Ross Coakley Q&A: '2024 Wasn't What I Hoped It Would Be – But I Will Regroup'

We live in a social media era. Be it on Instagram, X or Facebook, nine times out of 10, what people put on the social media platforms is the best version of themselves. That's what made jockey Ross Coakley's post for the new year so refreshing on Facebook. 

The Irishman has partnered almost 150 winners since moving to Britain in 2021. But unhappy with last year's tally of 33 wins and 328 rides, which was down from 47 wins and 375 rides in 2023, he spoke openly about how 2024 represented a disappointment on a professional front at least. 

Make no mistake, Coakley is not 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 may not have knocked it out of the park last year. 

The 30-year-old expands on his reasoning for moving to Britain in the first place, goals for 2025 and much more in this week's Q&A.

You were refreshingly honest on Facebook in discussing how your year went. What led to you writing that post as I am sure it resonated with plenty of people?

Sometimes these things cross your mind and more times you don't bother posting. But, do you know what? I decided to post it because I thought it might resonate with some people. Being honest about these things when you can is important. I wrote that Facebook post in about three minutes because it was honest. When you are speaking the truth, you barely have to think about it. We live in an era where everyone is putting the best version of themselves on social media. I wanted to put a post up for the end of the year but, when I looked back on all of my winners, there wasn't anything that jumped out to me. That's why I decided to be honest and say that 2024 wasn't exactly what I had hoped it would be. It was one of those years where the tally of winners was disappointing but all you can do is regroup and put the head down for 2025. I am going to Dubai in a couple of weeks and the hope would be that I would pick up some rides. I am looking forward to that. When I come back from that, it will be early February and the Flat season proper will almost be upon us at that point. 

You said in the post that it wasn't a great year on the track for you. Okay, your numbers took a dip on previous seasons, but 33 winners from 328 rides and over £360,000 in prize-money is not bad by any means. 

There are two ways of looking at it. You could be somebody who gets a lot of rides and, while you don't get a lot of winners, you're making an income through the riding fee. But from my point of view, last year represented a drop-off and, as a jockey, you're always hoping to keep building. The fact that it dropped off was disappointing. You want it to go back in an upward curve and can't afford for it to drop again because there is a lot of sacrifice and work involved to keep the show on the road over here. There is a lot of racing and your work-life balance takes a little bit of a hit in Britain compared to Ireland so you need to be getting the results on the track to justify the sacrifices. 

It might be a bit of an intrusive question but what sort of numbers would you need to be hitting in order to make a good living riding in Britain?

There's no magic number. The truth of it is, I made quite an okay living last year. But your expenses are a lot higher in Britain as you are spending a lot of time on the road so fuel, hotels and all of that kind of stuff adds up. You have to try and cover a much greater area compared to in Ireland. A lot of Flat jockeys are based in Newmarket but I suppose, the way my contacts developed, I am split between Newmarket and Lambourn. I am covering more ground than most people would be. I don't mind that, it just means my expenses will be higher than most people. I cover my bills but, equally, for the sacrifices you make, you'd want to be rewarded to justify it. For me, that's more than 33 winners a year. If you are riding 50 winners and getting in the region of 500 rides in a season, you'll make a very good living. There's probably more of a platform at that level over here than there is in Ireland. It's also interesting that, back in Ireland, a lot of jockeys' income is split between riding out in the mornings and riding in races. Because the volume of racing is much greater over here, there isn't the same scope to ride out in a yard in the mornings, therefore it would be hard to justify earning a wage in a yard where you're required to ride out every morning. So basically,  your income is more or less your riding fee and whatever prize-money you manage to earn in a season. Some jockeys get sponsorship deals as well but they are becoming a bit more difficult to secure. 

On the whole, the move to Britain has been a good fit for you as the rides did seem to dry up in Ireland.

I suppose my hand was forced a little bit in that if John Oxx didn't retire I probably never would have moved over here. When John Oxx retired, I had invested the previous few years of my career there, so I was left without a base when he called time on his career. The way it is in Ireland, there are only so many seats at every table and, when you are not on the table, it's very hard to get in. That was my reasoning at the time for making the move. When I moved over initially, which was the middle of the summer in 2021, I based myself with Hugo Palmer, who at the time was based in Newmarket. Things were in full flow over here and, as a result, people were into their own rhythm as to what jockeys they were using so it took me a bit of time to get a foothold. Rod Millman was integral in giving me some early opportunities and I spent a lot of time riding at the South Western tracks. That's where I got a bit of momentum and that's where I made some connections in Lambourn as I used to break up my trips to Chepstow and places like that by going in to ride for as many people as I could. Towards the end of my first season here, I got the opportunity to go in and ride work for Simon and Ed Crisford and that gave me a solid base to kick on from. 

You're still relatively young for a Flat jockey at 30 years of age. You said that 33 winners does not necessarily reward the sacrifices that you make. So what is it that you're hoping to get out of the game?

I am sure everyone feels they are not being rewarded for their efforts at certain times in this business. Also, this is a game where, no matter what you achieve, you will always want more. I think that's just the nature of the beast. I don't like setting targets because I don't think it's something you have any great control over. Me riding 10, 40 or 80 winners is not a reflection of my ability. It's more of a reflection of what luck I got along the way, the momentum I built up or what horses I managed to get on at the right time. I'm still the same rider and I feel like I have improved every year. Having served my apprenticeship in Ireland, I have built up plenty of experience and I have plenty of confidence in my ability in that regard. I did come into last season hoping I would hit the 50-winner mark. I have had a few Listed winners since moving over here as well and the hope is that you'd get more opportunities on the Saturdays. You want to be riding at the meetings that are on terrestrial television. That didn't materialise last year but it's a competitive field and there are so many good jockeys over here, nothing is going to be handed to you. You just have to control what you can control. After that, you just hope the results will look after themselves over a period of time. 

In terms of mindset, it's all very well when things are going good. But when they are not, how do you keep positive and hungry?

From my point of view, the biggest sacrifice for me is my weight, because I am tall for a Flat jockey. There are very few blank days over here so you have to be very consistent with your weight in order to keep on top of it. If you were to let it slip at all, it would be very hard to get it back because you just don't have the time. Even when you have a quiet week, you just don't know what's around the corner so it's something I try to keep on top of all the time. That's the toughest thing for me. 

Three Listed winners and a Group 3 success were added to your CV since you moved to Britain. I know you were disappointed about last year's tally but, you're clearly riding a better calibre of horse since you moved to Britain, and on the whole, I'd say you have no regrets?

Absolutely, I don't regret anything about the past three years. I am 30 now and, realistically, we'll see what happens. You never know what is around the corner and you'd always be looking ahead to see what the next chapter might be. It's something I am not afraid to talk about. You should always be prepared for life after being a jockey because, at the end of the day, an injury could force your hand in the morning. There were times when I was hell-bent on not even thinking 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 being a jockey. And that's healthy. 

Have you thought about what the next chapter might be?

I would love the idea of training. Whether that's realistic in the current climate is another thing as you need so much capital and it would be hard to do it without a backer. I would also be open to something in the media. There are a lot of different avenues I could go down eventually but, for the time being at least, I am fully concentrated on the riding and we are going to give this year a good crack.