you stay positive and hungry when this isn't the case?
From my perspective, the biggest sacrifice for me is my weight because I'm towering for a flat jockey. There are very few days off here, so you have to keep your weight very consistent to keep it under control. If you let it slip at all, it would be very demanding to get it back because you just don't have the time. Even if you have a still week, you just don't know what's around the corner. That's why I try to keep track of things all the time. That's the hardest thing for me.
Three listed winners and one Group 3 success have been added to your CV since moving to the UK. I know you were disappointed with last year's performance, but since moving to the UK you've clearly been riding a better horse and on the whole I'd say you have no regrets?
Absolutely, I have no regrets about the last three years. I'm 30 now and realistically we'll see what happens. You never know what's around the corner and you're always looking ahead to see what the next chapter might be. It's something I'm not afraid to talk about. You should always be prepared for life after your jockey career because at the end of the day an injury could claim your hand in the morning. There were times when I desperately didn't even want to think about life outside of being a jockey. But there is a certain amount of freedom in accepting that there will be life after my time as a jockey. And that is vigorous.
Have you thought about what the next chapter might look like?
I would like the idea of training. Whether that is realistic in the current climate is another matter, as it requires so much capital and without a backer it would be complex to pull off. I would also be open to something in the media. There are many different paths I could take at some point, but at least for now I'm fully focused on driving and we'll give it a good try this year.
